audio

Cellphone emergency options mulled for deaf Calgarians

City of Calgary looking into texting, video options for 911 calls

CBC News

Posted: Jun 12, 2012 6:49 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2012 6:46 PM ET

While help is often just a 911 call away for many, thousands of profoundly deaf Calgarians don't have that option.

The cellphone is useless for them in emergencies.

That's the situation Jake Kuikan's daughter faced this past weekend as she walked home from Starbucks.

She saw an altercation but was unable to report it to police.

Nina Vaughan, the commander of public safety communications, talked with CBC Eyeopener host David Gray about the options that hearing impaired people have in an emergency.

To send your comments to the Eyeopener on this story call 403-521-6209, email eyeopener@cbc.ca or tweet @CBCEyeopener.

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