EU Accessibility Act: Compliance Statement

Introduction:

Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) is committed to digital inclusion. Our services are designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their disabilities or accessibility needs. We comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards and are also committed to complying with our legal obligations under, inter alia, the Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services Regulations 2023

Pursuant to Part 3 Section 14 of the European Union Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services Regulations 2023, we are providing a description of our service and how we meet our accessibility obligations, in written and oral format.

Description of Our Service:

What is ECAS

ECAS is a service that receives communications from the general population when there is a risk to life or property, a crime being committed or the prospect of a crime being committed or when a person feels their personal safety is being threatened. The service links to Garda, Ambulance, Fire department or the Coast Guards.

How to Operate ECAS

• Voice communication: You may call 112 or 999 to use the service.
• Emergency text: You may also text 112. No prior registration is needed.
• Real-time-text: RTT is a feature available on certain recent mobile devices that allows you to communicate via text during a phone call. RTT does not require any additional mobile accessories.

Reminder: we will communicate with you via the same medium you have contacted us.

How we meet our Accessibility Requirements

Accessibility of Our Website

Our website is consistently accessible by making it perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

• All relevant information on the service and its operation are outlined on our website and are presented in an understandable way, both in writing and orally, using alternative assistive technology.
• All information content is interoperable with standardised alternative assistive technology.
• We use adequate font sizes and colours to ensure our information is perceivable. We also use sufficient contrast and adjustable spacing between letters, lines, and paragraphs.
• All non-text images include alternative text (i.e. a written description of the image being conveyed).

Accessibility of Our Service:

• You can contact ECAS via voice communication.
• You can also contact the service via text message (i.e. SMS) without prior registration.
• We also provide real-time text or RTT (i.e. the text is transmitted instantly as it is typed to allow for a live conversation).
  • All our communications are synchronised across modalities.
  • We will respond to you via the same medium you used to contact us.
• We have procedures in place for call handling training of our team members to efficiently and effectively manage the various modes of communication, including voice, text and RTT. We further conduct regular accessibility testing.
• We regularly review services for compliance with EN 301 549 and other relevant standards.
• We work with national regulatory authorities to ensure ongoing conformity.
• Our network is designed to a very high state of availability and resilience and is made available 24/7/365.

Contact Us

As the ECAS service is designed exclusively for emergency communications, should you have any inquiry on our accessibility policies, please contact us via our website contact form.

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