- Aim: Lobby the government to support and fund the Access to Communication in English (ACE) report’s key recommendations by March 2008 to increase the number and quality of language service professionals (LSPs).
- Impact: We have continued to work with the ACE coalition to push the government towards improved access to and availability of LSPs. Further progress is dependent on accessing sustainable funding streams.
- Aim: The above aim and impact is available in BSL
- Impact: You should be seeing a video here instead of this text. Please visit the Macromedia site to get the Flash Video Player.
- Aim: Secure funding in Northern Ireland for British Sign Language (BSL) and Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreter and tutor training courses from the Department of Employment and Learning by December 2007.
- Impact: Funding was secured for an introductory training course to run from January to December 2008. Further funding of £1.3m has been secured to develop longer term training courses in interpreting and tutor training from March 2009 to March 2012 under Department of Employment and Learning Spending Plans. £250,000 has been secured for promotion of the languages and access to public services for sign language users under the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
- Aim: The above aim and impact is available in BSL
- Impact: You should be seeing a video here instead of this text. Please visit the Macromedia site to get the Flash Video Player.
- Aim: Drive forward innovation in the delivery of the RNID Typetalk service through full evaluation of at least three leading voice-recognition software solutions.
- Impact: Three leading software packages were fully tested to investigate whether re-voicing conversations, using automatic speech recognition, could be used as an alternative to Relay Assistants typing. The results showed that the accuracy was still considerably below the 98% target currently achieved.
Further development, and investment by BT, will be needed before a switch to this exciting new technology can be considered, therefore we are continuing with the current methods.
- Aim: The above aim and impact is available in BSL
- Impact: You should be seeing a video here instead of this text. Please visit the Macromedia site to get the Flash Video Player.
- Aim: Improve real-time communication between deaf people by developing software-based communication solutions like TalkByText.
- Impact: Using 'open standards' to ensure compatibility, RNID has developed a family of award-winning software products to allow real time, character by character text conversations between PCs, and with existing textphones. It is also possible to use the software with RNID’s Typetalk service.
The Business Edition has been successfully launched and a version for use on home PCs will become available to buy during 2008.
- Aim: The above aim and impact is available in BSL
- Impact: You should be seeing a video here instead of this text. Please visit the Macromedia site to get the Flash Video Player.
- Aim: Improve access to communication services for deaf people by delivering 20,500 high-quality communication assignments across the UK. Increase the number of qualified language service professionals (LSPs) by providing six training programmes to move a minimum of 30 individuals towards registerable status.
- Impact: We processed 25,133 bookings for communication assignments, however due to the continuing shortage of LSPs and an increasing number of cancellations, we actually delivered 17,613 communication assignments.
We continued to develop our relationships with freelancers and now work with more than 300 registered LSPs across the UK. We ran six high level BSL courses, from which 37 students gained BSL qualifications. We also ran one NVQ level 4 interpreting course leading to the registration of another five interpreters.
The BSL Futures project in Wales had 10 apprentice interpreters registered by the end of March 2008.
In continuing to build a training infrastructure, we trained 13 people to become A1 Assessors and supported seven deaf people through Training the Trainers with Confidence courses to assist them in delivering more high level BSL courses in the future across England and Wales.
- Aim: The above aim and impact is available in BSL
- Impact: You should be seeing a video here instead of this text. Please visit the Macromedia site to get the Flash Video Player.
- Aim: Identify and evaluate at least 100 new product designs for listening products, working in-house and with manufacturers, academics and the design community.
- Impact: Nearly 100 industrial design students took up RNID’s challenge to design attractive and innovative hearing protection products. After judging by leading UK design companies, the winning design - an "Ear-card", a unique credit card style solution with compressed hearing protection plugs - was prominently featured in a leading design magazine and the national press.
We launched the UK’s first affordable fully digital listener, the RNID Sonido, which is already outselling the original RNID Crystal by 300%, and selected 30 new products for retail.
- Aim: The above aim and impact is available in BSL
- Impact: You should be seeing a video here instead of this text. Please visit the Macromedia site to get the Flash Video Player.
Communication: Clear Text
ClearText is a ground-breaking easy to use textphone. It has a host of unique features that mean making a textphone call is quicker and easier than ever before. This is the first textphone to be developed in over five years, adding a greater choice to the marketplace, which underlines our continued commitment to textphone users.
We can only do our valuable work with your support. Get involved.
Did you know...
Nearly 100
industrial design students took up RNID’s challenge to design attractive and innovative hearing protection products.