REACH112

REACH112 - Efficient access to emergency services for all citizens, especially for people with disabilities

http://www.reach112.eu

Project presentation

REACH112 will provide an improvement of the access to emergency services for all citizens, especially for people with disabilities.

The project will offer an alternative to traditional voice telephony. While people with disabilities find it hard to communicate with the existing solutions, REACH112 will provide modes of communication so that they will find a way to communicate in each situation, may it be with a live real-time text conversation, with sign language, with lip reading, with voice or with any simultaneous combination of these modes described by the concept of Total Conversation. The service will be of benefit for all.

Meanwhile, there is an urgent need to improve access to emergency services for people with disabilities in the EU. REACH112 will implement a 12-month pilot in Sweden, UK, The Netherlands, France and Spain allowing disabled users to communicate at a distance with each other and directly with the emergency services. IP devices will be provided in the homes, workplaces and on the move, connecting the users simultaneously in video, voice and text. Users will be able to connect between countries and different service providers, on mobile and fixed IP networks. The service will be integrated with existing telecommunication platforms and emergency service frameworks. The users will also connect through a third-party service (relay) with voice telephone users. Additionally, a protocol for the exchange of information between emergency services will be made available so that relevant data can be transferred to the most appropriate emergency service.

REACH112 will therefore become a blueprint for the extension of IP-based communications, Total Conversation and emergency services in the EU. It will guide the improvements of communication between all citizens – in particular those with disabilities – as well as the accessibility and call handling of all EU emergency services.

The REACH112 project is co-funded by the European Commission within the Competitiveness and innovation framework Programme.

The consortium, coordinated by IES Solutions, is completed by technical experts from different European countries. Here the list of partners:

  • IES Solutions (Italy)
  • Omnitor (Sweden)
  • University of Bristol – Centre for Deaf Studies (UK)
  • AuPix (UK)
  • Royal National Institute for Deaf People (UK)
  • Avon Fire and Rescue (UK)
  • Avon and Somerset Police (UK)
  • National Police Authority (Netherlands)
  • 4C Holding (UK)
  • AnnieS (Netherlands)
  • Grenoble Hospital (France)
  • Ivès (France)
  • France Telecom (France)
  • WebSourd (France)
  • Siemens (Spain)
  • Vodafone (Spain)
  • Sertel (Spain)
  • Nokia (Finland)
  • European Emergency Number Association (Belgium)
  • e-Isotis (Greece)
  • SOS Alarm (Sweden)
  • Agencia Galega de Emerxencias (Spain)

Expected results

  • Improvement of the access to emergency services for all citizens, especially for people with disabilities.
  • Ease in the communication between disables and emergency services, providing modes of communication that can help people in each situation (sign language, lip reading, voice, Total Conversation)
  • Allow Users to connect between countries and different service providers, on mobile and fixed IP networks