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\noriginal post: December 27, 2017<\/a>, written by reporter\u00a0Sameer Chhabra<\/a><\/p>\n
Digitally inaccessible: A closer look at smartphone accessibility in Canada pasted DWCC’s portion from the long article:<\/p>\n Addressing the issue of cost<\/strong><\/p>\n Of course, the issue often isn\u2019t just a matter of having access to access modern smartphone technology. Instead, the barrier for entry is often as simple as not being able to afford a smartphone plan in the first place. After all, Canadian smartphone plans are some of the most expensive in the world, and that cost increases for individuals who are low-vision, blind, deaf or hard-of-hearing. \u201cA lot of people who are deafblind are quite low-income,\u201d explains McHugh. \u201cIt\u2019s a challenge to work at a level to earn a decent income when you cannot see or hear. A lot of people who are deafblind are unemployed or underemployed, or unable to work, and they really need this access.\u201d<\/p>\n However, as members of the Deaf Wireless Canada Consultative Committee (DWCC) point out, subsidized plan costs are only one step towards making smartphones truly accessible for all Canadians.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a phrase that\u2019s recently generated a lot of stigma, but a potential solution to the DWCC\u2019s concerns is zero-rating<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reasoning is that individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing most likely don\u2019t need voice services bundled into their plan. Instead, what they do need is access to larger LTE data buckets for services like video calling and audio wayfinding.<\/p>\n \u201cWe actually have a need for effective video communication,\u201d said Jeffrey Beatty, a technology expert for DWCC, in a phone interview with MobileSyrup. \u201cThat service provides a clarify to video for communication, and that means it\u2019s less blurry and less pixelated \u2014 that clarity makes it a lot easier to hold a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n After all, if you can see who you\u2019re talking to, you can speak to them in sign language.<\/p>\n Likewise, as Shane Laurnitus \u2014 the lead for accessible technology at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) \u2014 points out, individuals who are blind or low-vision require data plans so they can utilize the voice services that many sighted individuals take for granted. BlindSquare, for example, is an accessible GPS app designed to be used by individuals who are low-vision, blind, hard-of-hearing or deaf. The app itself costs $54.99 CAD and is only available for iOS devices. However, data-intensive services like BlindSquare consume quite a bit of mobile data, meaning that individuals with these specific accessibility needs are often limited.<\/p>\n Zero-rated services<\/a>, therefore, would allow individuals with these accessibility needs to pay a fixed rate for very specific apps, without needing to worry about consuming mobile data.<\/p>\n Zero-rating certainly has been a hot topic in Canada Anderson also acknowledged the stigma associated with the term. She argued that zero-rating should be denied to carriers looking to bundle entertainment services together into packages that resemble cable subscriptions. \u201cHowever, when it comes to accessibility, it should be allowed,\u201d said Anderson. \u201cIf there is a way for video communications, for specific apps to be zero-rated, then yes, we are in favour, because this is based on needs versus wants.\u201d<\/p>\n As Anderson put it, Canadians who are deaf, deafblind, or hard-of-hearing \u201c[through] no fault of their own, rely on video apps for everyday communications.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the CRTC previously ruled against zero-rating in a decision regarding Quebec-based regional carrier Videotron, arguing in favour of \u201ca fair marketplace in which internet services providers compete on their own network elements (price, quality of service, speeds, data allowance and better service offerings), not by treating certain content differently.\u201d However, the DWCC is currently in consultation with Canada\u2019s telecom watchdog to try to determine if there might be some way to compromise on Canada\u2019s zero-rating laws.<\/p>\n Granted, the DWCC doesn\u2019t solely advocate for zero-rated services. Quite the contrary, the organization is also a staunch supporter of unlimited data buckets, believing that such an option would be especially beneficial to individuals who rely on data-intensive apps for communication.<\/p>\n However, none of Canada\u2019s carriers offer unlimited data plans. Even carriers that claim to offer unlimited plans include provisions explaining that services will be throttled after subscribers consume a predetermined amount of data.