The Department of Social Welfare and Inclusion, led by Marci Acuña, presented on Wednesday morning the SVisual project, a system based on video interpretation as a communication process. As she detailed, "this initiative is part of a global strategy to make Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and their respective public administrations, more inclusive and accessible to all."
"In this case, with the implementation of SVisual we managed to bring the Cabildo and the town councils closer to the deaf community so that they can process their documents or simply communicate without the need for another hearing person to support them," she added.
Acuña explained that "this video interpretation system, which is very intuitive and simple, has been recognized with the award from the Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF) in the category of Social Innovation and has a significant impact on the general interest and the common good."
The objective of the Island Council is that the SVisual application, which is already going to be launched in the Cabildo and in the office of La Graciosa, will also be implemented in the seven town councils, "a fact that, without a doubt, will improve the quality of life of deaf people," said Marci Acuña.
From the Lanzarote Association of the Deaf (APSAL), its secretary, Álvaro Ortega, has expressed his satisfaction for "the commitment acquired by the Lanzarote Cabildo to make life easier for deaf people. It is an important achievement."
For his part, the president of the Federation of Associations of Deaf People of the Canary Islands (Fasican), Kevin Pérez, thanked the work of the area of Social Welfare and Inclusion of Lanzarote "for assuming this service and making it a reality." Pérez also stressed that "the objective is that deaf or hearing-impaired people can access the Public Administration and resolve their procedures with the same guarantees as hearing people."
Pioneering service
The SVisual video interpretation service has stood out for its ability to respond effectively and innovatively to a historical demand of the deaf community: access to information and communication.
This application allows remote and real-time communication between deaf and hearing people with total autonomy and in the communicative modality they choose: sign language (option chosen by about 95%), sign and voice, or written text thanks to a chat system. It is also a two-way service that offers the possibility that the hearing interlocutor is the one who makes the call, an option widely used in the health field between doctors and deaf patients.
Another of its advantages is versatility, since it is a multi-channel service that can be accessed via the web or through an application for mobile devices. Finally, SVisual also ensures the safety of its users, guaranteeing the confidentiality and total privacy of calls.