Sprint ID packs help deaf, hard-of-hearing and visually and
speech-impaired customers access information and entertainment on their
wireless devices
Company Website:
http://www.sprint.com
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- (Business Wire)
Sprint (NYSE: S) will be honored as the Marketplace winner at the
Seventh Annual U.S. Disability Matters Awards Banquet and Conference,
one of the most important Corporate Awards Conferences in the U.S., for
delivering innovative accessibility solutions that empower people with
disabilities.
The highly coveted awards, given to corporations leading the way in
providing innovative accessibility solutions for consumers with
disabilities, will be presented April 16 during the annual Disability
Matters conference, a Springboard Consulting Event, in Jacksonville,
Fla. Sprint is one of seven corporations to be honored, and this marks
the first time Sprint has been recognized with this prestigious award.
Sprint is being recognized as the only winnerin the 2013
Disability Matters Marketplace category, which recognizes excellence in
marketing products and services that meet the needs of the disability
community. This recognition stems from the company’s innovative Sprint
Relay ID pack and four accessibility-themed Sprint ID packs, which were
developed in collaboration with Apps4Android and the U.S. Department of
Education.
The ID packs, which are free to download for Sprint customers with an
Everything Data plan, are designed to accommodate various accessibility
needs and to allow users to:
-
Operate a smartphone without the need to see or read what is displayed
on the screen.
-
Read RSS news feeds and navigate YouTube entertainment content using
high-quality text-to-speech voices.
-
Receive GPS-based navigational assistance while driving or walking.
-
Identify and locate items around the home and the workplace.
“It’s humbling to see the incredible commitment of our honorees to fully
include individuals with disabilities as employees and as customers.
Their passion fuels the work. Their award-winning initiatives inspire
everyone,” said Nadine Vogel, founder and president of Springboard
Consulting and the Disability Matters Conference and the mother of two
children with special needs.
According to data from the Wireless
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center, more than 80 percent of
people with disabilities own or have access to a wireless communications
device. Using Sprint accessibility ID packs allows them to more easily
and fully use their devices, often in ways that weren’t previously
possible.
“Wireless accessibility solutions like Sprint ID packs represent
technology at its best and innovation that matters,” said Sprint CEO Dan
Hesse. “With the Sprint Relay ID pack, Sprint became the first carrier
to develop multiple applications in a single package to meet the needs
of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. With the Sprint
Accessibility ID packs that followed, we improved the ability for people
with visual and cognitive challenges to communicate and access
information. We are proud to receive the 2013 Disability Matters
Marketplace Award recognizing Sprint’s commitment to people with
disabilities.”
Sprint has long been a leader in the accessibility space and has been
the nation’s premier provider of Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS)
for the past 22 years. Currently Sprint is the TRS provider in 30 states
and the TRS provider for the federal government, as well as for New
Zealand.
Sprint’s Corporate Responsibility platform is centered on doing the
right thing, or conducting business in a socially and environmentally
responsible manner. As part of its commitment to doing the right thing,
Sprint anticipates the needs of customers and continues to make its
award-winning services accessible to all.
For more information about Sprint Accessibility ID packs, visit the
Sprint newsroom.
For more information about Sprint’s commitment to people with
disabilities, visit the Accessibility
for All page on sprint.com.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline
communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers,
businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55
million customers at the end of 2012 and is widely recognized for
developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including
the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United
States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid
brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance
Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities;
and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer
Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in
customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries,
during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both
its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s
greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You
can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com
or www.facebook.com/sprint
and www.twitter.com/sprint.
About Springboard Consulting®
Founded in 2005, Springboard is recognized as the expert in
mainstreaming disability in the global workforce, workplace and
marketplace. Serving corporations and organizations throughout the U.S.,
Canada, Europe and Asia, Springboard has become a trusted partner in
relation to disability issues and initiatives across virtually every
business category. Springboard annually honors exemplary organizational
initiatives that promote the outreach, support and engagement of people
with disabilities as employees and as consumers though the Disability
Matters Awards. www.consultspringboard.com
Contacts:
Sprint
Marci VerBrugge-Rhind, 913-794-6319
marci.j.verbrugge@sprint.com
or
Gina
Masullo, 917-776-1921
gina@wordcountcommunications.com
Source: Sprint