Regulator says Canadians with disabilities should be able to use new communication tools that the rest of the public enjoy
Ottawa — The Canadian Press Last updated on Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2009 05:34PM EDT
Canadians with disabilities should be able to enjoy some of the new communication tools that the rest of the public enjoy, says the federal telecom regulator.
To that end, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is directing telecom companies and broadcasters to beef up accessibility to their services.
“We understand that Canadians living with disabilities have increasing needs as communications technologies become more prevalent in our daily lives,” CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said in a release Tuesday.
Some of the changes the regulator wants:
— Wireless companies need to offer at least one type of cellphone that can be used by Canadians with visual, physical or cognitive impairments.
— A larger number of television stations will have to offer programming that includes visual descriptions for the visually impaired, called described video. Shows include a description of visual elements such as body language or settings during pauses in dialogue. All conventional broadcasters and more pay and speciality channels will have to provide the service.
— Telephone companies will have to offer a new service that allows the hearing- or speech-impaired to make calls using text messaging.
Currently, telephone companies provide teletypewriter services, where messages typed into a special machine are relayed to another person by the operator. The CRTC would like the firms to also allow for messages sent using computers or wireless devices.
Source: Globe and Mail, July 22, 09
