According to the latest data from the National Disability Service (Senadis), in Chile there are 712,005 people with disabilities who have some degree of hearing loss, of which it is estimated that almost 180 thousand have total deafness. Although there are initiatives such as Law 21,303, which recognizes sign language as the official language of deaf people, the truth is that not all spaces are enabled or implemented for them to communicate.
On the other hand, the National Statistics Institute (INE, by its acronym in Spanish), as of December 31, 2021, indicated that there are 1,482,000 foreigners residing in Chile. Out of them, 12.2% are Haitians, which is equivalent to 180 thousand people whose native language is Creole and who, upon arriving in Chile, may have difficulty in communicating or understanding the Spanish language.
In this context, Entel, through its Territory and Citizenship Department, together with Red-Apis, a company dedicated to inclusion through technological resources, has implemented the Vi-sor Project, which allows deaf people who speak sign language and Haitian Creole speakers to communicate with salespeople and executives.
The activity, held in the store at Morandé 315, Santiago Centro, was attended by the Seremi Social Development Patricia Hidalgo; the Metropolitan Regional Director of Senadis, Iván Espinoza; the Manager of Regulation and Corporate Affairs of Entel, Manuel Araya, and the Director of Territory and Citizenship, Patricia Muñoz.
Visor is a video interpretation system that allows public or private institutions to provide face-to-face customer service. The project began to operate as a pilot in May in 3 stores in the capital, today it is already present in 5 regions of the country, in 15 stores and is expected to be incorporated in 104 stores throughout Chile by March 2023.
How does it work?
Upon entering the store, the user who speaks sign language or Creole is attended by a host or hostess, who shows an explanatory video about the service and provides a customer service number. There, a query is made to the commercial executive, who connects via a tablet or smartphone to a platform where an interpreter of one of these two languages is connected. The online translator talks to the customer, receives the request and passes it on in Spanish to the sales executive or salesperson, providing a fluid and secure service.
“Being present here only makes us reiterate the commitment we have as a government and the mandate given to us by President Gabriel Boric and our Minister of Social Development Giorgio Jackson, to invest and support initiatives that work on disability issues. We appreciate that the importance of the dissemination of sign language is highlighted, because we have a regulation that recognizes it as the natural means of communication of the deaf population in the country”. In addition, the inclusion with the language strengthens the link that this Regional Ministerial Secretariat has with the migrant population in each of our social programs, especially in family residences. It is necessary to make a cultural change in favor of people with disabilities, especially with deaf people and their organizations, who have played an important role in the country", says the Seremi of Social Development Patricia Hidalgo.
“Today we already have this service in 15 stores and we hope that by March 2023 it will be present throughout the country. Entel’s Territories and Citizenship Department seeks to be an articulating hinge between the communities and the company and has the duty to listen, understand and attend to diversity in Chile. The objective is to democratize access to technology and this is an opportunity to provide a service to people who previously faced too great a barrier to successfully resolve their concerns or needs”, says Manuel Araya, Entel’s Manager of Regulation and Corporate Affairs.
“Generating accessibility measures is key in the process of inclusion of people with disabilities and society in general. The initiative promoted by Entel is an example that points in this direction and promotes the rights of deaf people and the use of technology as a tool for inclusion. For us as Senadis it is very important that people with disabilities can have equal access to services that contribute to their social inclusion", concluded the Metropolitan Regional Director of Senadis, Iván Espinoza.
The pilot that began in the Metropolitan Region, in the Estación Central, Morandé and Vespucio stores, proved to be a very useful and valued tool for those who used it. Of the total number of users in that period, 68% requested a sign language interpreter and 32% a Creole translator.
For more information, check our social networks @entel and our website: entel.cl
14 Nov, 2022
According to the latest data from the National Disability Service (Senadis), in Chile there are 712,005 people with disabilities who have some degree of hearing loss, of which it is estimated that almost 180 thousand have total deafness. Although there are initiatives such as Law 21,303, which recognizes sign language as the official language of deaf people, the truth is that not all spaces are enabled or implemented for them to communicate.
On the other hand, the National Statistics Institute (INE, by its acronym in Spanish), as of December 31, 2021, indicated that there are 1,482,000 foreigners residing in Chile. Out of them, 12.2% are Haitians, which is equivalent to 180 thousand people whose native language is Creole and who, upon arriving in Chile, may have difficulty in communicating or understanding the Spanish language.
In this context, Entel, through its Territory and Citizenship Department, together with Red-Apis, a company dedicated to inclusion through technological resources, has implemented the Vi-sor Project, which allows deaf people who speak sign language and Haitian Creole speakers to communicate with salespeople and executives.
The activity, held in the store at Morandé 315, Santiago Centro, was attended by the Seremi Social Development Patricia Hidalgo; the Metropolitan Regional Director of Senadis, Iván Espinoza; the Manager of Regulation and Corporate Affairs of Entel, Manuel Araya, and the Director of Territory and Citizenship, Patricia Muñoz.
Visor is a video interpretation system that allows public or private institutions to provide face-to-face customer service. The project began to operate as a pilot in May in 3 stores in the capital, today it is already present in 5 regions of the country, in 15 stores and is expected to be incorporated in 104 stores throughout Chile by March 2023.
How does it work?
Upon entering the store, the user who speaks sign language or Creole is attended by a host or hostess, who shows an explanatory video about the service and provides a customer service number. There, a query is made to the commercial executive, who connects via a tablet or smartphone to a platform where an interpreter of one of these two languages is connected. The online translator talks to the customer, receives the request and passes it on in Spanish to the sales executive or salesperson, providing a fluid and secure service.
