Thai Telecommunication Relay Service (TTRS) gives a voice to the voiceless
Verbal communication or interaction with others is practically effortless for people with normal hearing. However, for many Thais with hearing impairment, life in virtual silence can be a desperately lonely and frustrating existence. Nubdao Ong-apichart is one such person. She has congenital hearing loss, and communicating with other people has always been a challenge that negatively affects her life.
Communication for Nubdao can be a slow, painstaking process. “No matter how hard I try to communicate, by using lip-reading or typed-text notes, people are not always available and willing to hear me out”.
“Hearing people” – as the deaf refer to those with normal hearing – expect to be able to hear what is on someone’s mind at the fleeting speed of rapid conversation. The opportunity to communicate with a deaf person is often lost because time is of the essence and, for hearing people, the barriers to connecting and understanding are just as enormous as they are for the afflicted.
Rewat Kanjanakittichai, a deaf man, points out: “Although a mobile phone can be used as a main communication tool for the deaf, methods for communicating with hearing people are limited to text messaging or making a visual call to someone who understands sign language, so they can help as an interpreter. It is even more problematic when an incoming call comes from a hearing person. This requires that we seek help from another hearing person nearby, so that they can respond to the caller by reading our instant-writing script. It takes a significant amount of time and effort to conclude conversations between a deaf person, a hearing person, and an interpreter or someone who steps in to help.”
The complexity of communication between a hearing-impaired person and a hearing person is often such that people give up and terminate the conversation.
According to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, about 400,000 Thais have registered themselves as having impaired hearing. All of them have difficulty living in their communities simply because they are unable to communicate effectively.
The Thai Telecommunication Relay Service (TTRS) functions as a call center. Its primary goal is to eradicate the communications obstacles in the lives of people with hearing impairment, and to help them to communicate successfully. To fulfil its mission, a team of people has been carefully selected and technologies have been adjusted to suit the Thai context, and to respond better to the needs of Thai people with hearing impairment.
The president of the Universal Foundation for Persons with Disabilities, Professor Viriya Namsiriphongphan, says communication has long posed major obstacles for people with hearing impairment in trying to live normal lives. Most of their problems occur because they are unable to communicate effectively, and if their communication problems were resolved, they would feel more ‘included’ in their communities.
“This is about equality too,” he explains. “If we can help the deaf to communicate with hearing people, it will be a huge step forward for equality.”
Sign-language interpreters are key aides in the mission to help the deaf. But assigning an interpreter to constantly accompany every person with hearing impairment is out of the question, given the time involved, the budget required, and the limited number of sign-language interpreters in Thailand.
TTRS has therefore taken the initiative to improve services for people with hearing impairment through the integration of innovations.
TTRS was founded in 2011 through collaboration between the Universal Foundation for People with Disabilities and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)’s Assistive and Medical Devices Research Center (A-MED), with initiative funding from the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (ONBTC). Since then, the ONBTC has offered sponsorship and infrastructural support for the integration of a communications platform for people with hearing impairment into its plan for comprehensive basic telecommunications for public services. With this support, TTRS is improving communication services for people with hearing impairment.
Before this new initiative began, it would take a sign-language interpreter one whole day to accompany a deaf patient to a 10-minute appointment with his or her doctor. Now, with the new initiative and its technology-enabled services, one sign-language interpreter is capable of assisting many deaf people in one day. The new platform deploys high-speed internet to provide online sign-language interpretation services. It also enables deaf people to communicate among themselves more smoothly.
At present, about 40,000 deaf people have subscribed to TTRS services, but of these, there are just a little over 10,000 regular users. Across Thailand, there are about 500 sign-language interpreters. Of these, about 40 work for TTRS.
All of those who subscribe to TTRS are able to use sign language. However, they still have difficulty communicating with hearing people, most of whom do not know sign language. To address these complicated communications issues, TTRS offers nine services to respond to the various needs of the hearing-impaired.
To many deaf people, Thai is like their second language. While some sign-language users can communicate in writing, their sentence structure may differ from standard Thai text. So, even when they communicate by writing, interpretation services are still needed.
“Technological integration enables the use of sign-language interpretation services anytime, anywhere, for as long as a hearing-impaired person can access the internet. Technologies also allow one interpreter to serve many hearing-impaired people. Our 40 interpreters can assist more than 10,000 hearing-impaired people,” Viriya says.
TTRS is using increasingly advanced technologies to connect hearing-impaired people with hearing people, enabling them to communicate effectively and better achieve mutual understanding. Integration of these technologies means TTRS services are now comprehensive and genuinely responsive to people living with hearing impairment.
