A new accessibility program based on an app for deaf and hard of hearing users is being tested on the New York MTA system. It will provide riders with instant access to a live sign language interpreter when engaging with staff.
The approach means that any member of Metropolitan Transit Authority will be able to help with directions and other queries without the need for any ASL skills themselves …
CNET reports that New York’s transit system has been chosen as it’s the busiest in the country.
“No other transit system in all of North America has the volume that we have, over 6 million customers daily between our trains, our buses, our railroads, and we’re giving that service to everybody,” says chief accessibility officer Quemuel Arroyo. “That customer base has a myriad of needs, and that’s what makes this case study so important and so impactful.”
Arroyo says the MTA has staff in booths and by fare machines, as well as on platforms, but it can be hard for deaf users to communicate with them,
Convo Now is an existing app which provides access to ASL interpreters on demand. Users get 20 minutes a month free, and then pay per minute after that. The deal with the MTA means that riders get unlimited usage when communicating with staff.
Starting today, it’s being tested in a limited number of locations through to November. The MTA will then assess feedback and decide on next steps.
The Convo pilot was launched through the Transit Tech Lab, which was founded by the Partnership Fund for New York City, and you can currently find it available in these locations:
NYC Transit Customer Service Centers:
- 161 Street-Yankee Stadium
- Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center
- Times Square-42 Street
- Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue
- St. George
Long Island Rail Road:
- Atlantic Terminal
- Babylon
- Grand Central Madison
- Jamaica
- Penn Station
- Ronkonkoma
Metro-North Railroad:
- Grand Central Terminal
- White Plains
Additional locations:
- Mobile sales operations (buses and vans)
- 3 Stone Street
You can either sign up in advance, or look for Convo QR codes in the supported locations.
Photos: Martin Ceralde on Unsplash (top); MTA (bottom)
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