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Accessibility with SMARTY
Accessibility with SMARTY

We're all about giving you the best experience.

Casey avatar
Written by Casey
Updated this week

We believe everyone should be able to enjoy SMARTY, so we offer a range of accessibility services that are intended to make it easier for you to communicate. đŸ“±

We have a few options available to help you manage your account.

For example, if you want a copy of any of our terms and conditions in large print or braille, or if you’d like to have a friend or relative manage your account on your behalf, please contact our dedicated Accessibility Team, you can find their details below.

If your query is not related to accessibility or vulnerability, you can get full support via your online account or by visiting our help and support page at https://smarty.co.uk/contact.

Email our Accessibility Team đŸ“©

This email address is solely dedicated to our customers who require additional support for their disability. The accessibility team will not be able to help with any non-related accessibility or vulnerability issues.

Our accessibility email address is: smartyaccessibilityservices@smarty.co.uk

Our accessibility team will respond to emails between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday (Excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s day).

Call our Accessibility Team 📞

Using the SMARTY website đŸ’»

We use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) standards to see how we’re doing. WCAG 2.0 is a set of guidelines made by the Web Accessibility Initiative, which looks at how accessible a website is.

Most of the pages on our site meet level ‘A’ compliance using these rules and we’re working towards reaching at least level ‘AA’ compliance across the site.

At SMARTY, we use CSS for the visual layout of our site. If your browser or browsing device doesn’t support stylesheets, the content of each page is still accessible.

This site has been developed using relative font sizes to allow users to control text sizes. You can choose text sizes by following these instructions.

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer users can change their text size by selecting: View, Text Size and then Larger.

  • Firefox users can change their text size by selecting View, Text Size and then Increase.

  • Safari users can change their text size by selecting View, Make Text Bigger.

  • Chrome users can change their text size by selecting menu then Settings, Show Advanced settings, Web Content and then Page Zoom.

We’re always looking for ways to improve, so if you’ve got any comments or suggestions about how to improve the accessibility of the SMARTY website, we’d love to hear from you.

Other services available to you:

Textphone

Textphone number is: 0800 033 8011

Our accessibility team are between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday (Excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day).

Emergency SMS Service

This service allows deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people in the UK to contact the emergency services by sending a text message to 999. The content of the SMS is translated and the request is passed on to the appropriate emergency service.

To register your phone for this service:

  1. Text the word ‘register' to 999

  2. You’ll get an SMS message about the service

  3. Reply “Yes”

  4. You’ll then receive a reply telling you that your mobile is now registered (or if there’s been a problem with your registration).

This is something that can potentially save lives, but it’s important to remember that in exceptional circumstances, this service might not be available.

If you send an SMS to 999, you should still try to contact the emergency services in other ways until you receive a reply.

You could also try:

  • Dialling 18000 on a textphone.

  • Using the Relay UK App.

  • Asking a neighbour, friend or passer-by to dial 999.

Note that the Emergency SMS Service is only available when you're in the UK. For more information, please go to:

999 BSL Emergency Video Relay Service đŸ“Č

999 BSL is a free emergency service for British Sign Language users who need help urgently. You can be connected to a British Sign Language interpreter in seconds, who will then call 999 on your behalf.

This service is available if you need Police, Ambulance, Fire or Coastguard. You no longer have to send a text and can now get the help you need by starting a video call using their website or app.

For more information, visit www.999bsl.co.uk

You can download their app here: Download : 999 BSL

Their app is zero-rated, so you can get connected, even if you've run out of data.

Relay UK (Previously Next Generation Text Service)

If you can’t speak or hear on the phone, Relay UK lets you have conversations by using the internet or a textphone. For more information on Relay UK, please go to:
​
​www.relayuk.bt.com

You can also download the Relay UK app onto your smartphone or tablet to use it on the go. Information on how to do this is shown here:
​
​https://www.relayuk.bt.com/how-to-use-relay-uk/download-app.html


The Relay UK smartphone app automatically dials the prefix 18001 for deaf users making outgoing calls. For incoming calls, deaf users are able to get an overlay TextNumber (fixed or mobile) from BT which brings in the relay service automatically, meaning that the hearing person doesn’t need to dial 18002 to call a deaf relay user (or even to know that the person they are calling is deaf).
​
Also, if you wish to use the Relay UK service to listen to voicemail, simply dial 18001 07782333123 (if you dial 18001 123 this will not connect to your voicemail).

The options available are:

Type and Read (for those who can’t hear and don’t use their voice).

Speak and Read (for those who can’t hear but can use their voice).

Type and Hear (for those who can hear but don’t use their voice).

Speak and Hear (for those who have some hearing and do use their voice).


There are many different ways to use Relay UK service. You can use a landline or mobile phone for the voice part of the conversation and a PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet to see the text if you choose to.

If you have a smartphone which lets you use the internet at the same time as using the phone, you can hear, read and speak using the smartphone. These are just two ways you can use the service.

Relay assistants only speak English, so won’t be able to translate in calls between different languages.

For more details and for more information on the service and how it works, please visit https://www.relayuk.bt.com/
​
Standard UK calls through Relay UK are free.

Calling the emergency services using Relay UK 🚑

To use the Relay UK service to contact Emergency Services, simply dial 18000 using a textphone or click on the 999 button in the Relay UK app, and then connect.
​

Note that this service is not designed for use outside of the UK as it only connects you to the UK Emergency Services.

InterpretersLive! - Video relay service

You can use InterpretersLive! to contact us through a sign language interpreter.

When accessing the service for the first time through a tablet or phone, contact InterpretersLive! for your free app invitation.

You’ll need:

  • A Windows, Mac, Android or iOS device

  • a webcam or inbuilt camera in your device

  • a broadband upload speed of 1MB

  • Adobe Flash Player.

InterpretersLive! will work on Google Chrome version 46+, Firefox version 45+ and Opera version 39+. If you’re using Safari 9 or Internet Explorer 11, download the plug-in when asked. You’ll only need to do this once, next time you’ll be taken straight to the call button.

If you want to talk to InterpretersLive! or are having problems with their service you can:

Directory Enquiries 📓

We offer a free directory enquiries phone service to our disabled customers on 195. Before you can use it, you’ll need to register for the 195 directory enquiries service by contacting us.

You won't be charged for calling 195 and you can ask for multiple searches for UK residential and business listings.

However, if you ask the operator to connect you, once you're connected, your call may incur a charge if out-of-plan so you might need an out of plan add-on for any connecting calls.

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