• As part of International Month for Deaf People, Vodacom has made text-based communication possible on the 112 Emergency Services app.
• All aspects of the emergency reporting can be completed over text with no need for voice communication.
• The 112 Emergency Services app is only available for Vodacom customers.

This month is International Month for Deaf People. This month recognises the first World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf.

To mark the month, Vodacom has announced a rather fantastic addition to its 112 Emergency Services app – text-based communication.

“As part of Vodacom’s commitment to drive digital inclusion, we decided to develop a text-based element. This would be the first, and only, text-based emergency services app available locally to cater for people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, and who have communication difficulties,” Vodacom’s Chief Officer of Consumer Business Jorge Mendes said in a statement.

This new feature means that a user no longer needs to rely on voice communication at any point in the process. This is fantastic news not only for deaf South Africans but also victims of domestic abuse who may not want to be heard speaking to emergency services. On that note, we also recommend checking out Bright Sky from Vodacom which is specifically for victims of domestic abuse.

The 112 Emergency Services is available on the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store and we urge Vodacom customers to download it ahead of time. This is because, during the registration process your details will be stored in the app so that in the event of an emergency ER24 has easy access to your information.

Should you need assistance, open the app, tap I need help and enter your Vodacom number. Tap the service that you need and then tap Help chat. Follow the prompts on screen and an ER24 emergency services contact centre agent will request the relevant service on your behalf. All updates and changes are relayed via text.

“It’s imperative that we, as a techco, continue to foster digital inclusion as part of our purpose-driven strategy. I believe that the Vodacom 112 Emergency Service app is a critical tool to address accessibility gaps, as it ensures that everyone is empowered to be part of the digital journey – no matter their difference in human experience,” writes Mendes.

For non-Vodacom customers, we recommend making use of Namola. In early 2020 a friend used it in a dire situation and it was the guardian angel neither of us knew we’d ever need.

We commend Vodacom for taking this initiative and we hope to see text-based communication become a feature in more emergency services apps.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]