A new video service to assist deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-challenged travelers has been implemented in Terminal 4 of Sky Harbor International Airport. The system will allow travelers who communicate with American Sign Language to video chat with an interpreter service to assist them.

Emmett Hassen is the licensing certification coordinator with the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Hassen said this technology goes way beyond state-required traditional relay services.

“Those people can call from the terminals and rent a car, or they can call and let family members know they have a late arrival, all of those kinds of things," Hassen said. "This is just ideal for anyone traveling through our airport to provide this accessibility for them.”

Hassen said this new technology allows speech-challenged individuals to communicate from any computer with a webcam to interpreters stationed at video relay service centers across the United States.