“Being present here only makes us reiterate the commitment we have as a government and the mandate given to us by President Gabriel Boric and our Minister of Social Development Giorgio Jackson, to invest and support initiatives that work on disability issues. We appreciate that the importance of the dissemination of sign language is highlighted, because we have a regulation that recognizes it as the natural means of communication of the deaf population in the country”. In addition, the inclusion with the language strengthens the link that this Regional Ministerial Secretariat has with the migrant population in each of our social programs, especially in family residences. It is necessary to make a cultural change in favor of people with disabilities, especially with deaf people and their organizations, who have played an important role in the country", says the Seremi of Social Development Patricia Hidalgo.
“Today we already have this service in 15 stores and we hope that by March 2023 it will be present throughout the country. Entel’s Territories and Citizenship Department seeks to be an articulating hinge between the communities and the company and has the duty to listen, understand and attend to diversity in Chile. The objective is to democratize access to technology and this is an opportunity to provide a service to people who previously faced too great a barrier to successfully resolve their concerns or needs”, says Manuel Araya, Entel’s Manager of Regulation and Corporate Affairs.
“Generating accessibility measures is key in the process of inclusion of people with disabilities and society in general. The initiative promoted by Entel is an example that points in this direction and promotes the rights of deaf people and the use of technology as a tool for inclusion. For us as Senadis it is very important that people with disabilities can have equal access to services that contribute to their social inclusion", concluded the Metropolitan Regional Director of Senadis, Iván Espinoza.
The pilot that began in the Metropolitan Region, in the Estación Central, Morandé and Vespucio stores, proved to be a very useful and valued tool for those who used it. Of the total number of users in that period, 68% requested a sign language interpreter and 32% a Creole translator.
For more information, check our social networks @entel and our website: entel.cl
According to the latest data from the National Disability Service (Senadis), in Chile there are 712,005 people with disabilities who have some degree of hearing loss, of which it is estimated that almost 180 thousand have total deafness. Although there are initiatives such as Law 21,303, which recognizes sign language as the official language of deaf people, the truth is that not all spaces are enabled or implemented for them to communicate.
On the other hand, the National Statistics Institute (INE, by its acronym in Spanish), as of December 31, 2021, indicated that there are 1,482,000 foreigners residing in Chile. Out of them, 12.2% are Haitians, which is equivalent to 180 thousand people whose native language is Creole and who, upon arriving in Chile, may have difficulty in communicating or understanding the Spanish language.
In this context, Entel, through its Territory and Citizenship Department, together with Red-Apis, a company dedicated to inclusion through technological resources, has implemented the Vi-sor Project, which allows deaf people who speak sign language and Haitian Creole speakers to communicate with salespeople and executives.
The activity, held in the store at Morandé 315, Santiago Centro, was attended by the Seremi Social Development Patricia Hidalgo; the Metropolitan Regional Director of Senadis, Iván Espinoza; the Manager of Regulation and Corporate Affairs of Entel, Manuel Araya, and the Director of Territory and Citizenship, Patricia Muñoz.
Visor is a video interpretation system that allows public or private institutions to provide face-to-face customer service. The project began to operate as a pilot in May in 3 stores in the capital, today it is already present in 5 regions of the country, in 15 stores and is expected to be incorporated in 104 stores throughout Chile by March 2023.
How does it work?
Upon entering the store, the user who speaks sign language or Creole is attended by a host or hostess, who shows an explanatory video about the service and provides a customer service number. There, a query is made to the commercial executive, who connects via a tablet or smartphone to a platform where an interpreter of one of these two languages is connected. The online translator talks to the customer, receives the request and passes it on in Spanish to the sales executive or salesperson, providing a fluid and secure service.
“Being present here only makes us reiterate the commitment we have as a government and the mandate given to us by President Gabriel Boric and our Minister of Social Development Giorgio Jackson, to invest and support initiatives that work on disability issues. We appreciate that the importance of the dissemination of sign language is highlighted, because we have a regulation that recognizes it as the natural means of communication of the deaf population in the country”. In addition, the inclusion with the language strengthens the link that this Regional Ministerial Secretariat has with the migrant population in each of our social programs, especially in family residences. It is necessary to make a cultural change in favor of people with disabilities, especially with deaf people and their organizations, who have played an important role in the country", says the Seremi of Social Development Patricia Hidalgo.
“Today we already have this service in 15 stores and we hope that by March 2023 it will be present throughout the country. Entel’s Territories and Citizenship Department seeks to be an articulating hinge between the communities and the company and has the duty to listen, understand and attend to diversity in Chile. The objective is to democratize access to technology and this is an opportunity to provide a service to people who previously faced too great a barrier to successfully resolve their concerns or needs”, says Manuel Araya, Entel’s Manager of Regulation and Corporate Affairs.
“Generating accessibility measures is key in the process of inclusion of people with disabilities and society in general. The initiative promoted by Entel is an example that points in this direction and promotes the rights of deaf people and the use of technology as a tool for inclusion. For us as Senadis it is very important that people with disabilities can have equal access to services that contribute to their social inclusion", concluded the Metropolitan Regional Director of Senadis, Iván Espinoza.
The pilot that began in the Metropolitan Region, in the Estación Central, Morandé and Vespucio stores, proved to be a very useful and valued tool for those who used it. Of the total number of users in that period, 68% requested a sign language interpreter and 32% a Creole translator.
For more information, check our social networks @entel and our website: entel.cl