Abstract
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people number approximately 300,000 in Canada and
possibly more than one million people in North America. As a result they are unable to
participate in many activities that people with normal hearing enjoy, such as flying aircraft.
What is needed is a method to allow these people access to the world aloft for personal
enjoyment and various forms of employment.
The main concern is the use of the radio and its necessity in flight operations. The
electromagnetic spectrum in Canada is tightly regulated and obtaining permission to use
even experimental bandwidths is difficult. One method is to use the existing
communications frequencies for aircraft use. Assuming this is possible, some challenges
such as deploying a new communications system to existing land and air-based radio stations
and communicating between the new system and existing (verbal) communications systems
must be addressed.
If existing communications frequencies can be used, then any non-verbal information
If existing communications frequencies can be used, then any non-verbal information
that is sent would be received by every other station currently listening. Until this new
system is in widespread use it would be handy to have a “quick-fix” system to translate nonverbal
communication to a format people without the new system can understand. Also, the
signal that the non-verbal system produces should be pleasant to listen to, so that stations can
continue to monitor radio traffic with minimal irritation or interruption.
Conversely, the non-verbal system must be capable of recognizing when a verbal
message is directed to that station, then transmitting its status as a non-verbal station and
being able to continue necessary communications. Several options exist with a non-verbal
air station and a ground station. In any case where communications between a verbal and
non-verbal station exist there must be procedures in place to deal with how communications
are handled.
The interface between the pilot and the non-verbal system must be easy to use and
completely functional, enabling communication of all necessary information.
Once the new system is made available and established then communications can be
maintained between stations as easily and possibly more efficiently than the current verbal
system. If the system should fail, as any communication system could, pilots would revert
to established NORDO procedures. Once established in Canada this system could be
adjusted so that it may be used in the United States and other countries, in English and other
languages.
