MTS and the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG) have entered into a strategic partnership to adapt digital services for people with hearing impairments. The collaboration builds on previous joint social initiatives, including the 'Everyone Included' AI training course.
The 'Everyone Included' project, hosted on the MTS Link platform, uses AI to convert speech to text in real-time. This autumn, the program attracted over 1,850 applicants from 180 cities, with 1,000 participants enrolled.
In March, MTS launched the 'Secretary for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing' service. This tool converts incoming voice calls into text and translates written responses into voice, facilitating independent phone communication for users.
According to MTS, the 'Secretary' service was developed following over 300 interviews with hearing-impaired individuals. Since its launch, users have conducted more than half a million phone conversations using the platform.
VOG and MTS are also working to improve subtitle accessibility on digital platforms. Discussions with the KION online cinema team aim to increase the volume of subtitled content and introduce flexible player settings for better accessibility.
