Assistive Technology for the Deaf:
Thailand Experience
Wantanee Phantachat
National Electronics and Computer Technology Center
National Science and Technology Development Center
Ministry of Science and Technology
Aug 26, 2014
Outlines
• General information of Thailand and
Statistical data of pwds
• Background situation: barrier of
communication
• Telecommunication Relay service
2
General Information of Thailand
Country:Thailand
Location : South East Asia
Geography Maximum Length : 1,620
km.
Maximum Width : 775 km.
Land Area : 513,115 sq.km.
Land Boundaries : 4,864 km.
Neighbor Border : Laos PDR,
Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia
Population : 65.6 million (8 million in
Bangkok)
Disability Population: 1.8 million
Deaf Population: 0.249 million
Speech impaired Population: 20,000
persons
Older Population: 8 million
National Religion : Theravada
Buddhism
Government : Constitutional
Monarchy
Current statistical data of Thai Pwds
• Up today, there are 1,463,466 persons with disabilities
that registered in pwd registry of National Office for
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (NEP)*.
• There are 249,184 persons with hearing loss (deaf).
• Deaf populations is second largest within disabilities
group (16%) behind physical handicapped (46%)*
4
*Source: National Office for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (updated on
June 2, 2014)
Current statistical data of Thai Pwds
No Disability Stated,
54,930 , 4%
Mind/Behavior,
90,169 , 7%
Austistic,
3,862 , 1%
Learning Disabilities,
3,618 , 0%
Multiple Disabilities,
97,594 , 7%
Mental Illness,
109,899 , 8%
Physical
Handicapped,
626,646 , 46%
Blind,
151,317 , 11%
Deaf/
Hard of Hearing,
217,968 , 16%
Source:
National Office for
Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities
(updated on March, 2013
5
Barrier in Communication
• How does the deaf communicate?
 using sign language to communicate.
 using lip reading to perceive information.
 using text or pictures to communication and
perceive information.
6
Communication problems
• Communication distortion leading to less
understand the information.
• Can not communication to hearing
people using sign language directly, sign
language interpreters are necessary
persons to help transfer information.
7
Thai
Telecommunication
Relay Service (TTRS)
By Wantanee Phantachat
Advisor to TTRS Center
Presentation at
International Workshop on Assistive Technology
in I-create 2014 , Singapore
Date: August 22, 2014,
Venue: ITE, College East, Singapore
8
Background
• National Telecommunication Commission is established in
2004, one of the policies is USO
• National Broadcasting and Telecommunication
Commission (NBTC) of Thailand was established in 2011
as a broadcast and telecoms regulatory body in Thailand.
• At present NBTC forms the Universal Service Obligations
(USO) Division which relies funding around 3.75% from
revenue of telecommunication corporation to promote
and develop telecommunication for remote areas and
disadvantaged people.
• Universal Service Obligation Master Plan (2012-2016)
aims to provide the telecommunication services for
persons with visual impairment and persons with hearing
impairment at least 100,000 persons to access to
information.
• NBTC expects to receive 20,000 billion baht in 5 year of
USO plan to put in USO fund
9
Establishment of TTRS
• TTRS established in 2011
• TTRS is not for the profit organization, working under
Universal Foundation for People with Disabilities.
• TTRS is annually supported and funded 2 Million
USD by NBTC equal to 0.00015% of USO Fund
• TTRS has to provide the commission with proposal
every 5 years for the plan and expenditure according
to 5 year USO Plan.
10
THAI TELECOMMUNICATION
RELAY SERVICE
Services of TTRS
6 services of
TTRS
SMS/MMS
Relay service
IP Text relay
Service
Video relay
Service
VRS via Mobile
app
VRS via Kiosk
Emergency
relay service
2 New service of TTRS
Speech enhancement
service for persons with
Laryngectomy
Captioned Phone Relay
Service
12
Telecommunication Relay Service
System and Application
13
TTRS-Message
Menu
 Text message Relay Ser
 Emergency Relay Servi
 TTRS News
Membership Registration
Contact TTRS agent for membersh
Setting, picture, and location
Text Message
Medical Emergency Relay Service
Information
Public Internet Kiosks
• 30 Kiosks were installed
around Thailand.
• This year 90 new model of
Kiosks will be installed.
