Accessibility

Vodafone Accessibility Statement

At Vodafone, we truly believe that our products and services are for everyone and we are dedicated to meeting the needs of people with disabilities. We are here to help you get the most out of your Vodafone service and device, whether you have restricted vision, difficulty hearing or have limited dexterity or mobility. In this section, we describe the 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

We also recognise the challenge of creating a site that focuses not only on complying with standards, but also on delivering an excellent online experience to the widest possible audience, including users with disabilities.

At Vodafone we are committed to ensuring accessibility for all our customers. If you are deaf or have difficulty hearing and need assistance with your existing products or have any queries, we're here to help. Simply click on the chat icon located on this webpage to connect with one of our dedicated agents. Our team is trained to assist you promptly and effectively, ensuring a seamless experience tailored to your needs.

The Standards this website complies with

The site is designed in accordance with priority 1, 2, and 3 guidelines of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the Irish National Disability Authority Guidelines for Web Accessibility.  The website uses structured semantic markup. H1 tags are used for main titles, H2 tags for subtitles. The website uses cascading style sheets for visual layout. This ensures that content is perfectly linearised and improves performance on a wide range of browsers and other user agents.

Self-care options such as My Vodafone portal and app services are designed for ease of registration and use.

Maintaining Accessibility

To help deliver and maintain an accessible website, Vodafone has created internal guidelines to guide web administrators and authors in the creation of accessible web content. These guidelines cover issues such as

• Creating user friendly web content
• Writing meaningful alternative text
• Creating accessible tables
• Creating accessible forms
• Creating accessible link phrases

Page Layout and Navigation

Pages on the website are structured as follows:

• Header links– links to the homepage, Contact Us, About Us
• Search box– key word searching of the website
• Main navigation– links to the main sections of the web site
• Content – main content for that page, structured using headings and paragraph elements
• Sub navigation– when you select a category in the main navigation panel, a list of further navigation links is available for that section
• Additional links– Jobs, Accessibility, Privacy Policy, Code of Practice, Terms & Conditions

The Products and Services we offer

Irish Text Relay Service – ITRS

Vodafone provide access to the Irish Text Relay Service (ITRS), which is a service we have developed and funded 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 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. 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.

Billing Options

If you find it difficult to read your standard paper or online bill, there are other options available.

We offer a range of billing options including print by post and our e-bill in pdf format. We make use of dark coloured text on a white paper background, colour is kept to a minimum differentiation and terms on the bill are standard, applied consistently and in clear language.

The e-bill is compatible with ‘Read out Loud’ pan and zoom functionality.  We also liaise with the NCBI for braille bill requests from our customers. 

Please contact us directly at any time if you need to discuss your billing requirements.

Your Phone

Vodafone 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

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 Vodafone stores.

Price Plans

We have a wide range of plans designed to meet your requirements whether you need a plan that includes more data, more text or voice options. Talk to us in-store or contact us on Live Chat.  Click here for contact information

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

We hope we have provided the information you need however if you have any questions please contact us at any time or drop into one of our stores.  Click here for Vodafone Customer Care support and contact information.

Vodafone 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 details

Find our nearest store with our Store Locator If you would like to talk to one of our staff who can assist you on any of our services

This Accessibility Statement is subject to annual review, and on an as-needed basis.

Last Updated May 2024.