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transcript
For Immediate Release – December 15, 2017
DEAF, DEAF-BLIND, HARD OF HEARING WIRELESS ACCESSIBILITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS RELEASE WIRELESS CODE IN ASL AND LSQ VIDEOS
OTTAWA, Canada – Six Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) organizations are pleased to collaborate with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) and the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in the release of accessible videos explaining the updated Wireless Code taking effect on December 1, 2017. These videos have ASL/LSQ interpretations and English/French captions.
CWTA’s Wireless Accessibility Committee (WAC) included wireless service providers, CWTA staff and the following DDBHH individuals / organizations:
- Lisa Anderson-Kellett, Chairperson, Deaf Wireless Canada Consultative Committee-Comite pour les Services Sans fil des Sourds du Canada (DWCC-CSSSC);
- Frank Folino, President, Canadian Association of the Deaf-Association des Sourds du Canada (CAD-ASC);
- Megan McHugh, President, Canadian National Society of Deaf-Blind (CNSDB);
- Elliott Richman, Assistant Director, Deafness Advocacy Association Nova Scotia (DAANS);
- Frank O’Sullivan, Executive Director, Society of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Nova Scotians (SDHHNS); and
- Gary Malkowski, Vice-President, Stakeholder & Employer Relations, Canadian Hearing Society (CHS)
DWCC made recommendations on how the “old Wireless Code” may be improved for DDBHH Canadians during the public hearing for CRTC TNC 2016-293. CRTC included them in the updated Wireless Code 2.0 as described in Telecom Regulatory Policy (TRP) 2017-200: A Review of the Wireless Code, That decision required wireless service providers (WSP) to consult with accessibility groups to produce 2 ASL/LSQ videos on separate topics: 1) the updated Wireless Code and 2) terminology seen in wireless contracts.
The CRTC 2017-200 decision has three requirements for the videos: 1) the videos provide information and are not to be used in companies’ advertising campaigns, 2) the videos must be closed-captioned, 3) CRTC, CWTA and all wireless service providers must show the same videos on their company websites, Also, all DDBHH organizations are encouraged to distribute these videos.
Working with the CWTA, DWCC presented the collective DDBHH perspectives and lived experiences when developing video scripts, recommending ASL and LSQ signers, providing feedback during filming, and post-production video editing.
The first videos describe the rights and responsibilities of wireless customers as described in the Wireless Code. You may view the CWTA videos below:
ASL: https://youtu.be/9uDy0HQdVcA
LSQ: https://youtu.be/bKqq0dSA7qs
The six organizations look forward to consulting with CWTA when producing the ASL/LSQ terminology videos to be released in the summer of 2018. These videos will help customers better understand their wireless contracts.
Happy holidays from us all!
For more information, you may visit the DWCC and CAD-ASC websites at www.deafwireless.ca and www.cad.ca
Media Contacts:
| Lisa Anderson-Kellett, Chairperson Deaf Wireless Canada Consultative Committee lisa@deafwireless.ca |
Frank Folino, President Canadian Association of the Deaf-Association des Sourds du Canada ffolino@cad.ca |
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Organization descriptions follow:
About Deaf Wireless Canada Consultative Committee (DWCC):
The DWCC is a standing committee of the CAD-ASC and is a group of Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) consultants, analysts and committee volunteers across Canada. DWCC’s mandate is to advocate for equality for DDBHH Canadians in wireless telecommunications as in:
- Fair, uniform, cost reasonable wireless data plans for ASL and LSQ users
- Transparent and clear advertisement of plans offered
- Decreased disparity of wireless product and service provisions within the companies
- Promotion and availability of wireless software applications (apps) that ensure functional equivalency.
- Accessible wireless emergency service provisions in Canada
For more information, visit www.deafwireless.ca
Contact: lisa@deafwireless.ca
About Canadian Association of the Deaf-Association des Sourds du Canada (CAD-ASC):
The Canadian Association of the Deaf-Association des Sourds du Canada (CAD-ASC) is a not-for-profit organization as a national information, research and community action organization of Deaf people in Canada. Founded in 1940, CAD-ASC provides consultation and information on Deaf issues to the public, business, media, educators, governments and others; conduct research and collects data. CAD-ASC promotes and protects the rights, needs, and concerns of Deaf people who use American Sign Language (ASL) and langue des signes québécoise (LSQ). CAD-ASC is affiliated with the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), and CAD-ASC is a United Nations-accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
For more information, visit www.cad.ca
Contact: ffolino@cad.ca
About Canadian National Society of the Deaf-Blind, Inc (CNSDB):
The Canadian National Society of the Deaf-Blind, Inc. (CNSDB) was registered in 1985 as a national consumer-run advocacy association dedicated to helping Canadians who are deaf-blind achieve a higher quality of life.
We advocate for new and improved services, promote public awareness of deaf-blind issues and gather and distribute information in order to help empower individuals who are deaf-blind to become full participants of society.
CNSDB provides expertise in accessibility related to the needs of individuals who are living with the distinct disability of deaf-blindness, which is different from deafness or blindness due to being unable to use one sense in order to compensate for the loss of the other.
For more information, visit https://www.deafblindcanada.ca
Contact: mchugh.mm@gmail.com
About Deafness Advocacy Association Nova Scotia (DAANS):
The Deafness Advocacy Association Nova Scotia (DAANS) was founded in 1976 and incorporated in 1978. DAANS works with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to remove old barriers and prevent new barriers faced by an estimated 58,000 Deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened, and Deaf-blind Nova Scotians in a variety of areas including communication access, education, employment, health, legal services, and recreation.
For more information, visit deafnessadvocacy.novascotia
Contact: daans@ne.sympatico.ca
About Society of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Nova Scotians (SDHHNS):
Society of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Nova Scotians (SDHHNS) is a non- profit organization serving the approximately 58,000 Deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and late deafened people in the province of Nova Scotia. Incorporated in 1980, the Society is mandated to develop and manage coordinated services to assist Deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and late deafened people in gaining full access to public, private and community services.
For more information, visit http://sdhhns.org/
Contact: fosullivan@ns.sympatico.ca
About Canadian Hearing Society (CHS):
Trusted since 1940, the Canadian Hearing Society provides industry-leading services and products that enable Deaf and hard of hearing Canadians to overcome barriers to participation. It is an independent, registered non-profit organization that reinvests proceeds from product and program sales back into community services, the focus of the organization.
For more information about CHS services, visit www.chs.ca
Contact: gmalkowski@chs.ca
About Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA):
CWTA is the authority on wireless issues, developments and trends in Canada. It represents companies that provide services and products across the wireless sector. Representing the industry before all levels of government and various regulatory agencies, CWTA actively promotes the industry with the goal of ensuring continued growth of the wireless sector in Canada. CWTA administers a number of initiatives on behalf of its members, including corporate social responsibility programs and the national common short codes program.
For more information, visit https://cwta.ca
About Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC):
The CRTC is an administrative tribunal that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in the public interest. The CRTC is dedicated to ensuring that Canadians—as citizens, creators and consumers—have access to a world-class communication system that promotes innovation and enriches their lives.
For more information, visit http://crtc.gc.ca
