Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness
St. Ann’s for the Deaf
Deaf 911
Nearly one million people over the age of five in the U.S. are deaf. And 37.5 million hard-of-hearing (HOH) individuals, aged 12 and over, suffer from severe hearing loss and poor speech clarity. For this group of more than 10% of the U.S. population, communicating over the phone during an emergency can be challenging.
While texting on mobile smartphones has opened doors for the deaf, they have limited options when it comes to calling for help. Text-to-911 only exists in less than one-tenth of the country. Relay-operator calls that utilize third-party interpreters take at least three minutes. Teletypewriters weighing approximately 10 pounds take more than eight minutes.
Precious moments can mean the difference between life and death during a heart attack, robbery, domestic abuse incident, or natural disaster.
No technological solution currently exists that allows the deaf to call 911 in a timely and affordable manner—until now.
Creative Idea:
Deaf 911. The emergency mobile app that gives the deaf a voice. It brings life-saving possibilities of the mobile digital age into the hands the millions of deaf and HOH people in the U.S.
With its unique application of speech-to-text and text-to-speech technology, the deaf can call and speak directly to 911. And 911 can text back. And it does so in real time, in just 30 seconds—roughly the same amount of time as it does for hearing people.
Designed specifically for the deaf or anyone with speech clarity conditions, Deaf 911 is free. Available on any smartphone.
Agency Team:
Kathy Delaney, Chief Creative Officer
Scott Carlton, Creative Director
Ali Beceren, Digital Development
Ellery Familia, Director of Digital Development
Lauren Chan, Art Director
Kip Langton, Writer
Darren McMillan, Animator
Jon Devine, Editor
Luke Gargano, Director
Ian Phillips, Producer
