In an effort to provide an overview of the Canadian Wireless Public Alerting (WPA) system for Deaf, Deaf-Blind or Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) consumers, Canada’s wireless service providers have today debuted a new ASL and LSQ video series to mark the start of the National AccessAbility Week.
For those who aren’t familiar, the WPA system is part of Alert Ready, a service designed to deliver emergency alert messages to Canadians, and distributes these alerts to compatible smartphones.
The videos, produced in collaboration between the country’s wireless industry and the DDBHH community, are available with closed captioning and include a voice-over and transcripts to ensure there is full accessibility.
“Wireless public alerts are a critical tool for emergency management, and because of this new video series, important information about this potentially life-saving system will be available to more Canadians than ever before,” said Rob Ghiz, President and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.
“National AccessAbility Week is about changing the way we think, talk and act about inclusion, and we are thrilled to be part of an industry-wide effort to remove barriers and provide such a crucial service to consumers who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind or Hard of Hearing.”
ASL and LSQ videos are now available for the following topics:
Over 120 emergency alerts have been distributed across Canada since the launch of wireless public alerts in April last year.
