The InMyLingo blog has moved to www.InMyLingo.com/blog

Hello!  This blog has been moved to a new location where I will continue to offer new and exciting posts regularly.  In its new home, the blog will now be integrated with the InMyLingo Interpreter Network to offer you free search, reviews, and networking capabilities with a nationwide database of Interpreters. 

Please visit:

http://www.InMyLingo.com/blog

Thank you!

A grant of $225,00 to do research upon Deafhood

A grant of nearly £140,000 ($225,000 US dollars) by the Leverhulme Trust has been awarded to the University of Bristol’s Centre for Deaf Studies (CDS) in United Kingdom to conduct research upon the new concept of "Deafhood." It will examine the Deaf people's concerns upon the advancement of Genetic technology.

I am quite curious to see what CDS will come up with. This is an exciting century for all of us. Technology and Medicine are starting to merge into a new field of science and it will eventually transform the way we live. It won't be long before we can actually FIX genetic defects....

Now the question is :

Should the Deaf communities across the world embrace the new changes or fear it?

Some definitions you may need to know: before you can read and understand the article.

• Deafhood => the identify of being d/Deaf culturally than just a person with hearing loss.
• Hegemonic / hegemony => the dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others;
• In this example : Medical deaf vs Cultural Deaf (or Hearing vs Deaf)
• Eugenicist / eugenics => the study and practice of selective breeding applied to humans, with the aim of improving the species.
• "Survival of Fittest" where we pick "perfect" human beings to make the best, strongest, smartest babies.

Article : Research study to examine genetics, power and Deafhood

Deaf Mugger

Everyone GOTTA SEE THIS!!!!!! It's hilarious!

The paradox about this is

I am not fully familiar with the laws in United Kingdom, but I think there is a law in UK where the government is required to provide sign language interpreters to any Deaf individuals and pay for it (through taxes). There are no agencies or such. All the interpreters work for the government, thus they are employees of the British Government. So we have a Deaf mugger who requests an interpreter to help him to break the law.....

(Laughing out loud) You gotta love the irony! Enjoy the video!

Man's deafness cured after a TOOTH is removed from ear!!!

For more than 30 years Stephen Hirst was in constant pain and partially deaf because of excruciating earache.But that is all in the past now after doctors found a TOOTH lodged in the former miner's ear.

Okay! Ladies and Gentlemen, start pulling your teeth!!!! (smile)

I cannot say if this is an actual prank or not.. But it seems to be true according to several sources online. Read for yourself.

Read more:

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1321482/Mans-33-year-earache-mystery-solved-doctors-pull-tooth-ear.html
• http://sify.com/news/uk-man-s-33-yr-old-ache-was-due-to-tooth-stuck-in-ear-news-international-kksrksaheaj.html
• http://www.medindia.net/news/Doctors-Remove-Tooth-from-Ear-75535-1.htm

New Zealand offer world first service for Deaf

Can you believe this? "Until today, New Zealanders who are hearing impaired and deaf have had to use a fax machine to make contact with 1 -1 -1 (the police)."

This is already 2010!!!

Nevertheless, New Zealand have established a new "textting" system where a person can text and communicate with the police. New Zealand is supposedly to be the first country in the world to offer this unique service.

For more details (and you can watch a video), please go to 3news.

On Friday, Oct 8, 2010, 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act will be signed into LAW!!!

NAD Applauds Passage of 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

On Friday, October 8, President Barack Obama will sign the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 into law and deliver brief remarks on the impact of this law on individuals with disabilities. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, President of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) with Chief Executive Officer Nancy Bloch and Law and Advocacy Director Rosaline Crawford will be on hand to witness this historic event at the White House, which will be streamed on whitehouse.org/live.

The NAD applauds Congress for passage of this landmark legislation will improve access to communication, television, and the Internet for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened and deaf-blind.

“The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act is one of the most significant victories for our community since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed 20 years ago. It will enable 36 million deaf and hard of hearing people to participate in the Internet age by ensuring captioning of television programs on the Internet, a closed caption button on television remote controls, hearing aid compatibility for Internet telephones, and communications equipment for individuals who are deaf-blind, and more,” said Bobbie Beth Scoggins, NAD President. “While we fell short in some areas, such as requiring web TV episodes distributed only on the Internet to be captioned, this is a step in the right direction to make
the web accessible. For many of us, the quality of our lives depend on an accessible Internet and we appreciate Congress’ recognition of this essential civil right.”

The passage of this Act culminates a legislative process that has involved congressional hearings, intensive discussions with various companies and trade associations, and extensive advocacy by the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) of which the NAD is a co-founder, leader, and steering committee member. COAT, a coalition of more than 300 organizational affiliates, promotes full access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and other Internet Protocol (IP) technologies. Other COAT co-founding organizations include the American Association of People with Disabilities, American Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, and Communication Service for the Deaf.

The Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (S. 3304) will significantly increase accessibility for Americans with disabilities to the indispensable telecommunications technology tools of the 21st century by:

Making access to the Web possible through improved user interfaces for smart phones
Enabling Americans who are blind to enjoy TV more fully through audible descriptions of the on-screen action
Making TV program guides and selection menus accessible to people with vision loss
Providing Americans who are deaf the ability to watch new TV programs online with the captions included
Mandating that remote controls have a button or similar mechanism to easily access the closed captioning on broadcast and pay TV
Requiring that telephone equipment used to make calls over the Internet is compatible with hearing aids
For low-income Americans who are both deaf and blind, providing up to $10 million per year to purchase communications equipment to access the telephone system and the Internet so these individuals can more fully participate in society.
“This Act was achieved through bipartisan support.” said NAD President Scoggins. “The NAD looks forward to working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the rulemakings expected over the next several years to fulfill the requirements of the Act. With the continued support of our members we will ensure that the final regulations provide the access that deaf and hard of hearing people need.”

The NAD would like to recognize and thank a number of members who played a key role in moving the legislation forward. In the U.S. Senate, the bill was championed by Senator Pryor (D-AR), with the support of Senator Kerry (D-MA), Senator Rockefeller (D-WV), Senator Hutchison (R-TX), and Senator Ensign (R-NV).  In the U.S. House, it was authored and championed by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), with the support of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA). In addition, the NAD would like to recognize AT&T, Verizon, USTelecom, and Windstream who provided early and staunch support for the legislation. Furthermore, the NAD would like to thank the COAT steering
committee representatives -- including NAD Law and Advocacy Director Rosaline Crawford -- who provided amazing dedication and commitment in shepherding this legislation through Congress.

Courtesy of NAD

Movie made by Deaf and Dumb to premiere on Oct 9

"The movie Amir=Garib, to be premiered on October 9 in the Town Hall Auditorium, has all the essentials of a Bollywood flick, but one fundamental element — sound. The movie has been made by deaf and dumb people."

"Why are India still calling people with hearing loss as 'Deaf and Dumb"???"

I thought the Deaf communities across the world got rid of "Dumb" about 50 years ago?

What are your thoughts!???

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Movie-made-by-deaf-and-dumb-to-premiere-on-Oct-9/688214/

iStoryTime Releases App for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

iStoryTime, the app developer for DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon,” among other audio-visual children’s stories, now will offer the option to view it in oral, manual, or sign-language.

"iStoryTime brings the joy of a children's book to the convenience of your iPhone, iPod® touch, or iPad. Our books are illustrated and narrated, so your child can enjoy them even when you’re busy. Best of all, the app is drop-dead simple to use because it’s actually designed for a 2-year old."

"Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy." is the first story to offer these new options and can be downloaded for $2.99 on iPad or $.99 on iPhone.

This is only the beginning, with more such stories to come...

"iStoryTime cofounder Woody Sears said that his company is busy trying to “spread the word about our new product.” Deaf people are still underprovided for by media, he said, but new technology, including user-generated apps, is facilitating the development of content for this niche market."

I do not own an iPhone or iPad, but can anyone try it out and tell me how it went? I would love to know?

Links:
News Article
istorytimeapp

Verizon Awards $55,000 to Nonprofits That Use Technology to Help Individuals With Disabilities

Verizon Awards $55,000 to Nonprofits That Use Technology to Help Individuals With Disabilities

"Technology is the pipeline to opportunity, especially for people with disabilities.  That's why the Verizon Foundation, which is committed to improving access to information and services that address the needs of people with disabilities, is awarding $55,000 to five Massachusetts nonprofit agencies that are dedicated to improving accessibility."

5 Non-Profit Organizations that received grants are:

1. Lowell Association for the Blind
1.  Help the Visually-Impaired children to do radio shows
2. Children's Hospital Deaf and Hard of Hearing program
1. Develop a series of webcasts that cover a wide range of topics important to caregivers and parents of children with hearing loss.
3. Easter Seals Massachusetts
1.  Enable people with disabilities to participate in all aspects of their lives through the use of assistive technology
4. National Braille Press
1.  Develop a refreshable Braille PDA (personal digital assistant) that will give blind students of all ages access to e-mail, the Internet, text files and digital textbooks.
5. New England Homes for the Deaf
1. Train individuals, all of whom are over the age of 50, have minimal experience with computers and are not comfortable with technology. 

I think it's awesome for those organizations to focus on incorporating technology with our everyday lives. Technology has already changed some people's lives, but at same time there are still millions of people out there who still are not exposed to all the benefits technology can offer. We need to improve that. Right!?

For more details; 
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verizon-awards-55000-to-nonprofits-that-use-technology-to-help-individuals-with-disabilities-101378594.html

Hearing loss hits 1 in 5 U.S. teens

One in five American teenagers now suffers from some type of hearing loss, an increase of 31% since the mid '90s, new research shows.(USA Today).

How should we react to this? 

• Will some Deaf people say "Hoorah!" because it can eventually lead to more exposure to the Deaf awareness and Deaf culture? 
• Will some Deaf people say "aww" because of the simple fact, they are losing their hearing?
• Or Deaf people just don't care due to the paradox of inclusion vs exclusion?

Furthermore, another section caught my attention.

"Other studies show that even a small hearing loss can harm a child's school performance, language development and social interactions, Shargorodsky says."

Do you agree with this? (Or have we proven them wrong?)

For full details of the article; go to USA Today.

WorldDeaf Cinema Festival and Marlee Matlin

Courtesy of Gallaudet University.

Gallaudet University is proud to host the WORLDEAF Cinema Festival (WDCF) November 4-7, 2010. The four-day conference and competition will bring together both filmmakers and film fans to celebrate and discover the cinematic art of deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as of hearing people who produce films with or about deaf and hard of hearing people. Not only will the event spotlight the global dimensions of deaf cinema, it will also highlight the diversity of the world’s deaf and hard of hearing communities.

Honorary Chair of WDCF, Marlee Matlin will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival. Terry Riley, Chief Executive of the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust, will receive WDCF’s International Media Award. Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., chairman and CEO of the Samuel Goldwyn Company will share his views as a film producer.

There will be some well-known Deaf names there including Jack Jason (Marlee Matlin's interpreter).

It sounds fun! I might attend! See you there!

DEAFNATION WORLD EXPO IN LAS VEGAS A SMASHING SUCCESS

The Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas was buzzing with activity and hands were flying everywhere you turned during the week of July 18-23, 2010. More than 23,400 unique visitors from 73 different countries came to Las Vegas for the DeafNation World Conference and Expo (DNWE). With special thanks to the Platinum sponsors, Sorenson Communications and Purple, DNWE was a smashing success.

DNWE welcomed signing crowds from every corner of the world, communicating in a blend of native sign languages and International Sign Language. The week saw over 300 booths ranging from fashion to sign language dictionaries to Video Relay Services to deaf films, and over 70 workshops including topics like the future of deaf telephony, environmentally-conscious living, and cultural exchanges.

The week-long celebration of Deaf culture kicked off on Sunday, July 18 at the Fremont Street Experience with a canopy video created by DeafNation. Live entertainment previews included the Finnish band Signmark and contestants in the Miss Deaf International pageant, which had its finale on Friday, July 22 crowning Miss Deaf France as the new Miss Deaf International.

During the week at Sands Center, special appearances were made by deaf Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, and deaf UFC fighter and the person the movie “Hamill” is based on, Matt Hamill. Thousands upon thousands lined up to buy books, T-shirts, pictures, and to have them signed by Marlee and Matt, before taking a picture with the stars.

The main stage was the center of all the activity. Three distinguished keynote speakers were invited to DNWE to present in front of thousands. The first speaker, Mark Wheatley, is the current Executive Director of the European Union of the Deaf, and he presented “The European Perspective of the Deaf Community in EU Member States.”

Donalda Ammons, an international sports leader and former president of Deaflympics, discussed “Deaf World Sports: The Power of Internet-based Media.” Bernard Bragg, an international deaf entertainer and the founder of the National Theatre of the Deaf, presented “We’re the World.”

Also on the main stage was the wedding of Robert McClay and Katrina Green, both Americans, who wished to hold their wedding ceremony on Wednesday, July 21. Deaf rapper Sean Forbes from D-PAN performed to cheering crowds, and Signmark gave a preview of what they would play on Monday and Tuesday nights at the Treasure Island pool party. For cinema-goers, DNWE had two surprises for them: screenings of films from two different deaf production companies, ASL Films from the United States, and Awi Film from the Czech Republic.

During the week, DeafNation received honors from two different organizations – the International Service Award from the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf, and an award in honor of DeafNation’s 10-year-long partnership with Deaflympics, Inc. as its media partner. Many other countries honored DeafNation with various paintings, fabrics, and trinkets that are culturally priceless.

The World Deaf Art Gallery had over 20 pieces from international deaf artists, including the famous Chuck Baird, and a series of beautiful batiks created by deaf students from Ghana. Mannequins were donned with pieces by deaf fashion designers. Next to the art gallery was one of the main attractions at Sands that drew crowds – the Deaf Wax Museum.

Deaf wax sculptor Don Baer is well known for his series of historical deaf figures, and it was a honor for DeafNation to have his latest piece unveiled at DNWE – a sculpture of Bernard Bragg in his heydays, as a mime. Bragg was extremely touched, and the first words he said were, “That’s me!” amid flashes from the crowd.

DNWE had something for everyone. For those who were itching for some sports action, a corner of Sands Expo Center was reserved for the World Deaf Darts Tournament. Teams and singles participated in the tournament, with Curtis Cote coming out on top in the 301 singles, and Curtis Cote and Mike Cope winning the 501 double slot. Sean Byrum and Gary Burke won the cricket double, while Mike Cope, Curtis Cote and Jason Hurt sweeped the team-of-3 slot.

DeafNation partnered with Deaf Sports Academy to provide flag football and basketball games for children and teenagers, and the Las Vegas Charter School of the Deaf had childcare activities that included the popular moon bounce.

After the week at Sands Expo Center and DNWE wrapped up, DeafNation hosted a World Deaf Golf Classic at three different courses over three days, for $15,000 total prizes. After playing at the Arroyo Golf Club, the Siena Golf Club, and the Red Rock Golf Club, John Ramirez III came out as the winner of the 2010 DeafNation Golf Classic.

The success of DNWE would not have been made possible without the hard work of our committee, volunteers, and the sponsorship of our Platinum-level sponsors: Sorenson Communications and Purple. Special thanks also go to our Bronze-level sponsors: Deaf Missions, Sprint Relay, The Z, Gracias VRS, ASL Pre-Paid Legal, and ASL Dream Team.

DeafNation’s philosophy is that free admission brings a diversity of attendees who can share our culture, needs, language, and information. Overall, our goal is to give everyone the chance to meet new people from all the corners of the world, ranging anywhere from historical regions like Europe, the Americas and Africa to exotic regions like Asia and Australia, and learn new languages, new cultures and new traditions, which was all done under one great roof!

VIDEOS AND PHOTOS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN SEPTEMBER ON WWW.DEAFNATION.COM
-----------------------

Do we want another DeafNation World Expo? If yes, then when and where??? Any suggestions?

(courtesy of DeafNation through email subscription)

American Disability Act (ADA): How far have we really come?

Today marks the 20th anniversary of American Disability Act (ADA). I congratulate everyone for all their hard work. It's truly an accomplishment.

However, I do wonder how far have we really come? Have we made a lot of progress or is it still all talks?

How many times have we heard or see this?

"Your disability isn't significant enough." 

"A number of Supreme Court cases (have) greatly weakened the law. Many cases have focused on the degree of an individual's disability, rather than whether discrimination took place." Often times people are being told, 'your disability isn't significant enough,' even though they need accommodations to work." "We have many, many strides to make. It hasn't solved everything for us, not by a long shot. But it certainly has made a dent in equal access." (Link 1)

"Since the ADA was passed, studies have shown that the unemployment rate remains very high for people with disabilities compared with people without disabilities, according to Disability Rights Director John Herrion of the state Division of Human Rights." " (Link 2)

"The biggest challenges that the state continues to face are old attitudes and stigma" (Link 3)

Lastly, many people are saying that ADA itself is simply outdated. The definition for "reasonable accommodations" are no longer acceptable. We have newer technology that have a much significant impact upon people with disabilities. Yet, they are rejected because they weren't simply stated or included in the ADA 20 years ago. (I.E. TTY over Videophone for the majority of Deaf population). 

What do you think? 
 

Sign Language in Space!!!!!

That's right! We have an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and she is sending us a video message in sign language! Pretty nifty huh!?

"Ultimately, this isn't really about me learning or knowing ASL," stated Caldwell Dyson. "This story should be an avenue for deaf students -- from children in kindergarten to college undergraduates to doctoral candidates -- to see themselves belonging to this amazing thing called NASA and participating in scientific research and space exploration."

What's next now??? How about Mars??? (smile)

Music for Deaf people, is this possible???

Well, this is quite interesting. German designer Frederik Podzuweit invented a device that  "promises to make hearing music a reality for the deaf community based on synesthesia — a type of sensory stimulus evokes the perception of an entirely different sense." In other words, it will allow the Deaf community to experience the same emotions as Hearing people do when listening to music. You simply place the device around your neck like a scarf and the device will do the rest.

 Music for Deaf people

Music for Deaf people

This really does lead to many questions. For example, are Deaf people really capable of understanding and feeling the true meaning of music? Or is it like trying to teach a fish how to walk? (ergo: it's impossible?)

Another question to consider is how can we prove that Deaf people will experience the same sensations as a Hearing person might while listening to music? Or is it synthetic like in the example of cochlear implants... We already know it is not the same as a Hearing person.

Overall, this seems like an interesting experiment, as the creator states, to allow the Deaf community to experience a "different sense".

Is this really the cure for Deafness?

I recently read an article titled "New Stem Cell Therapy May Lead To Treatment For Deafness." Of course, I was intrigued to find out more details. "A new study led by Dr. Marcelo N. Rivolta of the University of Sheffield (in England) has successfully isolated human auditory stem cells from fetal cochleae (the auditory portion of the inner ear) and found they had the capacity to differentiate into sensory hair cells and neurons."

It probably sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo to us. No worries. Here's the details in simpler terms:

Your ear is made of many different parts.

Each part is responsible for a different function of the ear. This article focuses on the cochlea only.

The cochlea is designed to pretty much catch all the sounds and pass them onto its core component which is called the corti. 

The corti acts like an interpreter. It distinguishes and interprets all the different kinds of sounds. Inside the corti are millions of hair cells.

Each hair cell acts like a receptor. Each hair cell is responsible for only 1 sound. The corti takes all of those sounds received from the hair cells and sends an electrical signal to the brain. The brain  deciphers these signals.

If some of the hair cells happen to be damaged, then it will cause (sensorineural) hearing loss.

In this article, the researchers have found a way to grow their own hair cells which can be used to replace the hair cells in the corti (inside the cochlea).

In other words, say good-bye to the cochlear implant and say hello to this technique for the future!

Now my question to you, 

"How do you feel about this?"

Finally, Captioning for Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Sports Venues!!!

Here is some exciting news for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community! Finally, I can go to a baseball stadium and enjoy Closed Captioning (CC) on the jumbo screen. Finally, I can go to Deaflympics and enjoy the CC. Finally, I can go to the Air & Space Museum and enjoy subtitles.

Debra Joyce, President of NJCaptions , and Jennifer Bonfilio, , President of Team Captioning, combined with more than 30 years of experience in providing captioning, have decided to work together and founded a new company, Coast 2 Coast Captioning… Coast 2 Coast Captioning will “provide Communication Access Realtime Technology (CART) and Open & Closed Captioning services to sports and entertainment stadiums, arenas, auditoriums, and other public venues, as well as meeting and conference centers nationwide.”

http://www.c2ccaptioning.com

"There has been a significant jump in the number of hard-of-hearing consumers who are requesting captioning." 

Coast 2 Coast Captioning works closely with organizations such as Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA) and Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), to adhere to the parameters of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in public places, and to provide the best experience and optimal communication for public safety.

Superbowl, here I come!!!!! haha.

A series of children books translated into American Sign Language (ASL)

While hearing children and adults are being exposed to ASL in ever increasing numbers, an ever decreasing number of Deaf children are given that same opportunity. What a powerful, yet scary statement! Unfortunately, it’s true. As much as statistics have proven that American Sign Language does indeed help children develop better, their exposure has been decreasing. (Babies)
I stumbled onto this website; http://www.asltales.net. I am impressed with what they are doing. I watched a few of their video clips and enjoyed watching  them.

They designed a series of children books and translated them into ASL. 

“We aspire to get your child excited about seeing and describing things visually - the foundation upon which all sign languages are formed. We have provided tools to send the motivated ASL learner on the path to understand and use the nuances of this beautiful language. And future signer or not, all readers will delight in the whimsy available in ASL and be exposed to why the American Deaf Community is so proud of its language.”

Check out one of their clips and see if you find them as interesting as I did.

So do you think Deaf or Hard of Hearing can dance???

Hey! So you think you can dance??? What about Deaf people??? Can Deaf people dance? Can they even feel the music? Well, Jarrell Robinson, a Deaf contestant from Glenwood, Illinois , seems to think so! He competed for a chance to be the best dancer on the show, "So You Think You Can Dance".

"I"m doing this for all the deaf community. I want them to know that deaf people can do anything. What they really want...if you put in your mind, you can do anything! As long you stay positive."

All the judges have agreed that Jarrell did a great job and is an inspirational role model for everyone else. Mad props to him.

So my question to you.

Where are the other Deaf dancers? Do we know any others?

Oh I See! News in ASL !!! www.oicmovies.com

Don't you hate it when you're watching the news and the Closed Captioning (CC) is behind, incorrect, or even doesn't show up??? I hate it too! I finally found a good website where I can watch everyday news in American Sign Language (ASL). www.oicmovies.com. 

www.oicmovies.com. 

"Our vision is to provide the best available resource for news, information and entertainment in American Sign Language. We do this by producing original programming in ASL and organizing available ASL content from the web."

Lastly, I got the opportunity to interview with the founder of www.oicmovies.com. See below for the script. 


------------------------


1) Is www.oicmovies.com Deaf owned?

     Yes. My name is Mary Luczki, I'm deaf, and run the company with two hearing partners, Carrie Lezotte, and Diane Cheklich.  Carrie and Diane have business and production experience (they own oneofusfilms), and used their money to get us going.  I manage all the content, what stories are important to the Deaf, what videos are good enough ASL for the site, and I make sure we are Deaf and ASL in our overall viewpoint, focus and vision.  I also want to make sure there is a variety of ASL signing styles for everyone.  Even though it is my partners who have provided the money for this, they have made it clear that this is for the Deaf, it's our community, and they never even think about telling me what to say or do on the site. 

2) Tell me a bit about yourself and how you came up with this idea?
     I have an interesting story for that. Everyone in my family is Deaf and I was born hard of hearing. My family always asks me questions; "What's going on? What are they saying? What are they doing?" and so forth. I was almost like an interpreter or perhaps a reporter, always explaining everything to them. Eventually, I became fully Deaf when I was around 13 years old. If you don't mind me saying, that's when I became "normal" with the rest of my family.  Yet I still enjoyed gathering news and explaining it to my family and friends. That led me to the idea of signing out the news.  Another hearing friend came up with the idea of putting it on VHS tapes, and distributing it via a subscription system. We tried it out, but it was difficult to do that because we didn't have enough technology back at that time time around the 1990s. Fortunately, technology is now easy for all of us. We also have the Internet. Anyone all over the world can access it. So I decided to give it another try! My friend, Fawn Alleyne, who happened to work for oneofusfilms.org, contacted me and suggested setting it up for the internet. She was kind enough to set up a meeting with Carrie and Diane where I could pitch my idea to them. They loved it and here we are as a result.

3) How long have www.oicmovies.com been up and running?

     Just a bit more than a year now.  I met Carrie and Diane about two years ago through Fawn, and we met and worked on the site, shooting videos and talking about it, for about a year before we launched, in April of 2009. 

4) May I ask, in what ways are the sponsors helping you?
     They gave me all the equipment needed to do this. They literally are paying for everything including the website.  We actually are earning nothing from this. This is all volunteer-based.  They have even provided a mini-studio in my home to make it easier for me to generate the news videos at home, then upload to be edited and put on the site.

5) That is very generous of them! Do you have any plans to bring in any revenues to help reduce the financial burden from your sponsors?

     Oh yes. We truly appreciate everything they have done for us. In fact, we are thinking of ways to pay them back as our token of appreciation. We have some ads on our website, but that doesn't pay much yet because we haven't reached the #s of members needed to make a significant difference. As we continue to build our membership by providing the best ASL resource on the web, our ad sales will help generate the money we need.  We've been steadily growing for a year, and we've found out about half our audience are people learning ASL, so we're going to offer a reasonably priced captioning option that those learning ASL can pay for monthly. OICmovies has just been spending money to get to where we are, and so this service will turn us into a real business that can create jobs for more people. We really want to publish new stories every day and have a variety of reporters, but it will take a bit of regular money to do that. Additionally, we just released our first dvd, "Best of OIC Movies 2009: ASL only edition" for $19.95. Also, people can support us by purchasing shirts, hats & caps, bags, cups, buttons, magnets, and mouse pads on http://www.cafepress.com/oicmovies.  we plan to have a Best of Cassie DVD available soon as well.  Cassie is our star Deaf comedian. 

6) I noticed you did say you need #s of members needed to make a significant difference, what kind of #s are you talking about? 
     Well, we now have about over 10,000 members and and that was one of the milestones we needed to hit, then revenues generated from the ads will increase. So the # of hits which means the # of people that visit www.oicmovies.com can be used to attract sponsors and advertisers. Think what it would be if we could have 100,000 members!

7) As you may or not know, there are other websites such as DeafNewspaper., iDeafnews and etc, how are you different?
     I prefer to focus on the news happening around us. Often enough, Deaf people would watch the news, but they don't understand it quite well. Sometimes the Closed Captioning (CC) are out of sync, far behind, or doesn't even appear or is just plain inaccurate. That really hurt the Deaf population. Also, in Deaf culture, we do not only want to know the story, but we want to know why and how. For example, the earthquake in Haiti; the news about people getting hurt and millions of dollars in damage is not enough for Deaf people. Deaf people want to know how did it happen? What caused it?  Also, sometimes Deaf people are not familiar with their terminology such as Richter magnitude scale, aftershock, and etc. In my videos, I make sure to explain the terminology, "why" and "how".  I think Deaf people really benefit from it.
     Also I would like to add one more thing. iDeafNews seems to focus on the Deaf-related events. DeafNewspaper like to talk about Deaf personal stories. Finally, OIC Movies are about the daily news that you see on television. So I think with three of us, we complete the world of news. That's a good thing in my opinion. 

8) What's the biggest opportunity you predict for your business?

     Well, the beauty of news is that we'll never run out of news. There'll always be something going on in USA and in the world. As I said before, if we can figure out how to generate revenues, I think we can finally start paying people for reports than asking them to volunteer. That'll help us to increase the amount of news and even broadcast it 24/7. 

9) What's the biggest challenge OIC Moviesis currently facing? 

     Probably generating revenue so we can accomplish more. We've been able to get a lot accomplished without a lot of resources, so, like any new small business, managing our growth is a challenge. There's so much we want to do, so many stories to tell, and probably the hardest thing is to stay focused on one thing, delivering the news once a week, when there are so many things that need to get done. We want to be neutral and unbiased and factual. We just want to deliver the news and let the Deaf think for themselves. We have a small staff, the three of us and a few other volunteers, so we can't make big things happen quickly, but we are thinking big!
     In addition, we are working on being family friendly, so that any one of any age can watch us.  I have had schools who contacted me and told me how much they enjoyed showing OIC Movies to their children. The children really benefit from it. However, I did have one school who contacted  me and told me they couldn?t show my website because unknown to me, one of the google ads was showing a dating website and it was not allowed in their school. I had to contact the website host and ask them to block those kind of ads. Go figure. Those kind of things are sometimes unexpected obstacles that we face, but that?s part of business. We can't always react as fast as we want to, but we were able to make the chance.

Deaf scamming Deaf, Can This Be True?

This is really sad. Deaf people are scamming their own people??? I would like to warn everyone about this scam so no one is tricked! Here is what happened, I got an email from Deaf Peter Desmond through Facebook and he told me that I had won US$100,000.00... I had no idea who he was, but his Facebook profile said he was from Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD). Nevertheless, I knew it was a scam right away but I was still curious to see how he was going to try and scam me? I responded back to him and asked him "what is the procedure?" He replied back and asked for my personal information and my address. I was surprised he didn't ask for my credit card number, my bank account number, my SSN, or even my phone number.

Although, I wonder perhaps his account was hacked??? Maybe this Peter Desmond is really innocent?

Nevertheless , watch out for scams and be careful about what you say or do.

Below is a copy of the scam. (I have highlighted some obvious clues that indicates it is a spam). 

==============================

Deaf Peter Desmond May 25 at 7:00am Report

My name is Desmond A Full Deaf Man from Face Book Office. I am one of the Face Book Agent, am here to announce to you a very good news.We want to inform you that your Screen Name is Lucky to be among one of the Lucky Winners during the Face Book Anniversary 2010 and am so much happy to inform you that we shall be giving you the sum of US$100,000.00 for been one of our Lucky Winners.
We really appreciate you for joining our website and for been one of our Yearly Anniversary Lucky Winners, so we want you to reply us back right away as soon as you receive this message to claim your US$100,000.00

Thank you and God Bless!.

Claims Manager
Desmond Peter
deaffundslottoclaim@gmail.com
Face Book Public Relation Office.

--------------------
Drew's response: "Sure. What's the procedure? "
------------------

Yes this is real, I am the claims manager of powerball and facebook funds for deaf (PFFD). PFFD is a charity organization that helps deaf and hard of hearing. PFFD is in collaboration with the governing body of FACEBOOK by selecting all the people that are active online. Among the millions that subscribed to facebook, we select TEN people every Month as our winners through electronic balloting System without the winner applying, and your profile name has won you the sum of US$100,000.00 we congratulate you for being one of the people selected. To claim your winnings you fill the form below and send to the email address:

deaffundslottoclaim@gmail.com

Full name........
Full Home Address......
Your Age.....
Married/Single.....
Mobile Number.......
E-mail........
What do you do for living.........
Do you Own a house or Rent Appt........
Do you have YAHOO IM or MSN IM......

I am working on your winning prize and it will be ready after you complete process, you can check our related lottery website there you find many people who won same lottery : www. powerball .com


Best wishes

Claims Manager
Desmond Peter (above it says Peter Desmond ???)
deaffundslottoclaim@gmail.com
Face Book Public Relation Office. 

Deaf lost a job offer because school won't provide interpreters.

My friend asked me to keep this as discreet as possible. In order to  respect his wishes I will keep his name and the name of the organization private. My friend is a Deaf young man who recently graduated from college. He was offered a job by a school district in Pennsylvania. However, he was told he would have to provide his own interpreter.

Now, isn't that a violation of American Disability Act (ADA)? 

If I remember correctly, it doesn't matter if it is a public or a private school, they are still required to provide reasonable accommodations.

However, there are actually a few ways that a school or a company can be excused from being obligated to provide an  interpreter.

1) The organization can prove that they cannot afford the interpreter.
2) The company has less than 10-15 employees.
3) The school has a religious affiliation. (i.e. John Doe Christian Academy in the North Pole).

I believe that if they don't meet any of the above qualifications and they still refuse to provide an interpreter, you may be able to contact US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

What are your thoughts? Anyone else have a similar problem?

The man behind iDeafNews

Recently I had an interersting interview with the creator of iDeafNews, Seth Gerlis. The following is a summary of our conversation.

 

http://ideafnews.com/new/

1) Is iDeafNews Deaf-owned?
Yes. It is owned by me, Seth Gerlis.

2) Could you tell me a little bit about your background and where  you developed your skills in starting the iDeafNews?
I worked with DeafNation for one year - I learned how to use the equipment, editing machine, the video cameras and the tools to learn to how to film correctly.I do not have any background in film making nor journalism, it is all from scratch. I learned how to set up the news program by myself.

3) How did you come up with the idea for iDeafNews?
There are already several services out there that provide news and current events, but most of them are shown in Closed Captioning instead of in sign language. According to Gallaudet, there are about 600,00 Deaf and 30 million Hard of Hearings in the USA. Many of them want to see news in sign languages. In other words, I want to give them "colors and pictures" for them to enjoy aesthetically and visually.

4) How will iDeafNews be different than other existing services?
I noticed some services are either too personal such as focusing on marriages, obituaries, and so forth. Others focus on hearing news. What I mean by that is the daily news we see on tv. iDeafNews will focus only  on Deaf-related news. IDeafNews' goal is to eventually deliver all kinds of Deaf-related news 7 times a week. FYI, iDeafNews has a Facebook page and all the videos are posted there as well.

5) Would it be challenging to find Deaf-related news on a daily basis?
IDeafNews will not just focus on daily news, but it will also deliver all kinds of features such as sports, politics, social events, expo, interviews, and many more. I do not think it'll be a challenge. I am currently delivering  2 times to 4 times a week. Additionally, there is only one of me. I cannot be at more than two places at the same time. I am hoping to build a network of local reporters on site everywhere in the USA. They will go out, get the report, and I'll deliver it on iDeafNews. I will admit that I do not want to be signing all the news 24/7. I prefer to give everyone their 15 mins of fame. I believe in working with Deaf communities everywhere.

6) You mentioned about having a Facebook page. Why do you post it on both your website and your Facebook page?
Originally, we opened up for business on November 12th with our original website, but I wasn't satisfied with my original design. So I switched to Facebook for the time being until I develop a better design for the website. Ironically, by the time I redesigned the website in January, the Facebook page grew at a rapid pace. I realized there are some people who prefer to spend all their time on Facebook while some other people don't like to use Facebook. So this gives the audience the ability to choose where to view the news.

7) What's the biggest opportunity for iDeafnews?
I'm hoping to establish iDeafNews to be the  #1 media worldwide for any kinds of viewers. I want the subtitles to be uploaded instantly and translated in every language. Additionally, it would be nice to have a reporter sign news out in their native language such as BSL, FSL, or even Universal Sign Language.

8) Do you plan to eventually tap into the television market?
Probably not. I don't think there'll be enough demand to justify it. The internet should suffice.

9) What is the biggest challenge you currently foresee for your business.
Currently, I need more manpower and equipment. It would be great if we could do live news, but I'm unable to do that due to lack of money.And if it happens there are too many news going on at same time, that's great! IDeafNews can post news several times a day. We'll see.

Thank you, Seth Gerlis, for taking the time to chat with me. It does sounds like an exciting business endeavor. I wish you the best of luck.

And for your entertainment, here's a sample of iDeafNews

.

VP3D: The videophone of the future?

I thought this was a well done video clip. You can tell they (and Lance Pickett) did put a lot of thoughts into this clip. Check it out. Enjoy! :).

DeafWeekly - Where do you find Deaf-related news

I am impressed with http://deafweekly.com/. It gathers all kinds of news relating to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community from all over the world and puts the news on a central website. That is really neat. I took the liberty to contact Tom Willard, the founder of DeafWeekly.com and conduct a short interview with him via emails.

deafweekly

Here is what I have learned.

1) Is Deafweekly.com Deaf-owned?
Yes, I am the owner and I am deaf. I went deaf slowly between the ages of 8 and 22. I didn't have much exposure to the deaf world until I went to college at NTID/RIT but that was 30 years ago and I've been involved with the deaf community ever since..

2) How did you come up with the idea for Deafweekly?
I have a long history in deaf journalism going back to when I was editor of the NTID student newspaper. I was also editor of Silent News and Newswaves, two national newspapers for the deaf. When I started Deafweekly, there were some web services that listed deaf-related articles, but who had time to read them all? I decided that I would provide this service so that others could easily keep up with the deaf news just by reading Deafweekly. The first issue came out in Oct. 2004 and last October we marked our fifth anniversary. The first 4+ years, I wrote the whole thing myself, reading each article and writing capsule summaries. It got to be too much, and last July I switched to a different format and now I just include a brief portion of the stories with links to the full articles. By the way, most of the deaf-related print publications have gone out of business, killed by the Internet. I am glad to not have to pay printing and postage bills, as that was always a challenge.

3) Do you have any plans to expand or perhaps hire other employees?
No, as I don't think it is necessary. Sometimes people will suggest ways to improve Deafweekly but I always ask, will this help sell more ads? If not, then it comes down to me doing more work and getting paid less. Our only source of revenue is advertising, since it is free to subscribe. There are not a lot of companies interested in advertising in deaf publications and it's always a challenge to sell ads but we're doing okay ..

4) What is the biggest challenge you see coming up regarding Deafweekly and news regarding Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities across the world?
I don't see many challenges because deaf people will always be making news in one way or another. One small concern: if news websites start charging money to access their content, it would make it more difficult for me to alert people to links of deaf news.

5) Have you ever consider or foresee the possibility of establishing some sort of News station where reporters would sign out different news and events including yours? (FYI, there are few websites that are already doing this).
No, not at all. Deafweekly is what it is. It's for people who like to read as opposed to those who prefer to get their info via sign language. And as you said, there are already websites doing video news so what is the point of Deafweekly doing it too? It would just be a lot more work with no corresponding increase in income.

Thank you Tom Willard for your excellent work on finding Deaf-related news from all over the world and putting the news into a nice format that makes it easy to read. Thank you again.

IPhone + IChat makes IVRS

Apple's next big thing? Video, analyst says "Apple is ready to make a major move into video, and based his bet on a series of clues in the company's upcoming hardware, as well as the $1 billion data center in North Carolina that's now hiring personnel." (ComputerWorld)

This makes perfect sense. Recently, we got a sneak peek of what the upcoming IPhone 4g will look like. It had not only HD video capability, but also a front-facing camera. It will easily be able to do iChat (video conferencing).

So with the new upcoming IPhone and the data center getting ready for business soon, it is only natural to anticipate one of the VRS provider to come up with an app that'll alow you to do VRS through your iPhone. It is pretty exciting!

SorensonVRS has an app where you can watch your SignMail on your iPhone for free. Convo has their Greenbook and ConvoIM for Mac. Purple has their PurpleVRSim for iChat. There are others I am sure.

Now the question is who is going to be first ??? Any ideas???

Snappy Interview with SnapVRS

Interview with Allison Polk, Marketing Communications Manager of Snap Telecommunications, Inc. 

1) How did Snap!VRS get started?
Snap Telecommunications, Inc. is a CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) that was acquired by a privately-held technology company whose mission is to improve the lives of people with disabilities through new technologies and services.  Snap!VRS received FCC certification for VRS in 2006 and launched the VRS offering in 2007.

2) Does Snap!VRS own Viable?
No. Viable is still up and running. Snap!VRS basically provides operational support for Viable. Snap!VRS wants to ensure that Viable customers can continue using VRS with their VPAD's with confidence.

3) Is Snap!VRS Deaf-owned? How many Deaf employees are working for the company and what percentage do they make up of your workforce?
(See above answer – Snap!VRS was begun by a technology company.)  We have a good number of deaf employees working in strategic positions.

4) Is Viable Deaf-owned? How many Deaf employees are working for the company and what percentage do they make up of your workforce?
Viable was founded by a deaf man, John Yeh, and for the first several years of its existence, the majority of its leadership was also deaf. Now it is run operated by Snap!VRS. Of the current employees working for Viable, excluding the Video interpreters, more than half of the staff is deaf.

5) What are the products you currently provide for free?
Snap!VRS provides both OJO models (PVP-900 and PVP-1000) for free to Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. The biggest difference between both models is with PVP-1000, you can pick the remote control off the videophone and talk on it. The benefit of the two models is that it provides options, especially for those who want to make VCO calls.

Additionally, we have the VPAD and VPAD+.  VPAD's have a large touch screen built-in, which means there is no need for a TV. I’ve always thought that was pretty cool. There are a bunch of other neat features, like the built-in flasher and Video Mail.  Furthermore, the difference between VPAD and VPAD+ is VPAD+ has wireless capabilities. That means you can access  our VRS services at a coffee shop, hotel, or any other place that offers wifi.

We do give deaf customers a VPAD at no cost.  If any deaf customers read your blog and are interested in the VPAD, please contact Customer Service (e-mail help@viable.net or call help.viablevrs.tv from any videophone).  With the support of Snap’s nationwide field service team, we’ll be able to set you up.

6) Can a Hearing customer purchase VPAD and the VPAD+?
No.  Our priority right now is to our deaf customers.  Because the VPADs are in such high demand, we want to make sure our customers have the VRS access they need.

7) May I ask why is there a subscription fee for Hearing people?
This is no longer true. Feel free to refer to the comment (Snap OJO) I left on your Snap blog for an answer to this one.

8) If a Deaf customer wants to make any kind of feedback including comments about your interpreters, how can they contact you?
Each interpreter discloses their ID # at the beginning and the end of every VRS call. If you want to provide any kind of feedback, about an interpreter or any other part of your call, you can contact our Customer Service through either the website (http://snapvrs.com/contact/information/) or videophone (from an Ojo, dial 711-SNAP (7627) or from any other phone: 866-WHY-SNAP (866-949-7627 or ask.snapvrs.com.) Customer Service can also be reached by e-mailing: info@snapvrs.com or Instant Message: AskSnap (AIM, Yahoo!, MSN).
We do take customer feedback seriously.  The specificity of the information determines our approach.  We always coach our employees when we have the opportunity.

9) For the Deaf community's peace of mind, are the interpreters certified? Are they pre-screened?
We have a  very specific and thorough hiring process that helps us establish a specific level of quality in skill before we train.  Our training is very thorough and entails a number of classroom and hands-on time with support from seasoned Snap!VRS Video Interpreters.  We do conduct a Quality Assurance program regularly. Currently, all interpreters are certified and SNAP!VRS are always constantly reviewing the interpreters' performance. Training and workshops are provided on a constant basis. We have a mentorship program where interpreters mentor other interpreters. Also we have call managers that provide on site support for interpreters.

10) What are the biggest challenges facing your company and also for the VRS industry?
The biggest challenges facing the VRS industry is to receive the capacity and support from the FCC to continue to grow to provide relay customers with better technologies and VRS to bring us closer to the ADA's mandate for functional equivalency in telecommunications, and at same time, allow us to reach out and provide services to those who are not yet fully experience their right to relay services - for example, those who are deaf blind, those who live in rural areas, those who are low income and cannot afford internet, those with limited English proficiency and require deaf interpreters, and those who have minimal signing skills and need simultaneous captions for their video interpreting - which they are entitled to under the ADA. Unfortunately the bad acts of a few in our industry has shifted the focus from the ADA to decreasing the amount paid out from the TRS Fund. As a result, millions of dollars have been withheld and still have not been paid for VRS calls while they are being reviewed in some unknown process with unknown timelines. The lack of a stable and predictable compensation process has caused a chilling effect in the industry, and in some cases, customers who would like to make calls are being declined service based on the fear that the provider will not be compensated for the call. Recent FCC decisions - such as their Order that VRS employees' VRS calls are not compensable - seem more focused on the issue of the TRS Fund rather than individuals' ADA rights. We must get back on track in the ADA being our guiding principle.

11) Who do you wish knew about your services that currently are not aware of what you provide?
I wish people would try and see how cool the VPADs are. You can receive video mails on your VPAD / VPAD+ anywhere and anytime. Also, I wish everyone would take advantage of all the different choices that we offer. We have our field help representatives all over the country and they are ready to help customers anytime.

I want to thank Ms. Polk for taking the time to do the interview with me. It certainly has been an enlightening experience. It is nice to know Deaf people still have jobs working for Viable or Snap!VRS. Thank you again.

Updated: A new video is made. Check it out on http://www.snapvrs.com/

American Sign Language (ASL) movies in 3-d !!!!!

This is a neat movie made by Vcom3d and Gallaudet University.

(The Forest)

(made by http://www.vcom3d.com/vault_files/forest_asl/)

 (First Finnish virtual sign language)

(made by http://www.visualife.eu/)

Pretty neat!!!!!!

I do wonder.....

Does that mean that human interpreters could be eventually replaced with technology? Think about it. If technology can translate voice into words, then does that mean that  technology will eventually be able to translate voice into any form of sign language such as Signed Exact English (SEE), Pidgin Sign(ed) English (PSE), American Sign Language (ASL), or any others?

What do you think?

Why is it so difficult to accept American Sign Language (ASL) as a Foreign Language?

"One of the worst things you can do to a human being is to say, ‘Your language doesn't count...." That's a powerful statement. Anyhow, some educators argue an indigenous language by definition can't be considered foreign. Indigenous means originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country (dictionary). For example, if you live in Spain and its native language is Spanish, then you cannot consider Spanish as a foreign language. Only non-Spaniards (like Americans or the  French) who do not live in Spain may refer it as a foreign language.

Is American Sign Language (ASL) an indigenous language?

Others say a language must have literature for proper study. That means in order to be a true language, it must have some kind of written form. We have ABC's. Egyptians have hieroglyphics. Chinese have logograms. What about ASL? There are many ASL gloss, SignWriting, for example.

Does American Sign Language lack a true writing system?

The reality is the definition of the word, "foreign" is changing slowly. In fact, many foreign language departments all over schools in the USA were renamed or in the process of renaming the departments to "world languages" or "classical and modern languages." The reason they are doing this is because they realize how there are countless numbers of languages that are indigenous or may not have a written system, but at same time they are still being accepted as a true language. Did you know that most languages around the world, including many African languages, do not have a written system?

So let me ask you again.

Why is it so difficult to accept ASL as a foreign language?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-sign-language-20100416,0,2337497.story

One on One Exclusive Interview with PAH Relay (VRS)

This week, I had the opportunity to chat with the CEO of PAH Relay, Brian Collins.

http://pahrelay.com/

1. Is the company Deaf-owned (meaning is the CEO, founder, or such Deaf)?
To answer this first question, I the CEO, am not Deaf. However, I would like to also share that I am very much a stakeholder in the Deaf community, as is our COO, due to the fact that we are both CODA’s who have grown up and continue to be active in the Deaf community.
Additionally, our Board of Managers consists of six individuals, the CEO, CFO, COO and three of our largest investors who are Deaf. More specifically the Board of Managers is made up of three Deaf individuals, two CODA’s and one hearing individual. With that said, I would consider PAH Relay Deaf owned/managed.

2. How many Deaf employees are working for the company and what percentage do they make up of your work force?
At this point in time we have only three employees on the Operations side of our organization, the CEO, CFO and COO. Although it is our intention to employ Deaf individuals when the opportunity presents itself, we simply are still in the start up phases of our organization. We want to ensure that once we do expand our team that we are doing so for the right reasons and are able to sustain those positions for the long term.

3. Why did you come up with the idea to set up your own VRS?
I think it'll help both of us if I give you a quick background about myself. First of all, both of my parents are Deaf, so I am a CODA. I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and have always been involved in the Deaf world including Deaf organizations and Deaf clubs. In fact, I was the first Hearing student to attend Indianapolis School for the Deaf (ISD) in 1987. I loved the Deaf world so much that I convinced the superintendant of the Indiana School for the Deaf to allow me to attend ISD for one semester of my senior year. I completely immersed myself and chose to also stay in the dorm. After attending College for a few years I began working as a freelance interpreter and continued doing that for about 15 years. In addition to community work I also did some VRS work as well.

In my VRS work, I noticed that there was too much focus being placed on the technology side of the VRS industry and far too little focus on the consumers and interpreters that serve them. So I decided to do something about that and this led to the creation of PAH Relay.

4. When was PAH Relay established?
We started in February of 2008 and we processed our first call on October 31st, 2009. Trick or Treat!

5. What other services do PAH Relay offer?
We offer VCO, IP-relay (AIM or iChat), 10-digit number and 911, and of course VRS. We also recently released a new video softphone (video software) we call PAH MAX, you can download it for free through our website.

6. What about VRI?
At this time we do not provide VRI services. We want to ensure our energy is focused on providing the best Services possible and we will accomplish that by focusing on one thing at a time. We want to ensure we provide our consumers the best interpreters available all the while ensuring all of our Deaf consumers including you are happy with our interpreters before anything else. VRI may come later, we will have to wait and see for now.

7. Is PAH Relay certified by FCC?
Currently we are not, although we submitted our application to the FCC back in November of 2008. As most of us are aware the FCC has been extremely busy with investigations and reviewing petitions and the like, but they have shared with us that they do not have any further questions regarding our application. So that's good, at this point we will continue to be patient, while the FCC works through the other tasks on their plate. I'm not worried and believe it is just a matter of a little more time before we become an approved provider.

8. You did mention about wanting to focus on the Service instead of the technology. How are you doing that? Could you expand on that a little more please?
Absolutely! First of all, my philosophy is that a good rapport must be established between the interpreter and the consumer, this is the key to success. If the Deaf consumer and the Interpreter have established a rapport, the interpreter is better able to match terminology, register and personality while processing calls, which results in a much more effective call and in a much happier Deaf consumer.  It doesn't matter if it is a VRS call, an assignment at a doctor's office, or interpreting at a wedding. As long as a rapport between the interpreter and the Deaf consumer can be established, everything else falls in to place. Let's use my mother as an example. When my mother makes a VRS call and is put on hold, typically the interpreter will let her know they need to put up the privacy screen. As result, my mother feels disconnected from the interpreter and is unable to establish a rapport with them. This leads to her being unsure of whether or not her call is being processed well and she is ultimately left not knowing. To her this also feels cold and not Deaf friendly, it is as if she is once again talking through a machine, and who likes that? From the feedback we have, the Deaf community does not like this and I can tell you that interpreters do not like it either. That's not how interpreting has been or should be done. Instead, the Deaf consumer and interpreter should be able to take the time to acknowledge each other and build up a rapport. This ultimately makes interpreting and processing calls so much easier and much quicker resulting in a cost savings to the TRS Fund. All in all, it’s what the Deaf community and interpreters are already accustomed to and therefore a more natural process for everyone involved. So again, in my example with the video privacy screens being over used, if the Deaf consumer is put on hold by the interpreter, who is in control of the call? Shouldn’t it be the Deaf consumer who decides whether or not the interpreter uses the "Video Privacy" screen? It is also the Deaf consumer who can initiate small talk, within reason, and establish a rapport with the interpreter. Again our focus is on giving that control to our Deaf consumers, thereby making our Deaf consumers feel more comfortable while placing their calls. Rapport is the key; after all, we need to remember that VRS stands for Video Relay SERVICES. PAH Relay is providing those Services today, if the sole focus is Technology then we need to refer to this industry as the Video Relay Technology (VRT) industry... make sense? For PAH Relay, Customer Service is a high priority focus and will not be over-shadowed by technology.

9. Would there be any concerns among the interpreters working for PAH Relay and possible breaches with the Code of Ethics after establishing a rapport with a Deaf consumer?
Our interpreters are professionals who work in the Deaf community as interpreters as well as in VRS. All abide by a strict Code of Ethics and regard those with the highest of integrity. Interaction prior to, or after interpreting a VRS call is no different than what you would experience while in the community. For example, when you go to a doctor for an appointment you may find yourself asking the interpreter things like “Where are you from?” or “How did you learn ASL?” These are things that help to begin establishing a rapport between the Deaf consumer and the interpreter. You’ll notice answers are not as specific as giving an exact home address, rather the answers may be something like “I’m from Indiana”. General answers such as these are sufficient and go a long way in establishing a rapport between the Deaf consumer and interpreter. It is very easy to be friendly with each other while maintaining a sense of professionalism, all the while providing the best Service you can.

10. Can you explain the process of hiring interpreters to work for PAH Relay?
We pre-screen every interpreter by looking at resumes, credentials, experience and conducting background checks. We are looking for interpreters who are not only highly qualified to interpret, but also interpreters who are and continue to be involved within the Deaf community. We are not interested in interpreters who look at this as just a job or are only in it for the money. PAH Relay encourages all of our interpreters to remain involved with the Deaf communities whether that is in interpreting outside of VRS or participating in various Deaf organizations. Since there is always room for improvement, we also expect our interpreters to participate in interpreting workshops annually. The interpreting industry is always changing and we want our interpreters to be at the top of their game regardless of those changes.

Lastly, we encourage as much Deaf community feedback as possible. At the top of every page on our website you will find a button called “Meet your Interpreters!” If you click that button you will see we have a picture and a profile for nearly all of our interpreters. On each interpreter's profile, you can submit your feedback. This feedback may focus on strengths or weaknesses, yet we view it as constructive, and a way for us to improve the Service we provide to our Deaf consumers. All feedback comes to me and I will personally see to it that every interpreter gets their feedback, and together we will do whatever is necessary and appropriate to continue providing the very best VRS services possible.

11. Providing feedback and Posting the interpreter's bio and picture, aren't there any privacy or legal issues relating to that?
The way we see it is, if an interpreter is not comfortable, then why is he/she an interpreter in the first place? Being an interpreter requires not only great communications skills, but skills in interacting among people. When an interpreter meets you for the first time they understand you will want to know more about them, this comes natural to them, since they already do this when interpreting in the community. Human interaction greatly improves the rapport between a Deaf consumer and the interpreter and is something we strive for. Additionally, this is how feedback is more openly shared among each other. Constructive feedback is how all interpreters understand what improvements or adjustments need to be made, and is very important to every PAH Relay video interpreter.

To date not one of our interpreters has had an issue with this, in fact they are excited to share who they are and what they are about and that is Serving the Deaf community well!

12. What do you want the Deaf community to know about VRS that they do not already?

It is vitally important that all Deaf consumers know that they own their calls. Their calls are not ours; the interpreter's job is to simply interpret your message to the Hearing caller with expertise. Being satisfied your call was interpreted well is no longer enough, confidence knowing your call was handled professionally and knowing you were represented well is what you should come to expect. It all comes down to being Served well and this is the ultimate goal at PAH Relay.

13. What is the biggest challenge for PAH Relay?
Probably, the competition, there are so many providers focusing on technology that it has become a challenge getting the SERVICE message out there. It seems we have been conditioned that in order to use a particular provider that you must first have their technology. At PAH Relay we do not see it that way, in fact we believe Technology and Service provision are two very different things and should be handled as such. We have chosen to focus on the Service aspect of this industry because interpreting and highly qualified interpreters are what we know best! PAH Relay is in the Video Relay SERVICES business.

14. What is the biggest challenge you foresee between the VRS industry and the FCC?
I believe that we, the Deaf community and providers, need quicker responses from the FCC on regulation and rule making. It can be very difficult to try and provide unique services that go above and beyond current expectations while waiting for the FCC to make decisions on various petitions.

Additionally, it would seem that separating what we currently call “VRS” in to two categories namely; VRS (Video Relay Service) and VRT (Video Relay Technology) would make sense. By separating VRS from VRT, the interoperability of all technology with all Service providers could be established. A great example of how this is already being done is with mobile phone devices and services. If you decided to buy a new phone (i.e. Blackberry, Samsung or Nokia), you can buy it and choose which service provider (i.e. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint) you want to use with that phone. It should be the same with the Video Relay industry. You should not lose basic service needs such as your contacts or missed calls when you decide to change technology. Again, VRS is Video Relay SERVICES... Not Technology. I don't know about you, but I believe the “S” in VRS revolves more around the interpreting services provided and not so much the technology that we use to provide those interpreting services.

15. Do you have any plans to expand PAH Relay even more?
Well, I think we are doing very well actually. It's been only a year and a half and we already have 12 call centers in 8 states. There is at least one in Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Illinois, California, Oregon, Indiana, and Georgia. We want to grow organically and that is done through Deaf customers placing their calls using our services. The only way we can expand is for our Deaf consumers to be so happy with our interpreters, and they way they are served, that they spread the good news of PAH Relay!

On behalf of the Deaf communities and myself, we would like to thank you for taking the time to explain your business and your philosophy. We truly appreciate it.