Česky
In addition to personal mobiles, laptops and computers, the service is also available at more than three hundred barrier-free locations, such as offices and healthcare facilities. These include the Hořovice Hospital and the Beroun Rehabilitation Hospital. "A specially adapted tablet is available in our facilities, which is ready to help a deaf person communicate with health professionals at any time," says PR & Community Manager Lucie Lišková.
According to Eva Štípková from Tichý svět, the company that runs the service, health issues are one of the most common reasons for help. "The SOS line is also used a lot when clients need to get in touch with one of the integrated rescue system's services urgently," she says.
How exactly does the Silent Line work?
The client first chooses whether to communicate in sign or spoken language and enters their request into the app. In the first case, the user connects with the helpline worker via video call, while in the second case, the user uses a text window. The worker then facilitates the communication by phone or in person or edits and translates the text.
The service is free and available 24 hours a day
According to Štípková, clients are assisted by dozens of people on the Silent Line, with up to five interpreters and two transcribers at any one time. The service is free and people can use it twenty-four hours a day, but at night only for the aforementioned SOS cases. Around a hundred applications are processed daily.
According to Štípková, interest in the Silent Line is growing, including from the institutions themselves. However, the road to barrier-free accessibility of all public places is still long. "The biggest problem is the initial mistrust as to whether the Silent Line is needed. But once it is introduced somewhere, there is only positive feedback on its clear benefits."
