The Guardian published an article on their website last week entitled “Ofcom demands better service for disabled customers”. You can read the article in full here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jul/28/ofcom-service-for-disabled-users
Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. The Guardian’s article discusses recent complaints made to Ofcom about the low standard of services provided for hearing and/or speech impaired individuals, in particular around text relay services. These services are required by law.
Ofcom has established that users find the current communication services to be very slow. Users currently type messages into a textphone, which are then delivered to the recipient by a relay assistant. The recipient’s reply is then converted by the assistant into text for the user. For clarity, users also have to say “go ahead” after each part of a conversation. Together, these features make it very difficult for the conversation to flow naturally.
Ofcom is subsequently proposing the implementation of new measures designed to address these difficulties and create a speedier, more free-flowing service. They propose that the service should be more easily accessible through mainstream media devices such as PCs and netbooks. They also propose new features, including allowing users to ‘interject’ during a conversation, instead of having to wait until the end of a message.
It is hoped that the new proposals will benefit a wide range of individuals who currently receive speech and language therapy because of communication difficulties.
In addition, Ofcom introduced an emergency SMS/texting scheme in May for 14,500 users with hearing and speech impairments. This allows the registered users to text the details of incidents to the emergency services instead of calling 999.
The Guardian also notes that according to the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has a duty to cater for the needs of disabled people and the elderly. The regulator is therefore also proposing the introduction of video relay on a restricted basis for registered British Sign Language users.
If you think that you, a family member or friend may benefit from speech and language therapy, or would benefit from advice around alternative communication strategies such as those detailed above, Integrated Treatment Services could be of help. Contact us here: https://integratedtreatmentservices.co.uk/contact-us/enquiry/
Sarah Bennington, August 2011
Written on behalf of Integrated Treatment Services. Integrated Treatment Services is a private Speech and Language Therapy service based in Leicestershire and the East Midlands. It specialises in providing highly-skilled Speech and Language Therapists, but also associates with other therapeutic professionals, including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists and Arts Therapists.
