Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka


Telecommunication facilities for people with special needs

Extending the provision of Universal Service Obligations to People with Special Needs

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
E-mail: dgtr@trc.gov.lk
Web: www.trc.gov.lk