Total conversation: Applied technological solution for Thais
The mission, according to the leader of the Accessibility and Assistive Technology Research Team, Nattanun Thatphithakkul, is to connect hearing-impaired people with other people via mobile phones. Overall, this has led to the exploration of technologies that could be of use in helping the deaf and a focus on technological solutions that may boost their independence. Mobile phones stand out because these devices are in everyday use and are easily affordable. However, deaf people have problems with phone communications because they cannot react to sound or “speak”. They need sign language, which requires seeing the other person to communicate their thoughts, opinions, ideas and feelings.
After identifying these fundamental problems, Nattanun began investigating the most suitable tech solutions. This led to a Telecommunication Relay Service system that uses ‘Total Conversation’ as a core technology. Total conversation is a telecommunication technology that enables the simultaneous use of video, voice and text.
After choosing Total Conservation, the research team considered the particular needs of people with impaired hearing in Thailand, and adapted the solution to operate in the Thai context. The result is the system that now delivers the TTRS services. These comprise two main parts: the first offers major services that have been designed following careful studies of the needs of deaf people, and the second involves the management of interpretation services, which play a key role at the TTRS Call Center.
In managing its interpretation services, TTRS has dealt with the limited supply of sign-language interpreters by analyzing its data-usage records and allocating interpreters to clearly defined time slots. The interpreter-management system emphasizes three issues: (1) queue management; (2) a streamlined process with the integration of automation, for example, in the event of an emergency, the location can be shared instead of requiring users to make another call to explain their location; and (3) statistics that enable analyses, so that there is an appropriate allocation of interpreters to each hour of the day. With the aid of technology, the system now has enough interpreters.
Nattanun says his team’s system is outstanding, in that it addresses the various needs of deaf people with a relatively comprehensive range of services, so that they can use the one that best suits their needs and abilities. It addresses Thailand’s current infrastructure, and takes into account the lack of internet access in some areas. People in these areas can request interpretation services that do not require internet access.
The research team checks with users and interpreters about the need to upgrade the system’s features or introduce new ones to improve its efficiency.
“Some features of our system do not exist overseas,” Nattanun says. “However, we have added them because people with hearing impairment in Thailand want them. Satisfaction in our system is, therefore, relatively high. The bottom line is that we have constantly improved our system and adjusted it to the Thai context.”
As a researcher, Nattanun hopes that the technologies he has helped to develop will benefit people with disabilities, boost their self-reliance, raise their job opportunities, and increase their life security. In the event of emergencies, he hopes the system will enable people with hearing impairment to access emergency help.
The first research goal was to enable people with hearing impairment to enjoy basic communication with others. This was seen as a crucial component in guaranteeing equality in Thailand’s telecom system, because phone and online activities can generate income. TTRS’s services now contribute to the efforts of many hearing-impaired people to make a living or build up career prospects. Some have opened online shops, while others have joined food-delivery businesses. TTRS has even formed a partnership with Grab, to create a particular channel for hearing-impaired people to become deliverers of food.
“TTRS now plays a role in three areas: First, it supports general usage of our services. Second, it adds value to occupational opportunities, and third, it takes care of welfare such as health, life and property security. We believe that if good care is taken in these three areas, people with hearing impairment will have a greater chance of living a normal life,” Nuttanun says, adding that he is happy and proud to have contributed to improving their lives.
“Interpreter Management” removes obstacles to a normal life
While technological solutions are now increasingly responsive to the needs of Thai people with hearing impairment, deaf people like Nubdao and Rewat still hope for more. If possible, they want to see more platforms for the services of sign-language interpreters. Even though TTRS now has more sign-language interpreters, demand for their services far outpaces their ability to cope.
One of TTRS’s chief sign-language interpreters, Chananchida Cheepseree, says that she really wants to help as many people with hearing impairment as possible.
However, her ability to do this is limited by many constraints. Therefore, she considers it fortunate that A-MED and its researchers have stepped in to provide technology integration that significantly boosts interpretation services.
Sign-language interpreters function like communication tools, acting as media to deliver messages and feelings from people with hearing impairment to others. Not only do these interpreters help with communications, but they also provide a sense of peace and pride in people with hearing impairment. Chananchida points out that even though they have hearing problems, the deaf want to live as equals in society; they feel good when they do not have to bother people around them for help with communication.
“Just like able-bodied people, those with hearing impairment want to live independently. We only have to fill the communication gap,” she says.
A-MED technologies have allowed sign-language interpreters to overcome time and distance constraints in providing their services. Travel expenses have been lowered while data is recorded for efficient interpreter management. Past service-usage records reveal peak hours and off-peak hours. Messages are now categorized, paving the way for shorter queues. TTRS now provides services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, although night-time services are reserved for emergencies only.
