View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Institute of Transport Research:Publications STRATEGIES Travel Assistance Photo: Helmer Photo: Passenger information using a sign language avatar Individual travel assistance for passengers with special needs in public transport Public transport, passenger information, travel assistance, information and communication technology, reduced mobility, accessibility, inclusion Public transport operators are legally obliged to ensure equal access to transportation services. This includes equal access to information and communication related to those services. Deaf passengers mostly prefer to communicate in sign language. For this reason, the specific needs of deaf and hard-of- hearing passengers still are not adequately addressed – despite the tremendous efforts public transport operators have put in providing accessible communication services to their passengers. This article describes a novel approach to passenger information in sign language based on the automatic translation of natural (written) language text into sign language. This includes the use of a sign language avatar to display the information to deaf and hard-of-hearing passengers. Authors: Lars Schnieder, Georg Tschare ublic transport operators provide nature and causes of disruptions [2]. The tion on the Rights of Persons with Disabili- real-time passenger information passenger information system may be used ties oblige all ratifying countries to ensure via electronic information systems both physically within a transportation hub that persons with disabilities have the in order to keep passengers up to as well as remotely via mobile devices used opportunity to live independently and par- Pdate about the current status of the public by the passengers. In the design of such pas- ticipate fully in all aspects of life. This transport system [1]. Information provided senger information systems (PIS), public includes that persons with disabilities to the passengers may include predictions transport operators are legally obliged to should have equal access to public transpor- about arrival and departure times at sta- consider the special needs of persons with tation systems as well as all information and tions, as well as information about the disabilities. For example the UN Conven- communication related to the use of trans- 8 International Transportation (67) 1 | 2015 Travel Assistance STRATEGIES portation services [3]. In the design of PIS of a video screen. Captions are considered tion Systems (ITIS). Especially for disabled this means that all information provided useful by people whose hearing has been persons, conventional routing applications should be made available to the users by damaged after they had learned how to are complemented by additional features addressing two perceptional modes in paral- speak (so called late-deafened). Further- that are required to give them unobstructed lel. This can be achieved, for example, by more, also hearing persons who are viewing access to the public transport network. combining both tactile and audible ele- content in a noisy environment benefit from Once passengers have started their trip, the ments to convey information to blind pas- captions. In contrast to this, people born route they have decided to use will be moni- sengers. However, as deaf people mostly deaf mostly prefer to communicate in sign tored so that they can get updates on all prefer to communicate in sign language the language. Sign language has a grammatical incidents relevant to their individual trip. needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing cur- structure that is completely different from Besides transmission of incidents, this ser- rently are not adequately addressed in the that of spoken language. The written form vice also includes the calculation of a new design of PIS. The project aim4it (accessible of their national language is usually the sec- route for the passenger once the initially and inclusive mobility for all with individual ond language learned by deaf people. As the chosen route becomes impractical (e.g. due travel assistance) develops a solution to written form of a spoken language is highly to service irregularities). Making incident make passenger information accessible for abstract and as deaf people have never ever information accessible to deaf and hard-of- deaf and hard-of-hearing passengers. heard the language spoken, they have a hard hearing passengers follows three steps: time learning the written form. For this rea- Capturing incident information: With the Distribution of incident and son most of them have low reading skills incident capturing system (ICS), informa- disruption information to deaf and [5, 6]. A passenger information system that tion about irregularities in the public trans- hard-of-hearing passengers is easy to understand and accepted by the port network are typically captured by the With the use of mobility apps and commu- community of the deaf and hard-of-hearing staff in the operations control center. Subse- nication via journey planning platforms, should therefore provide both captioning quently public transport operators publish passengers perform their initial route plan- (for hard-of-hearing and late-deafened per- messages in their network via different ning based on time-table data. During oper- sons as well as for hearing passengers – in media (including mobility apps). In order to ations the initial route will be updated based line with the “design for all” concept) and adapt this process to the special case of pas- on available information about timetable information in sign language (for deaf senger information for deaf and hard-of- deviations or changes in the status of the people). hearing passengers, a new tool chain is network infrastructure (real-time data). Sign language is the only possibility to introduced in the background systems of Real-time data also includes incidents provide information in a barrier-free and the public transport operators. In order to and disruption information due to their understandable manner for deaf people. ease subsequent translation of written text mostly short-term nature. Conventional Translation of spoken or written informa- to sign language, translation-oriented approaches to making this incident and dis- tion into sign language can be achieved authoring is applied in the ICS. This means ruption information available to deaf and either by human interpreters (signers) or sign that the user can configure structured inci- hard-of-hearing persons are not suited to language avatars. The signer hears the voices dent messages with less complex syntax and the special requirements of passenger infor- of the spoken text or reads the text and a controlled vocabulary. This not only facili- mation in public transportation. translates the message into sign language. A tates the subsequent automatic translation One possibility to provide audible pas- video camera captures the translation, process, but also makes understanding the senger information to hard-of-hearing pas- which can then be displayed to the deaf text messages easier for all other (hearing) sengers is the use of assistive listening techno- users. With the use of a signer, sign language passengers. logy. With this technology a physical cable can be used on TV or video. The signer usu- Translation of incident information: Once loop is placed in a station area in public ally appears at the bottom of the screen, the structured incident message is available, transport systems. The cable generates a with the main content being shown full size a video featuring a sign language avatar will magnetic field throughout the looped sta- or slightly shrunk to free space in the bot- be automatically created and stored in a tion area that can be picked up by a hearing tom corner. However, this approach is database. The sign language avatar is able to aid or Cochlear Implant (CI) processors. expensive and time-consuming and there- display all elements of sign language that This approach allows the sound source of fore not feasible when it comes to address- convey the meaning of the incident mes- interest (e.g. public address system mes- ing the need for real-time passenger infor- sage. This includes the simultaneous combi- sages) to be transmitted to the hearing- mation. Furthermore, given the great vari- nation of hand movements as well as the impaired listener clearly and free of dis- ety of reasons of disruptions of public trans- orientation and movements of hands, arms tracting noise in the environment [4]. How- port operations as well as associated and the entire body. In parallel, facial ever this technology is only suited for indi- impacts, it is not possible to pre-record mes- expressions can be displayed to convey fur- viduals with reduced ranges of hearing, but sages for all circumstances in order to have ther meaning (e.g. emotions). Figure 1 shows not for deaf passengers. In addition to this, them displayed immediately when this par- an example of an incident message in sign providing full coverage with assistive listen- ticular situation occurs. language developed for the public transport ing technology in all stations and vehicles is operator of the city of Vienna (Austria). Cur- not economically feasible given the tight Integration of incident messages rently all incident messages are translated budgets of public transport operators. in sign language in the travel into Austrian Sign Language (Österreichis- An alternative