Mr
Maxim
Kozlov
Country of residence
Russian Federation
Age
39
Job category
Self-employed
Sector of Activity
Private sector
Type of Impairment
Hearing
Extent of Impairment
Mild
My top 3 facilitators
Assistive devices and personal assistance
In 2018, Yandex.Taxi began looking into issues that hearing-impaired drivers were facing when seeking employment. As a result, Yandex.Taxi launched a special unit which purpose was to help these drivers work on our platform. This unit has developed technology solutions for the driver- and user-facing Yandex.Taxi apps and prepared educational materials for drivers taking Yandex.Taxi orders. We have also been actively working with the hearing-impaired communities in different Russian regions and created a special website where drivers could apply for employment in taxi parks that take their special needs into account.
Our goal was to create a comfortable environment for the hearing-impaired drivers who are taking orders on our platform. We have been collecting feedback on our efforts from drivers, our customers and the hearing-impaired community.
Our initiative was successful in Russia and Belarus which is why we have also launched it across the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Our goal was to create a comfortable environment for the hearing-impaired drivers who are taking orders on our platform. We have been collecting feedback on our efforts from drivers, our customers and the hearing-impaired community.
Our initiative was successful in Russia and Belarus which is why we have also launched it across the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Transportation
Our technology helps empower hearing-impaired drivers. Customers get notifications saying that their trip will be carried out by a hearing-impaired driver, they can also use the chat function on their app to communicate with drivers. We have also adapted the driver-facing app. Drivers get notified of new orders with a flash instead of a sound. We have also added an option to synchronize fitness trackers with our app: they vibrate when a new trip is requested. With our help, hearing-impaired drivers can choose to work a full day or have a more flexible schedule at our partner taxi parks. To work for us, hearing-impaired drivers need to have at least three years of driving experience and have no medical constraints preventing them from driving. They also need to watch our educational video.
Thanks to our initiative, hearing-impaired drivers have formed their own communities in different regions where we operate. To support them, we hold regular events for drivers.
Thanks to our initiative, hearing-impaired drivers have formed their own communities in different regions where we operate. To support them, we hold regular events for drivers.
Assistive devices and personal assistance
In addition to introducing technology solutions, we have implemented some offline steps to improve communication with hearing-impaired drivers during a trip. We have discussed introducing a special sign for passengers or others means of communicating with them during a trip.
To supplement our in-app communication indicating that a trip is carried out by a hearing-impaired driver, we have introduced special cases for headrests in cars to inform passengers of their drivers’ special needs. These are double-sided communication cards that show different pictures illustrating various situations that may arise during a trip: a need to make a stop, regulate the car temperature etc. These cards significantly simplify the process of interacting with customers.
Thanks to these steps, communicating with customers has become much easier for drivers while customers have begun to view hearing-impaired drivers more positively.
To supplement our in-app communication indicating that a trip is carried out by a hearing-impaired driver, we have introduced special cases for headrests in cars to inform passengers of their drivers’ special needs. These are double-sided communication cards that show different pictures illustrating various situations that may arise during a trip: a need to make a stop, regulate the car temperature etc. These cards significantly simplify the process of interacting with customers.
Thanks to these steps, communicating with customers has become much easier for drivers while customers have begun to view hearing-impaired drivers more positively.
