Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
icWales - Technology gives right signs for deaf people
A WELSH not-for-profit company has developed technology to help deaf people communicate with people in the hearing community.
The video telephony product was launched at BT’s data centre in Cardiff Bay yesterday by SignWales , a Cardiff-based social enterprise set up by the Deaf Association of Wales and Deaf Studies Trust.
It will allow deaf people to communicate with each other in sign language at a distance and also to talk with the hearing community through the use of online interpreters.
Using broadband internet technology it is hoped the service will help develop links between the hearing and deaf communities.
And eventually, it is envisaged such technology will be used by everyone.
SignWales also offers daily news in sign language at the touch of a button, through a special server which makes the connections for the users.
This feature connects deaf people to news and also a range of information from companies and local authorities who must by law include deaf signers in their distribution.
Businesses and public bodies can also supply information and talk directly to deaf customers and clients.
Jim Kyle, project director at SignWales said, “In Wales, there are around 2,400 deaf members of the deaf community who use sign language.
“Around 1,200 households will benefit immediately from a videophone. Since deaf people tend to have hearing children and relatives and since they will also need to have videophones at work and in public places the user group rises to around 4,000.
“If we include hard-of-hearing people, who do not use sign language but who cannot use a voice telephone effectively there are at least another 150,000 users.
“With our partners AuPix – the UK’s only designer of videophones – BT and Business in Focus, we have been working very hard to develop a service that meets the needs of deaf people. SignWales is the solution.”
Welsh businesswoman Sarah Lawrence, who is deaf, runs Deaf-Friendly Solutions, an in-service training business for Deaf and hearing organisations.
She said, “I established my business six years ago, I wanted to train staff in organisations so deaf people have more opportunities and so employees have more deaf awareness training.
“This is the next step, this is about being able to contact customers directly. In the past I’ve had to communicate via email or interpreters on the phone, this means I will be able to talk to hearing people direct. Traditionally, funding has gone on the medical side of things, trying to give deaf people the ability to hear. This is totally different.”
Gareth Bray chief executive of Business in Focus said,“Business in Focus has now been supporting SignWales for more than 12 months. We helped with business planning and marketing and PR and access to grant and finance support within WAG and Finance Wales. We were very pleased to be involved in the product launch, especially at BT’s prestigious data centre in Cardiff Bay.
“These assistive technologies and the support which has been launched is a huge project with potential worldwide opportunities to transform how people with hearing difficulties access telecom technologies and services.”
Ann Beynon, BT director in Wales, said, “BT is proud of the products and services it provides to its disabled customers and believes the kind of work being undertaken by SignWales is an excellent development and will help to improve communications for deaf and hard of hearing people.”
A WELSH not-for-profit company has developed technology to help deaf people communicate with people in the hearing community.
The video telephony product was launched at BT’s data centre in Cardiff Bay yesterday by SignWales , a Cardiff-based social enterprise set up by the Deaf Association of Wales and Deaf Studies Trust.
It will allow deaf people to communicate with each other in sign language at a distance and also to talk with the hearing community through the use of online interpreters.
Using broadband internet technology it is hoped the service will help develop links between the hearing and deaf communities.
And eventually, it is envisaged such technology will be used by everyone.
SignWales also offers daily news in sign language at the touch of a button, through a special server which makes the connections for the users.
This feature connects deaf people to news and also a range of information from companies and local authorities who must by law include deaf signers in their distribution.
Businesses and public bodies can also supply information and talk directly to deaf customers and clients.
Jim Kyle, project director at SignWales said, “In Wales, there are around 2,400 deaf members of the deaf community who use sign language.
“Around 1,200 households will benefit immediately from a videophone. Since deaf people tend to have hearing children and relatives and since they will also need to have videophones at work and in public places the user group rises to around 4,000.
“If we include hard-of-hearing people, who do not use sign language but who cannot use a voice telephone effectively there are at least another 150,000 users.
“With our partners AuPix – the UK’s only designer of videophones – BT and Business in Focus, we have been working very hard to develop a service that meets the needs of deaf people. SignWales is the solution.”
Welsh businesswoman Sarah Lawrence, who is deaf, runs Deaf-Friendly Solutions, an in-service training business for Deaf and hearing organisations.
She said, “I established my business six years ago, I wanted to train staff in organisations so deaf people have more opportunities and so employees have more deaf awareness training.
“This is the next step, this is about being able to contact customers directly. In the past I’ve had to communicate via email or interpreters on the phone, this means I will be able to talk to hearing people direct. Traditionally, funding has gone on the medical side of things, trying to give deaf people the ability to hear. This is totally different.”
Gareth Bray chief executive of Business in Focus said,“Business in Focus has now been supporting SignWales for more than 12 months. We helped with business planning and marketing and PR and access to grant and finance support within WAG and Finance Wales. We were very pleased to be involved in the product launch, especially at BT’s prestigious data centre in Cardiff Bay.
“These assistive technologies and the support which has been launched is a huge project with potential worldwide opportunities to transform how people with hearing difficulties access telecom technologies and services.”
Ann Beynon, BT director in Wales, said, “BT is proud of the products and services it provides to its disabled customers and believes the kind of work being undertaken by SignWales is an excellent development and will help to improve communications for deaf and hard of hearing people.”