The Royal Canadian Mint hosted open house events in Ottawa and Winnipeg on Oct. 15 to mark its ongoing partnership with Sign Language Interpreting Associates Ottawa (SLIAO).
Since March 2020, the Mint has worked with SLIAO to provide American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), of Québéc Sign Language, interpretation in its boutiques and on guided tours.
In Winnipeg, visitors can use SLIAO’s on-demand video remote interpreting (VRI) service to connect with an interpreter via a tablet during tours.
In Ottawa, visitors can access VRI on demand in the boutique and use tablets to watch pre-recorded translations of the tour in either ASL or LSQ.
“The Mint is committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors and customers,” said Mint Master Marie Lemay, the Crown corporation’s president and CEO since 2019. “We are pleased that our partnership with SLIAO makes it possible for deaf and hard of hearing visitors to our Ottawa and Winnipeg facilities to fully experience the Royal Canadian Mint.”