Manchester launches online deaf service

People who are deaf will be able to communicate with council staff via video phones or personal web cameras by clicking onto the council's website. The service, called SignVideo BSL Live , can be accessed from any laptop or PC that has a web camera. The council said residents who are deaf will be instantly connected with "qualified and experienced" British sign language interpreters working from a remote call centre. The authority has installed a video phone in the new city library and will shortly be installing one at its customer contact centre alongside the internet interpreting service. Manchester is the second local authority in the country to use the system which has been set up by the deaf and sign language led social business Significan't. Glynn Evans, the executive member for adult services at Manchester City Council, said: "This fantastic new service will enable deaf residents to gain immediate answers to questions about council services during office hours without an appointment - a service virtually unrivalled anywhere else in the country. "Not only will it make their lives easier, it will allow us to provide an improved interpreting service at a much lower cost, and enable deaf resident to communicate with us from their homes, offices or via the city library video phone on equal terms."