\u201cI\u2019m not trying to compare in terms of America versus Canada, but in America, they do have data plans that honour deaf and hard of hearing individuals,\u201d said Beatty.<\/p>\n Beatty referenced $55 USD plans that offer unlimited data specifically for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. \u201cSo why can\u2019t we have the same thing here?\u201d asked Beatty.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want one nationally accessible plan that deaf people can use specifically at a discounted price\u2026that can meet our needs.\u201d For their part, Canada\u2019s carriers have taken some steps to attempt to make wireless services more accessible.<\/p>\n National carriers Telus and Bell both offer rate discounts for individuals with specific accessibility needs. MobileSyrup also reached out to Rogers, but the carrier did not respond to our request for an interview (as of December 28th, 2017, this article has been updated to reflect Rogers\u2019 response, which can be found at the bottom of this story).<\/p>\n At Telus, individuals who are deaf, deafblind or hard-of-hearing can receive a $20 discount on their rate plans. The carrier also makes its client care line accessible through a teletypewriter and a video relay services.\u201cTelus has a range of wireless devices that support a connection to a cellular-compatible [teletypewriter] through an audio jack connection that will connect to a mobile phone,\u201d said a Telus spokesperson, in an email to MobileSyrup.<\/p>\n In comparison, Bell, not only has an entire call centre based in Ottawa dedicated to serving customers with accessibility needs, the carrier also offers discounts on rate plans while offering two Android devices that specifically cater to individuals who are low-vision. Bell also offers two additional gigabytes of data to any who self-identifies and provides evidence that they are individuals with accessibility needs. \u201cIt makes up for the fact, lets the example of someone who is speech impaired, they won\u2019t be able to use a voice service, we provide this 2GB add-on as a substitute,\u201d said Michael Widner, director of product management at Bell Mobility, in a phone interview with MobileSyrup. \u201cIt is an additional amount of data for customers who need to use video-calling and GPS wayfinding \u2014 things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, Bell offers its customers a screen reader app that works with Android devices. \u201cWe call it the mobile accessibility app,\u201d said Widner. Bell customers can download the app from the Google Play Store, and the carrier subsidizes the cost so that Android users can download the app for free.<\/p>\n \u201cWe obviously just limit it to customers who are with Bell,\u201d said Widner. \u201cWe\u2019re not offering it to our competitors, but that is at no cost to our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Nonetheless, McHugh explains that Canada\u2019s wireless accessibility offerings still lag behind other developed countries \u2014 in spite of everything, she still pays about $85 CAD each month for her plan. \u201cI\u00a0 changed my plan recently, and I ended up getting it for $15 less,\u201d says McHugh.<\/p>\n Technology is supposed to bring people together.<\/strong><\/p>\n Update 28\/12\/2017:\u00a0Rogers has responded and provided a list of services they offer individuals with accessibility needs. The national carrier offers message relay services, teletypewriter services, and also operates the Rogers Accessibility Service Centre (RASC). The RASC can be contacted by phone or by live chat, and allows customers to address their accessibility needs.<\/p>\n Read more at\u00a0MobileSyrup.com<\/a>:\u00a0Digitally inaccessible: A closer look at smartphone accessibility in Canada<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" cet article est disponible uniquement en anglais. Les lecteurs fran\u00e7ais peuvent essayer d’ouvrir dans le navigateur Google Chrome pour la traduction vers le fran\u00e7ais. \/\/ this news article is available only in English. French readers can try opening in Google\u2026<\/p>\n
\nSmartphones and access to affordable data plans are a necessity in today\u2019s world — even more so if you\u2019re low-vision, deaf or hard-of-hearing, or both<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.mobilesyrup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/lisa-and-jeff-dwcc.png\")
\n(Left to Right:<\/strong> Jeffrey Beatty, Technical Consultant, Ottawa, ON, Lisa Anderson-Kellett, Chair\/Consultant, Burnaby, BC, and Nicole Marsh, Social Media\/Consultant, St.John’s, Newfoundland)<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cZero-rating certainly has been a hot topic in Canada,\u201d says Lisa Anderson, the chairperson of the DWCC, in an email interview\u00a0with\u00a0MobileSyrup. \u201cGenerally, it is [the] DWCC\u2019s view that it should be allowed only if it were for accessibility purposes, not for pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n