Cape Town - A new pilot project is set to bring hearing-impaired persons some relief to make and receive phone calls.
Deaf-owned company Convo South Africa has launched the first National Relay Service for people living with hearing and/or speech disabilities in South Africa.
According to the company, the idea was conceived seven years ago when Convo Global co-founder, Braam Jordaan, a deaf South African, started lobbying for it after experiencing such a service in 2019.
In 2019, Jordaan received the Order of the Baobab Award from President Cyril Ramaphosa. This is where he raised the issue of telecommunication access.
In 2021, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) amended the Code on People with Disabilities to require electronic communication service licensees to provide a National Relay Service (NRS).
Convo South Africa has teamed up with MTN and has allocated 100 people to join the pilot project.
“There are 98 million phone subscribers in South Africa, but access to telecommunication services is not the same for all,” the company said.
“Approximately 2.8 million South Africans with hearing loss and 235 000 South African Sign Language (SASL) users have zero or limited telecommunications access.
“These individuals have been deprived of conversations that could have steered the course of their future. Convo South Africa’s goal is simple: create meaningful conversations that transform lives.”
The pilot project will run for four months to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the service before releasing it to the general public.
The participants will be able to place or receive a call from any hearing individual connected through a video sign language interpreter or a communication assistant (through text) that will facilitate all calls.
The receiver will not need to have the application and will answer a call from a deaf person with a call ID shown as they would with any other call.
“The difference, in this case, is that the call is made through NRS where a sign language interpreter or communication assistant provides accessibility. This is an example of the functionally equivalent telecommunication service. The call can also be made to any mobile phone, toll free, and landline numbers,” Convo South Africa said.
People living with hearing disabilities will now become more independent and will be able to make emergency calls not just for themselves, but for others or make medical or mental health appointments using telehealth services.
The company said the NRS also benefits police and administration officers, emergency personnel, spiritual leaders, medical professionals, business owners, customer support representatives, family members, friends, teachers, and all South Africans who might need to communicate with those living with hearing disabilities in their lives.
“This is the first time we're launching an NRS in South Africa. The pilot is to test out the systems in South Africa on a small scale to make sure that any potential challenges are addressed prior to opening up to all MTN subscribers,” it said.
MTN is providing each pilot participant with 2 GB of free data and 200 minutes to enable them to effectively participate.
“It is very important for non-MTN subscribers to sign up as we will be able to evaluate the current demand and work with the rest of mobile network operators we are engaging with,” the company said.
MTN South Africa’s executive for customer experience operations Cornelia Van Heerdin said the service provider was inspired by the nation’s potential.
“We at MTN have been dedicated to bridging the digital divide and enabling our customers to be fully connected and realised individuals who can achieve anything they put their minds to,” Van Heerdin said.
“Together with Convo we are excited to be increasing telecommunications access to South Africans with hearing loss.”
Jordaan said Convo, as the largest deaf-owned and deaf-led company, has a unique ability to create solutions for the challenges deaf people experience first hand.
“Our employees living with hearing disabilities, who are both consumers of our service and are our engineers, work with interpreters in a special partnership that is unmatched,” he said.
“The multi-faceted experiences and perspectives of all our employees help guide Convo’s innovation and shape our global company.”
According to Bruno Druchen, the national director of Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA) and an activist for deaf rights, the organisation also lobbied ICASA for many years for deaf people to have access to telecommunication services.
“Creating connections across languages and cultures is an important way to learn more about diverse perspectives and generate new understanding,” Druchen said.
“The partnership between MTN and Convo South Africa will definitely break down the barrier of having access to the telecommunication industry.”
Convo South Africa NRS will be available to MTN subscribers and after the four-month pilot project, the goal is to establish a ventral NRS solution and branch out to all mobile network operators.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL