While Estonia was supposed to meet accessibility requirements by June 2025, the necessary systems still aren't fully in place. Currently, people can contact the Emergency Response Center by voice call or SMS, but neither option works equally for everyone.

For example, deaf or hard of hearing people, as well as those who have had a stroke, whose speech is impaired or who cannot safely speak in an emergency may need alternatives such as video calls or real-time text (RTT).

Mari Tuulik, an accessibility advocate with the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People (EPIKoda), said SMS service doesn't ensure access for everyone, including those with difficulty reading or writing.

"This also affects deaf people who use Estonian Sign Language (EVK) but for whom Estonian is essentially a foreign language," Tuulik said, noting that sign languages have their own grammar and vocabulary.

"In time-critical situations, the most accessible option for deaf people would be for at least some emergency dispatchers to know EVK well enough to communicate," she added. "That would be the best option."

'They had three years to get this done'

Accessibility requirements for emergency lines took effect June 28, 2025. Because Estonia's emergency line does not yet meet them, however, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications plans to invoke an exception allowed under EU rules and move the deadline to June 28, 2027.

Accessibility expert Jakob Rosin said the work should have started sooner.

"I've actually seen no good reason why this is taking so long," Rosin said, adding that state agencies didn't only learn about the need for accessibility improvements last year.

Estonia's accessibility legislation took effect in 2022 already, he added, "so there were at least three years to get this done."

The Emergency Response Center is testing new technology, including RTT. Unlike with SMS, or regular text messages, real-time text would allow the emergency dispatcher to see the caller's text as it is being typed.

A video solution is also still in the works, as options offered by phone manufacturers do not meet all users' needs.

SMS still best option for now

Sirli Seegar, the center's social affairs expert, said the goal is to combine multiple forms of communication in a single 112 call.

"Our long-term goal is to offer a complete conversation during a 112 call," Seegar said. "This would mean that the caller and emergency dispatcher could speak, type in real time and share video all during the same call."

She said RTT should be ready to roll out by next June, with officials continuing to work on a video solution. In the meantime, despite follow-up questions and responses taking longer by text, SMS still remains the main option for callers who cannot communicate by voice.

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