MSP debuts enhanced accessibility programmes | Airports International

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is expanding its accessibility programme with two initiatives aimed at helping travellers and airport visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing.

MSP is launching Aira’s pilot American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting service, Aira ASL. Also being rolled out is talk-to-text, a separate programme which uses technology to convert live airline announcements into text that is displayed for passengers at the gate.

“These new programmes offer our passengers, visitors and customers who are deaf or hard of hearing more independence and real-time assistance across MSP terminals and facilities,” said Phil Burke, assistant director of customer experience for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates MSP. “Thanks to key technology partners and input from MSP’s Travelers with Disabilities Committee, we are able to broaden our services that help to meet the diverse needs of those who travel through the airport.”

Aira ASL
Aira ASL offers secure, on-demand access to professional ASL interpreters. Interpreters will partner with callers through their mobile phones to help them with all kinds of situations – including checking in, changing flights, making retail transactions, or finding ground transportation options. There is no charge to users who access the programme while traveling through MSP.

“There is a significant gap in the availability of on-demand ASL interpreting in everyday situations and public spaces. Existing solutions often require advance scheduling, or the use of hard-to-locate access points, or outdated devices,” said Jill Ratliff, vice president of business development at Aira. “Aira ASL is an innovative solution because it can be accessed anytime, anywhere, using personal devices. Our geofence technology provides deaf and hard-of-hearing travellers with immediate, frictionless access to an interpreter, and offers the deaf and hard-of-hearing community interpreting on their own terms anywhere on the MSP property.”
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