By Sharlyn Ayotte, President and CEO of T-Base Communications

In previously attempting to independently access information from within my personal and confidential documents, it was the lack of available accessible communications that inspired my business vision, and transitioned me from blind consumer to blind entrepreneur.

Established in 1994 out of the realized need for mainstream alternate format services , T-Base Communications specializes in the provision of braille, large print, e-Text and audio formats, assisting our roster of financial, government, telecom and OSP clients communicate accessibly with their print-restricted customers. It has been a longstanding business mission of T-Base to ensure that blind, deafblind and partially sighted consumers receive information and correspondence in the format of their choice, affording them the same protection, privacy and security assurances as all others.

With our head office located in Ottawa, ON, and a second production facility in Ogdensburg, NY, T-Base employs a combined staff of 30 individuals who all possess the intimate knowledge, experience and dedication required to deliver the highest quality of products to our clients, and in turn, the end consumer.
                                                                                                                
As the recipient of the 1999 IWAY award for the development of Infotouch, an automated access and production system for publishing information, and credited with developing the audio interface design used by Royal Bank for the world's first accessible banking machine, I am very proud of the contributions T-Base has made to the industry, and feel extremely honoured by the acknowledgements.

The service solutions we offer provide leading organizations with the opportunity to reach a wider audience and simultaneously meet the specific and diverse information needs of their client base. In the process of providing such services to blind, deafblind and partially sighted customers, these organizations position themselves as industry leaders, setting precedence among industry competitors, maintain brand loyalty, and ultimately attract additional customers seeking accessible communications.

In order to deliver efficient, cost-effective materials, we have developed a series of proprietary systems and applications. AccessAbill, for example, is a unique electronic system designed to deliver fully secure billing services such as financial statements, call detail reports and various types of invoices. As well, T-Base was recognized for the development of Infotouch, an ordering system that allows either consumers or employees to request available materials via telephone. While not a personal patent of ours, T-Base is the only PCI certified alternate format company in North America. The Payment Card Industry (PCI) standard was developed by credit card companies to ensure the proper handling and protection of cardholder account and transaction information. This award of PCI compliance provides yet another level of assurance, offering greater protection to credit card companies, service providers, and consumers potentially at risk.

Why Ottawa

Ottawa is by far one of the most accessibility-conscious cities I have come across, which has benefited me both personally and professionally. With Ottawa being the nation's capital, and government initiatives being focused on accessibility for Canadians, it made sense for us to base our business where those decisions that impact changes are made.

In order to best serve our American clientele quickly and securely, a second facility was opened in NY, which is in close proximity not only for my staff, and myself - but also for our clients. Since establishing T-Base's head office here, it has become glaringly obvious to me that Ottawa is a true example of accessibility, with a large blind, deafblind and partially sighted community, an ever-growing number of compliant organizations, and a world of local opportunity.

With the continuous increase of organizations requesting the provision of our alternate format service solutions, it is foreseeable that a second Ottawa office will be needed and established in the near future in order to accommodate additional employees.

Future Growth Plans

While we currently have far-reaching presence in both Canada and the United States, we have also established partnerships with organizations in Australia and the European Union, and look forward to growth in emerging markets and other sectors such as health services and legal.

Contact Information

T-Base Communications Inc.
Deanna White Director of Marketing and Partner Relations
19 Main Street
Ottawa, ON  K1S 1A9
telephone. 613. 236. 0866 Ext. 231
fax. 613. 236. 0484
email. dwhite@tbase.com

Download a PDF version of this story here.