20
Activities of TTRS
Services
 Service Level Agreement set to:
 Success of picked up calls must be
equal or greater than 85% of times
 Success of responded times must be
equal or quicker than 20 seconds per
call
21
Activities of TTRS
Problems encounter:
– One of most
frequent problems:
quality of video
due to poor
internet speed at
consumer ’s point
– Installation kiosk at
schools for the
deaf, had to put
separated ADSL
line to prevent low
22
Activities of TTRS
Improvement
– New interpreter agents are given
training workshop sessions with
other organizations especially NEP
and Ratchasuda College and Suan
Dusit University
– Once a year, held a meeting with
selected one hundred frequent
called consumers to share
feedbacks
23
Method and Good Impact
• Language Access
– Thai to Thai Sign
Language, Thai Sign
Language to Thai
– Thai Sign Language is
natural and first
language of deaf
people
– Thai text conversation
help hard of hearing
people who do not
24
Method and Good Impact
• Recognition
– Gain respect for
deaf people
• Understanding
– Family of deaf
children
understand what
children need
• Independence
– Deaf users can
contact anyone,
25
Method and Good Impact
• Collaboration
– Create partnership with local deaf
organizations, government offices for person
with disabilities, public place such as police
station, hospital, schools to create access for
deaf people
• Innovation
– Constant creation for better quality of service
such as relay through mobile phone,
operator room setting, sign language
interpreting on WebTV
26
The result of TTRS services in 2012, 2013 until
May
The result of TTRS
services in2014
2012, 2013 until May 2014
(Unit: times)
(Unit:
call)
45,000
40,000
Number of Incoming Calls
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
-
Kiosk
VRS
18,917
IP Text
Relay
2,888
Jan-May 2012
21,331
Jan-Dec 2013
42,554
21,893
Jan-Dec 2014
16,093
7,117
SMS
MMS
2,358
Emergency
VRS
484
4,718
15,230
706
1,477
2,316
20,276
351
151
23:00
0
23:00
22:30
22:00
21:30
21:00
20:30
20:00
19:30
33 41 16 37 31
22:30
22:00
21:30
21:00
105
20:30
169
7
20:00
22
19:30
122 122
19:00
1
19:00
245
219 204 229
18:30
49
18:30
18:00
21
18:00
329
17:30
81
17:30
656
17:00
229
17:00
44
16:30
16:00
15:30
15:00
109
16:30
16:00
15:30
15:00
14:30
14:00
173
14:30
272
14:00
13:30
13:00
102 125
13:30
456
13:00
12:30
12:00
128
12:30
226
12:00
241
11:30
91
11:30
11:00
41
11:00
96 90 98
10:30
79
10:30
10:00
9:30
9:00
35 21 27
10:00
9:30
61
9:00
112
8:30
68
8:30
8:00
7:30
7:00
25 30
8:00
67
7:30
7:00
Abandon calls per hours: VRS & KIOSK in
่ งเวลำ ปี 2555
จำนวนสำยทีไ่ ม่ได้ร ับในแต่ละชว
2012-2013
751
391
295
181
0
In 2013
843
623
485
421
346
271
204
51 50 32 33 33
13
Challenge
• Speed
– Lack internet coverage around Thailand
– Currently on 3G, faulty speed in some
spots
• Interpreting
– Small number of interpreters thus long
queue at during highest number of
• Interpreters
– Quality of interpreting, more
and training needed
29
Challenge
• Technology
–Require use of better
telecommunication technology
means more money for deaf
consumers to buy, many deaf do
not make enough money
• Funding
–Require large amount of money to
improve technology infrastructure 30
Annual Users Feedback Seminar
• Selected 80 most
users with most
frequented use
• Evaluate only
callers, not
receiver
31
Users Satisfactory Evaluation
Service Preference
Percentage of Users Satisfactory
by Service Preference
45%
•
•
•
•
•
45%
40%
35%
35%
30%
25%
VRS 45%
Kiosk 35%
Text 19%
SMS 13%
MMS 7%
19%
20%
13%
15%
7%
10%
5%
0%
Webcam
Kiosk
Text
SMS
MMS
32
Future Plan
• Improve Emergency Relay Service
• Video phone to be installed in all deaf
clubs (77 clubs) in 77 provinces.
• Deaf individual can purchase video phone
for personal use
• Relay through mobile phone/tablet
33
Medical Emergency architecture
ITEMS
Medical Emergency architecture
Mobile Application
SMS
VRS
Thank you
TTRS Thailand