Public offices implement customer service for deaf people
Through a real-time video call, deaf people will have a virtual interpretation service in Uruguayan Sign Language at their disposal in public offices that incorporate this modality of care from today. The authorities of the participating institutions presented this Monday the 21st the video interpretation service that will be provided by the company Accesa from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The activity took place in the Idea Vilariño Room of the Antel Telecommunications Tower with the presence of the ministers of Social Development and Interior, Alejandro Sciarra and Nicolás Martinelli, respectively; the president of Antel, Annabela Suburú; the president of UTE, Silvia Emaldi; the vice president of Banco de Previsión Social (BPS), Daniel Graffigna and the general manager of Accesa, Beatriz Álvarez.
The service points will have signage that will indicate the availability of the interpretation service through the sign ‘interpreter’. When initiating communication, a Sign Language interpreter will connect with the person with a hearing disability, providing support to carry out the corresponding procedure.
In turn, the interpreters will be in communication with the officials of said offices to provide personalized attention to the user. In this first stage, the Ministry of the Interior, Antel, UTE and BPS will implement the tool, but it will be available to all public organizations that wish to incorporate it.
Minister Martinelli, in his speech, highlighted the importance of inter-institutional work to achieve these types of objectives efficiently. He added that the portfolio he directs has made great progress in terms of social inclusion and recalled that a few weeks ago the accessible complaints notebook was presented, available in all police stations and sub-police stations in the country so that all citizens can exercise their right. to access Justice.
These are the tools that break down barriers and expand opportunities for those people who need it most, he said; and added that currently there are more than 400 police officers trained in accessibility so that each person can be served with the dignity and respect they deserve, and achieve a more inclusive and fair society.
Sciarra, meanwhile, highlighted that these types of tools are the ones that change people’s lives and thanked the technical teams of the Ministry of Social Development and the other institutions that make up this initiative for their joint work.
He pointed out that the Government has demonstrated in a special way on issues related to “accessibility and improvement in the quality of services for people with disabilities that it has the necessary sensitivity and perseverance to achieve this type of benefits that break historical barriers,” he stated.
Graffigna, for his part, reported that the BPS provides various benefits aimed at people with disabilities and that it works hard to extend them to more people. Along these lines, he highlighted the extraordinary aid that the organization provides to this sector of the population and that, thanks to the increase in the budget from 44,000,000 dollars in 2020 to 78,000,000 in 2023, a significant increase in the number of beneficiaries was achieved. . It was also possible for more people to access the disability pension after the social security reform was implemented, and the work in the national reference center for rare diseases stood out.
Suburú, in turn, highlighted the importance of this service and described it as a tool that provides autonomy and empowerment to this sector of the population to guarantee their access to services. “This is a crucial step forward on the path towards a more inclusive society,” he said.
Finally, Emaldi maintained that the State has the responsibility to provide increasingly accessible and inclusive services and aim for efficiency through interinstitutionality.
