Canadians who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can now access video relay services at any time of the day.
The CRTC announced that SRV Canada VRS — the Canadian not-for-profit that offers video relay services for American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes quebecoise (LSQ) speakers — will now operate 24-hours-a-day, all week.
“We are delighted to see the positive impact the Video Relay Services has had over the last year for Canadians with hearing and speech disabilities,” said Ian Scott, the CRTC’s chairperson, in a November 1st, 2017 media release. “This initiative contributes greatly to ensuring an equal society for all Canadians.”
Video relay services enable ASL or LSQ speakers to communicate over-the-phone through video chat. ASL or LSQ speakers sign at an interpreter who then voices sign language into either English or Quebec French.
The service has been available since September 26th, 2017, and the CRTC reports that approximately 280,000 calls have been placed by approximately 5,000 Canadian subscribers.
ASL and LSQ speakers can access the service at no cost, but they require a computer, smartphone or tablet. However, ASL and LSQ speakers who wish to communicate on the go do require a data connection to access the video service.
Source: CRTC
