Proposed AI solution for accessible emergency services
Despite multiple access channels under India’s ERSS-112, persons with disabilities still face major barriers in emergencies, such as no real-time sign language support, limited deafblind-friendly interfaces, weak AI interpretation, and difficulties in multilingual or high-stress situations—leading to delays, miscommunication, or exclusion.
Key challenges
Absence of deafblind‑friendly haptic interfaces
High cognitive load on emergency call operators
No real‑time sign language or visual relay support
Limited reliability in low‑connectivity environments
Multilingual and accent‑related communication complexity
The solution
Multimodal communication
Speech‑to‑text and text‑to‑speech
Conceptual sign language avatar support
Gesture‑based and intent‑driven inputs
Haptic feedback for deafblind users
Planned support for 10+ Indic languages
Intelligent assistance
Automatic location detection (sensor fusion)
AI‑assisted call summaries for operators
Emergency intent classification
Noise‑robust speech recognition
1
Community onboarding (planned)
Collaboration with disability‑focused NGOs
Accessibility awareness workshops
Multilingual user onboarding strategy
Inclusive app design and rollout plan
2
System integration (planned)
API‑based integration with ERSS‑112
Panic and silent‑mode design considerations
Hybrid cloud and on‑device deployment model
Offline and low‑bandwidth fallback mechanisms
3
Capability building (planned)
Operator training concepts
Continuous feedback loops
Accessibility‑focused UI/UX design
Bias mitigation and inclusivity testing
Targeted communication efficiency
Targeting significantly faster information exchange
Reduced delays caused by repeated clarifications
Improved real‑time interaction for PwDs
Reduced operator cognitive load
AI‑generated summaries to support faster decision‑making
Reduced misinterpretation through multimodal inputs
More structured emergency information flow
Anticipated user acceptance
Designed for deaf, blind, speech‑impaired, deafblind, and cognitively disabled users
Haptic, visual, and low‑literacy‑friendly interfaces
Inclusive, dignity‑preserving interaction design
Emergency handling potential
Designed to support quicker routing and clearer emergency assessment
Potential reduction in response friction during high‑stress scenarios
Improved coordination between callers and responders
Looking ahead
Pilot deployment for up to 500 users in one urban region
Expansion to additional states and user groups
Design readiness for 10,000+ users nationwide
Plan to open‑source selected components for wider adoption
Ongoing model refinement for sign language accuracy, bias mitigation, and multilingual coverage.
Strengthening NGO and government collaborations
Applicability to ERSS nationwide and similar systems in other developing economies
