A mobile design of an emergency service system for deaf people

Abstract

The importance of mobile technology in improving the quality of life is not restricted to only a Hearing person, and the use of mobile devices among Deaf people is no longer limited, due to the advancements in technology Hearing loss cannot be seen but its effect is clearly visible to the persons suffering the loss. This results in a limited ability to communicate with the large world of hearing people. This research effort aims to design a SignSupport for emergency mobile application for Deaf people in Cape Town, empowering them with the same access to emergency service resources as hearing people. The proposed approach is to use a mobile application to contact standard emergency services on behalf of a Deaf person to a representative. The app will use a phone's GPS module to share the location of the victim and contact the nearest emergency service provider to attend to the Deaf victim; as well as keep the victim’s circle of family and friends informed. The app design is intuitive, simply requiring the Deaf victim to launch the app and choose an emergency type from the available options.