St. Catharines, ON

St. Catherines, ON increases the accessibility of recreation facilities with its ASL signage pilot

American Sign Language (ASL) signs were installed at the entrances to seven community and recreation centers. Each sign shows the ASL alphabet along with nine common ASL phrases like help, play, and bathroom. The signs lower barriers to conversations between deaf or hard-of-hearing patrons, hearing residents, and city staff. St. Catherines worked with resident Avril Hertneky on developing the pilot as part of a citywide effort at inclusive recreation.

SC

St. Catharines, ON

Canada

St. Catharines, ON incorporates language translation into phone and in-person services

The city worked with LanguageLine Solutions to add on-demand language translation for customer-facing departments. Staff members can request translation in any of 240 languages in as little as 30 seconds during phone calls. City Hall and the Aquatics Centre each have a tablet equipped with translation software for improved customer experiences.

SC

St. Catharines, ON

Canada