|
Introduction:
No words can describe the trauma a person undergoes
when he or she becomes aware that everyday is
a test of endurance. In Sri Lanka as in most
countries a significant portion of the population
have different types of impairments which are
due to war, accidents or born with disabilities.
These impairments restrict their mobility and
also reduce their ability to use even basic
telecommunication facilities. We are aware that
technologies have been rapidly changing and
ever expanding but these advancements have failed
to address the issues concerning communication
facilities for people with special needs.
Commencement of the Project:
Two complaints made to the Internal Committee
for Resolution of Consumer Complaints raised
a "flicker" of interest in us and
we decided to work out a scheme to offer benefits
to such people in order to ensure that telecommunication
facilities are available to all, irrespective
of whether they are urban or rural elderly and
able or differently able.
The Telephone is of crucial importance to people
who never go out or those who go out only with
assistance. Some are totally handicapped and
their mobility is severely restricted and they
use wheelchairs, walking frames etc.,
Legislation:
In Sri Lanka legislation have been introduced
to protect the rights of persons with disabilities
i.e. Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Act No. 28 of 1996 which provides inter-alia
for the establishment of a national council.
Section 13(P) of the Act provides for the introduction
of programmes to make the physical environment
accessible to persons with disabilities and
to implement schemes to provide access to information
and communication by persons with disabilities.
Licence Conditions of the Licences granted
to Fixed Access Operators and Cellular Mobile
Operators.
It is specifically stated as a condition in
the licence making it obligatory for the service
providers to ensure telecommunication facilities
to the people with disabilities (specially people
with hearing impairments) and the elderly.
Barriers
to Communication facilities:-
The most basic telephones have some keys
in addition to number keys. They are of the
same size, shape and texture and the space between
the function and number keys is so often no
greater that that between each number key. In
Sri Lanka presently majority of telephone instruments
have an embossed dot on the number pad on number
5.
The
most important questions raised are
|
•
|
What
are the basic telecommunications needs of
these people? |
|
•
|
How
far have been the regulators/service providers
been successful in meeting these needs?
|
|
•
|
If
the needs have not been met why?
|
|
•
|
How
do we take their needs in to consideration
when converging technologies? |
It
is very essential that people with special needs
should not be left out in this modern information
age if we consider wider implications of digital
divide.
Lack
of Information:
People
may not have information with regard to advantages
in having access to communications. Due to lack
of information people may regard the telephone
as merely a communication aid for emergencies
and they will not consider using it to communicate
with others.
Strategy:
|
•
|
Contacted
the relevant organizations/institutions
| -
Department of Social Services |
|
-
Army Head Quarters
|
| -
Community Centres |
|
|
•
|
Gathering
Information |
|
•
|
Speaking
to people and |
|
•
|
Arranged
meetings with service providers |
Our
Goals:
|
•
|
To
provide at least basic telecommunication
facilities at reasonable costs and to consider
concessions on rental. |
|
•
|
To
provide facilities to groups of people with
disabilities such as those persons living
in Ranaviru Villages (soldiers with disabilities)
and community centres. |
|
•
|
Introduce
Braille bills for people with impaired vision. |
|
•
|
To
make available new technologies to enable
them to communicate with others. |
|
•
|
To
encourage people with disabilities to participate
in social activities. |
|
•
|
To
provide concessions on installation fees,
rentals etc. |
|
•
|
To
encourage the use of assistive technologies. |
|
•
|
To
ensure security and assist them to live
with confidence. |
|
•
|
and
finally to build a civil society by enabling
people to communicate with each other through
different networks utilizing different services
and techniques. |
Progress:
| The
way forward is to consider groups of people
who requires communication facilities and
to consider benefits for people who already
have telecom facilities. |
We
commenced this project by visiting the Ranavirugama
in Kosgama. There are 107 homes in the village
and 90% of the occupants were soldiers with
disabilities. We were informed that a person
who is physically impaired using a wheelchair
or crutches have to undergo various difficulties
in order to obtain just a single telephone
call.
They have to load the wheelchair or walking
frame in to a taxi or a three-wheel vehicle
pay the taxi charges apart from paying for
a telephone call.
It was then decided to request the service
provider who had already laid a cable across.
Ranaviru village to install a payphone in
the village within easy reach of a wheelchair
user. The first payphone was installed at
the Ranavirugama which is about 48 kilometers
from Colombo the commercial capital of Sri
Lanka. |
|
P.A.B.X
System for Vocational Training Centre at Wattegama,
Kandy for children with disabilities.
This was a long felt need of this institution.
The children with disabilities are prone to
many types of sicknesses. Various units are
spread over a large area of land and accessibility
is difficult as people have to climb over hills
to reach these units. With the installation
of the PABX System the authorities found it
convenient to carryout their responsibilities
easily and it offered greater security for the
children.
Payphone Facility for home for the elders at
Matugama.
When
implementing this project our senior citizens
were not left behind. We realized the importance
of providing communication facilities to the
elderly people to prevent them from being isolated
from the society. It is a social obligation
to provide them with a safe environment. We
recognized that there should not be a digital
divide separating the information have and have
nots.
A digital divide could persist between the information
rich and information poor and it is for us and
the future generations involved with communication
technologies to make every endeavour to bridge
this great divide.
| Payphone
facility for Ranaviru Village in Wadduwa: |
| The
payphone access is not limited to elderly
citizens and Ranaviru villages but also
to people in the vicinity. It is certainly
a successful method of providing universal
access. |
|
Braille Bills:
We
are now considering the possibility of encouraging
service providers to issue bills in Braille. No
one who could read print fluently will forego
a written bill in favour of having details read
over the telephone, however skilfully. Why should
Braille readers forego Braille bills either?
Payphone facilities were also provided at the
Council for the Blind/Federation for the Blind.
This facility is mainly for the white walking
stick users.
Special
Equipment for Hearing Impaired People:
We are also considering the benefits the service
providers could make available to people with
hearing impairments. Sri Lanka Telecom has already
imported two sample telephones with volume control
facilities. In some countries they convert voice
in to printed form. In Sri Lanka we are experimenting
on telephones with features such as speech amplifications.
Communication is the number one problem of all
hearing impaired persons and anything that aids
or improves communications between them and the
hearing world is of vital importance.
Our vision for the future should be to enable
every citizen in this country to have access to
communications. It should not be elusive or akin
to chasing a moon beam.
It is necessary for us to bear in mind that Information
and communication technologies will be the priority
issue for all Sri Lankans.
This was the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission’s
contribution to the Hon. Prime Minister’s
100Days Revolution Programme. This will be a continuos
process. We have opened a door and it is now up
to us to encourage the younger generation to develop
programmes to remove barriers to communications
for people with different types of disabilities.
Telecommunication policy objectives therefore,
is to build a civil society where information
based services will provide the basis for continuing
enhancement to quality of work and life. It
is also very important to ensure an equitable
provision of affordable services over the national
infrastructure.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of
Sri Lanka
Telephone: + 94 11 2689350 Facsimile: + 94 11
2671647
|
