The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) launched yesterday an application named "Signal" for hearing impaired passengers at each of King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah and King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, which is part of GACA's initiative to provide a friendly environment for people with disabilities throughout the Kingdom's airports. The Assistant to the President for Airport Information Technology, Eng. Ahmed Al Qureshi, attended the launching, also in attendance the Director of KAIA, Essam Nour, and the Director of Executive Offices, Mansour Al Butti, in addition to the manager of Terminal 1 at KAIA, Eng. Yousef Attiah. The service aims to provide people with hearing loss with complete autonomy and self-reliance in the check-in process and various other services. This is achieved through the provision of instant, interactive interstation to and from sign language between the end-user and the service provider, through a digital platform, that is based on a comprehensive communication between the parties involved. The application can be downloaded through smart phones application's stores under the name "signal". The service focuses on the quality of service and the speed of communication, with a notifications option informing the beneficiary of the existing service. Furthermore, there is an option of reviewing the areas covered in the service through the platform. Privacy is also taken into account, where the app can recognize the gender of the beneficiary (male or female). This is in addition to the possibility of filing a complaint or complaint in regard to the interpreter after the completion of the call in order to ensure the quality of service and achieve the desired goals. It is worth noting, that GACA's participation comes to support and encourage people with special needs through support and encouragement; in addition to provide all services, harness and provide everything that facilitates obstacles for the intended recipients. GACA aims at developing cooperation in the field of transforming the Kingdom's airports into friendly sites for people with special needs. This dynamic service for travelers with disabilities "the hearing impaired" was achieved in cooperation with Alam Company.
