The government is today to launch a video relay service (VRS) platform for the hard of hearing and deaf, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday.
The platform would assist the hard of hearing and deaf in booking hotel rooms and restaurants, calling for taxis and performing other tasks, the ministry said.
An estimated 140,000 people in Taiwan are expected to benefit from the service, it said.
Photo: CNA
The ministry and the Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday morning announced the platform at a news conference in Taipei.
Minister Without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-jing (林宜敬), Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lue Jen-der (呂建德) and representatives of social welfare organizations that provide assistance to the hard of hearing and deaf were present at the event.
Chen thanked Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i (林萬億) for working with the health ministry on the implementation of the VRS platform, and facilitating cooperation between ministries.
“Today is just the beginning. I hope that in the future, more people with disabilities can benefit from technology,” Chen said. “Under the leadership of President William Lai (賴清德), Taiwan will be a government that strives for equality.”
Lin Yi-jing praised the cross-departmental and public-private cooperation involved with the implementation of the platform, while also warning about the potential for fraud through the platform.
“Digital tools can benefit the world, they might also introduce new challenges,” he said.
“This is something that the Ministry of Digital Affairs is aware of, and is also committed to tackling. We hope that the VRS service will benefit as many people as possible,” he said.
Availability of VRS was once limited to those with access to expensive and rare videotelephony equipment, he said.
However, with the ubiquity of smartphones, VRS is much more widely accessible, he added.
A demonstration of a VRS call was shown on a screen during the news conference.
“For example, if a bed-and-breakfast in Nantou County does not provide online reservations, and a deaf person wants to book a room, they can call the VRS service to have everything interpreted for them,” he said.
The service was approved by the Executive Yuan in May last year, and the Ministry of Digital Affairs was tasked with the development of the system.
Meanwhile, the health ministry was charged with the establishment of a sign-language interpretation center that would receive calls through the system.
The ministry has started training sign-language interpreters to meet the platform’s needs, it said.
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