911 texting now available for Calgary’s deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired

Note: We have provided this online report with Closed Captioning for the benefit of our deaf and hard of hearing users.

CALGARY – Calgarians who are speech impaired, hard of hearing or deaf will now have easier access to emergency services.

Beginning on Monday, they will be able to connect with 911 through text messaging.

Previously, they had to use a Teletypewriter (TTY) system.

“We are very pleased to be able to launch the Text with 911 service for the Deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired community,” said Kay Choi, Public Safety Communications (PSC) Deputy Commander. “We recognize they’ve relied on the outdated TTY system for far too long and we thank them for their patience as we’ve worked to roll this out.”

The City of Calgary is the second 911 centre in Canada and the first in Alberta to offer the service specifically for deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired (DHHSI) people.

DHHSI individuals will be required to register nationally with their wireless service provider in order to access the service.

To learn more, visit www.textwith911.ca.

Deaf and Hear Alberta will be offering assistance in registering on Monday and Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

For more information on these sessions contact the organization at 403-284-6200, info@deafandhearalberta.ca or 403-284-6205 (Text/TTY).