An Post Mobile Website Accessibility Statement
Note: This Statement is in addition to the An Post Website Accessibility Statement and Disability Access Statement and should be read together.
Disability is a fact of life for tens of thousands of people across the Republic of Ireland. In every city, town, village and rural area people live, work, and play with a range of abilities, including people who are blind or have low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, or challenged by learning disabilities, speech limitations, or mobility barriers. At An Post Mobile, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of all our customers and our commitment is to ensure you get the most out of your An Post Mobile service and device, whether your circumstances. Our Accessibility Statement is designed to show you ways in which you can use our website and our products and services in a way that works best for you. It also includes links if you need more information.
Our Website
An Post Mobile recognises the importance of ensuring that our website is accessible to everyone. We are committed to achieving a conformance level AA with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 in compliance with the National Disability Authority’s Code of Practice on accessibility of public services and information provided by public bodies. When designing the website, we endeavour to ensure accessible web content by creating:
The Products and Services we offer
Irish Text Relay Service – ITRS
An Post Mobile provide access to the Irish Text Relay Service (ITRS), which is a service developed in partnership with other industry operators to facilitate deaf or hard of hearing people to make and receive calls. The full details of the service are available at the ITRS official website.
What is ITRS?
ITRS translates text into voice and voice into text to facilitate a person with a hearing disability in making and receiving calls in the Republic of Ireland. Calls are relayed through an ITRS agent who performs this translation. The service is developed to enable people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired, to make and receive calls independently. When you type through the Webchat the agent will then speak the words as you have typed to the person or service provider you are calling. The speech response from the other party then appears as text on your phone.
How does it work?
The ITRS uses live Webchat that is accessible from a wide range of devices, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops and PCs. These chat sessions are initiated by firstly making a telephone call. The call is necessary to engage an ITRS agent on an ITRS Webchat.
Registration
Registering for the service: Please visit the getting started page here. This page also includes useful detail on how you can save ITRS.ie as a bookmark on your iOS or Android device home screen to ensure easy access to ITRS on your device.
Availability
The operation hours of the ITRS are as follows:
-
08:30-18:30 Monday-Thursday
-
09:00-21:00 Friday and Saturday
-
10:00-18:00 Sunday and Public Holidays
Accessible Directory Enquiries
If you have a vision impairment and have difficulty reading the phone book you can register to avail of a free directory enquiry service. You can contact 1800 574 574 to obtain a registration form. As part of registration, you will need to provide certified confirmation that you are eligible to register for the 196 service (see details below). Once you are registered, you will be allocated a special PIN number, which you then provide, to the 196 operator each time you make a directory enquiry.
The 196 Free Special Directory Enquiries service is now available to eligible An Post Mobile customers. Eligible An Post Mobile customers can now access this service via our phone service.
Your Phone
An Post Mobile offer a wide range of phones with many useful features and certain phones are designed to be more accessible and come with:
-
Large display and backlit keypad with adjustable contrast and font size
-
Large, well-spaced actual keys, and a raised dot on the 5 for easy navigation
-
Sound settings that alert you when the phone is powering up or down, or when the battery is low
-
Personalised ringtones for each person, so you know who’s calling you
-
Speed-dial for calling with minimum keystrokes
-
A Bluetooth headset, so you can answer your phone without having to find it
-
Actual or touchscreen buttons that vibrate or make a sound when pressed
-
Predictive texting, or a predictive typing app, to limit the keystrokes needed
-
Text to Speech facilities
Testing your phone
If you wear a hearing aid/cochlear implant you have the option to test your phone. If you purchase your phone and find that your hearing aid/cochlear implant is not compatible with the phone you have purchased, we offer a refund or replacement within 14 days of your in store purchase. We can talk you through your handset features in any of our Post offices or by calling our Customer Care team on 0818 789 789.
The Emergency 112 SMS Service
The 112 SMS service lets deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people in the Republic of Ireland send an SMS text message* to the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) where it will be passed to An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance service, the Fire service, or the Irish Coastguard. You must Register for the service and you can find out how it works on their website www.112.ie.
Support and More Information
If you have any questions, please contact us at any time or drop into any one of our post offices. Click here for An Post Mobile Customer Care support and contact information.
An Post Mobile participate in the ComReg forum on Electronic Communications Services for people with Disabilities. Click here for ComReg information on Accessibility.
The GARI (Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative) website provides useful detail on accessibility options for handsets. Click here for Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative.
The An Post Mobile Accessibility Statement is subject to annual review, and on an as-needed basis.
Last Updated March 2022.