Below are details on an online consultation forum The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, ACCAN, will be holding regarding telecommunications issues faced by people with disability in Australia.
On Thursday the 25th of November, ACCAN will be holding an online consultation forum on telecommunications services for disability organisations and people with disability.
ACCAN’s Accessible Communications Roadmap outlines how Australian Telecommunications providers and digital media platforms could be made more accessible to people with disability. If you haven’t already seen it, you can check it out at:
https://accan.org.au/our-work/1765-accessible-comms-roadmap
We are seeking input from our member organisations and the wider disability community to assist us in developing the next stage in completing the roadmap – an action plan to encourage telecommunications providers to improve disability access to their products and services.
We are looking for feedback in several areas and we need your expertise and input.
Front-Line staff training
- How well do staff who deal with customers, either face to face or in call-centres, understand issues faced by people with a disability? Consider for example, if you contact a call-centre for assistance with your internet connection and they ask you how many lights are showing on your modem. What happens when you tell them you are blind and can’t see the lights?
- Do your telco call-centre staff know how to take relay calls?
- When you visit a Telco shop, do the staff explain the various access features of devices, plans and other services? Do they assist you with setting up devices, activating plans etc.? ?
Accessible Information
- does your telecommunications provider offer you accessible information? Are the terms and conditions in your mobile plan clear and easy to understand?
- Are you able to get your bill provided in an accessible format such as Easy English, Large Print, or Accessible PDF?
- Can you readily access information about new products and services offered by your Telco on their website?
Accessible Services
- How easily can you pay your bill? Can you use the smartphone app provided by your telco? Can you use your telco’s website effectively? Can you pay your bill at a shop or post-office and does this service meet your needs?
Emergency preparedness
- Do your available telecommunications options and services help you to feel safe in your home?
- Will you be able to access emergency services in a power outage?
- Can you access public emergency text-messaging services and updates?
What about other services provided by your telco, such as upgrades, accessing additional offerings, plan inclusions, addons etc.?
The forum will be held from 1:00PM to 3:00PM on Thursday the 25th of November. This is the chance to tell your telco story, both positive and negative. We want to hear from as many people as possible.
We will be using Zoom, and auslan and captioning will be available with sufficient notice. please let us know if you have any other accessibility needs.
If you are not able to attend the forum, or if you feel more comfortable submitting your story in writing, please let us know by E-mailing Vaughn.bennison@accan.org.au.
Find out how you can get in at the ground level to support the work of ACCAN in making telecommunications across Australia accessible for all people regardless of disability.
Registration for the forum is essential, so please click here to register.
Please remember to outline any accessibility requirements at time of registering to ensure we can accommodate them. Registrations close on Monday the 22nd of November.
If you have any questions, please E-mail Vaughn.bennison@accan.org.au