“In the past, TTRS provided sign-language interpreters only for important errands such as doctors’ appointments, meetings with government agencies, applications for ID cards, job interviews, or entrance exams at academic institutes. Now, it provides a variety of services, including general communication in daily living,” Chananchida says.
With TTRS’s current telecommunication services, a sign-language interpreter can answer up to 60 or 70 requests per day. Chananchida believes that higher efficiency means greater happiness among people with hearing impairment. Better still, the ability to serve more hearing-impaired persons every day means greater opportunities to hone interpreting skills.
For people with hearing impairment, TTRS offers easy-to-use, fast and convenient services that can be accessed anytime, anywhere with no limit regarding call duration. Sign-language interpreters consider TTRS a great place to gather knowledge and accumulate experiences working with hearing-impaired persons.
“Thanks to efficient management, TTRS interpreters can avoid waiting time or the need to travel, so they can serve more hearing-impaired people. With the help of technology, we now meet hearing-impaired people of all ages, from young kids to the elderly. We also deal with various groups of people with hearing impairment. Some use standard sign language, while others may use a sign language typical to their community. Some kids, meanwhile, do not use sign language. It is best described as non-verbal communication. With such exposure, interpreters develop a richer vocabulary, so they can communicate better on a wider range of topics, delivering small happiness to more people. Their communications are effective among both hearing-impaired people and hearing people. They can see clearly from the perspectives of the deaf,” Chananchida explains.
With a wider variety of services on multiple platforms, TTRS has attracted more service users. While the biggest group of users are hearing-impaired people, it has also attracted some organizational users. Its online sign-language interpretation services are free of charge. However, even though TTRS has 40,000 subscribers, it has yet to reach a majority of Thailand’s hearing-impaired population. Many deaf people cannot seek TTRS’s help because they lack the necessary tech tools.
Chananchida asks for public understanding of people with hearing impairment and the work of sign-language interpreters. She says this work has created new opportunities for deaf people, including the ability to get jobs. She also hopes that more hearing-impaired people will use TTRS services and that hearing people will accept TTRS calls when contact is made.
“Above all, I would like to thank A-MED for recognizing the importance of our services and introducing tech solutions for us. Because A-MED surveyed the needs of hearing-impaired people before developing the system, the outcome is really responsive to what they need. Without these technologies, their communications wouldn’t go any further,” Chananchia says.
Equal communications opportunities for everyone
According to Universal Foundation for Persons with Disabilities president Viriya, TTRS aims to make its services even more comprehensive in the future. One of the key goals is to step into the educational and employment sectors, to ensure that TTRS can be of more help. At present, its presence in the educational sector is minimal, while people with visual impairment can now study in general education classes because of Braille and audiobooks. TTRS hopes to enable hearing-impaired people, just like the blind, to sit in the same classes as able-bodied people..
“Education will empower people with hearing impairment. If we can do this, they will be able to further their studies at universities without complicated problems. With one tablet, they will be able to access interpretation services and knowledge, all at the same time,” Viriya says.
TTRS is committed to constant service improvement to address the pain points and the needs of the deaf in the hope of raising the quality of their lives. A-MED, meanwhile, is determined to develop tech solutions for all groups of the physically challenged so that all of them, not just the hearing-impaired persons, can live happily in society with self-reliance.
To Nubdao and Rewat, TTRS’s services are not just “solutions” that make their lives more comfortable, they also raise public understanding of people with hearing impairment.
“These solutions remove our long-persistent communication obstacles. Thanks to TTRS, communications are easier. Its services are beneficial to our lives. I use the services every day to chat with hearing people on general topics, consult doctors, order food deliveries, and make calls for various purposes. I really hope TTRS can increase the number of interpreters and provide more device support. There is still a shortage of equipment. With more devices, more hearing-impaired persons will benefit. With more equipment, services will become more comprehensive,” Nubdao says, via an interpreter.
Both Nubdao and Rewat also hope that TTRS’s services will become better known among the physically challenged, government agencies, the private sector and the general public.
NOTE:
At present, TTRS has nine services. People with hearing impairment can use services in text and video formats. People with speech impairment can use Speech Enhancement services.
The nine services are:
- SMS Relay Service
- Multimedia Message Relay Service (TTRS Message)
- IP Relay Service via Mobile (TTRS Live Chat)
- IP Relay Service via PC
- Video Relay Service via PC and Video Phone
- Video Relay Service via Mobile (TTRS Video)
- Video Relay Service via Kiosk
- Captioned Phone Relay Service (TTRS Caption)
- Speech Enhancement Relay Service
