York region has a new system to allow emergency reponders to text the deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired when they have an emergency.
Those with an emergency can now call 911, and which point dispatchers will know they're either hearing or speech impaired, and send a text message back asking where the person is, what’s happening, and what service, whether it be police, fire, or ambulance, they need.
“Previously the way they communicated was through typewriters and software on the computer”, says Police Communicator Nick Tsaktsiris. “But they were always fixed to a landline telephone. So if they were on the road, it would be difficult for them to communicate if they got into an accident”.
Patrcia Teixeira, who is deaf and works as a Mental Health Co-ordinator for the Canadian Hearing Society, says she travels for work a lot and is more comfortable doing so now.
“There are other ways to contact 911 but it can be delayed a little bit so now I can do direct calling to 911, and I can dialogue with the operators as opposed to relying on the other people,” says Teixeria. “So it's very empowering for me to feel more independent.”
York Region’s emergency dispatch centre is only the second location in Ontario to use this feature.
The service is only an option for people who are speech or hearing impaired, and even then their cell phone has to be registered with their service provider.
