Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Videophone Superstore at ZVRS

Wow. ZVRS not only offers a lot of different services, but also 4 different products designed to fit with each person's needs. Here we go!


  • Microphone
  • Video Camera
  • 8.4" LCD
  • Speakerphone
  • Keypad
  • Offers ZVRS, HolaVRS, VCO Plus, My Mail, Z Alert, My Contacts, Z Connect,  and Dual Tone. (A dual tone allows you to enter your PIN, bank account, or other numerical automated menu options without having to sign the numbers to the interpreter)






  • 7" screen
  • Can do broadband or WIFI
  • Remote Control
  • Offers My Mail, Z Alert, My Contacts, VCO Plus






  • 15.5" tall
  • Lens Cover
  • Cmaer aLens / Microphone
  • Numeric Keypad
  • Speaker
  • Volume Control
  • Offers ZVRS, HolaVRS, VCO Plus, My Mail, My Contacts, Z Alert
You can get a flasher for $27.99, a tripod for $15.99 or both for $39.99. (http://www.zvrs.com/z-series/z-340/flasher-tripod-pricing)


Additionally, a hearing person can buy 
**However, there is a monthly or annual subscription fee.** I am not sure why???





  • Work with Mac or PC.
  • H.264 video quality. ((H.264 is a standard for video compression, and is equivalent to MPEG-4. Mobile phones support this.)
  • VRS
  • Video call recording 
  • 10-dight number pre-installed for you.
**Keep in mind, this will consume a lot of memory. At least 1 gb of RAM. Some of you don't have that capacity. As result, the video quality may suffer.**

Finally, you can contact them at
help.zvrs.tv
email at help@zvrs.com
phone @ 800 296 3808
Wowiee.I wonder is that too many choices for us? 

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I Zee Video Relay Service in Clearwater, Florida!

If I remember my history correctly, CSDVRS by CSD was the first company to provide Video Relay Service in South Dakota around the 2000s. Then it eventually became ZVRS and moved its headquarters to Clearwater, Florida about 2 years ago. I am curious to see what are they up to now.

Whoa, ZVRS offers an intensive list of services!



  • HolaVRS => Spanish VRS Relay
  • My 800 Number => Hearing people can call your 800 number from anywhere with no long distance charges.
  • My Contacts => Your address book can be accessed from any videophone
  • My Mail => Will leave you a video message. You can view it on your Z videophone, Internet, or Email.
  • My Phone Number => Your own 10-digit number
  • Switch My Number => You can transfer your phone number to another VRS provider with no penalty.
  • VCO Plus => You are able to talk directly into the Z videophone using their single-line VCO technology. NO need for a second phone
  • Video Communication Solutions Group => Offer solutions to both those who do and don't have firewall.
  • Video Interpreters => All their interpreters are all certified and screened to be qualified.
  • Video Relay Service (VRS) 
    • Can be contacted at ZVRS.tv or 888.888.1116
  • FYI, I could not find "zvrs.tv" anywhere on the website. I only found this through a friend of mine. Weird.
  • Z Alert => You can receive a text message notification when your call is about to come through.
  • Z™ Partner Program => Provide VRS to various organizations and Deaf clubs.

Of course, a review post cannot be complete without a call to their VRS. I called at zvrs.tv and I got a male interpreter. He looked like he was 7 feet tall. His hands were huge and his body was thin and lanky. He could be a NBA basketball player. Anyhow, I talked about the news today about Obama signing the Overhaul of the Student Loan Program. The interpreter was pretty good.  My hearing friend thought the interpreter was thorough and very understandable. He did a very good job.


Coming Next: More of ZVRS and their Z products

Monday, March 29, 2010

LifeLinks : Are all the interpreters certified?

Several people have either left responses or contacted me directly and asked me several good questions about LifeLinks.

Ash Kalb, the VP of Business Development & Legal @ LifeLinks and David Rhodes, the Director of Operations @ Lifelinks was generous enough to follow through and answer our questions.

1) Is LifeLinks Deaf-owned (meaning is the CEO, founder, or owner Deaf)?
"LifeLinks is not deaf owned, but works with many deaf owned partner companies and is always focused on engaging with and being responsive to the deaf community."

2) How many Deaf employees are working for the company and what percentage do they make up of your workforce?
"Currently, approximately 30% of our team is deaf, and over 50 of our interpreters are children of deaf adults."

3) Is LifeLinks a certified Video Relay Service / Provider?
"Healinc, the parent company of LifeLinks is a certified provider."

4) Are all the interpreters certified or do they hire a non-certified interpreter with the ability to speak several languages?
"Because the company provides VRI services in addition to VRS services, we can’t simply hire “good” interpreters. At this point, certification alone is not enough to get a job with LifeLinks. We look for professionals who’ve honed their skills, and become experts in a particular area. As a result, our interpreters have an average of 11 years experience of professional interpreting. As a result of this focus we have RNs, SC:Ls, LPNs, EMTs, officers of RID on the team! This is the case for about 98% of our interpreters. We do have some non-certified interpreters. And yes, speaking foreign languages are among the qualities that would get an applicant past the certification hurdle."

5) Anything you would like to comment on?
"We will welcome any opportunity to communicate with the deaf community, and let people know more about our company, which we believe is one of the best in the business."

Thank you for providing such detailed answers to each question. Your commitment to offering a quality service for each language is evident. We wish you the best in your efforts in translating all the world's languages.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Pah! Learn who your interpreter is!

Personal.....Accessible....Honest.... PAH!

My favorite thing about PAHrelay.tv is that you can give feedback on any Video Relay (VR) interpreters on their website. If you don't like an interpreter, you can let PAHRelay know about it. If you loved the interpreter, you also can let them know that as well. Feedback is welcome on their website.

Another thing I love about their website is that they allow you to check each interpreter's biography. You can find out what are their specialties, credentials (certifications), and more. That's awesome.


In my case, I made a VRS call and I picked a random subject; the difference between a regular toothbrush and an electric toothbrush. I felt she interpreted my signs and my gestures very well. I was pleased. I checked the website to find out who she was.


Ahh ha! I got Vada as my interpreter. I found out her id number and that she has been interpreting for over 30 years. Her certifications include CI and CT, IIC and her specialties are religious, mental health, and educational. That's great to know! By the way, the friend that I called thought the intrepreter did a very competent job!

PAH Relay's philosophy is "our interpreters are partners, not employees. All are highly qualified and have a strong desire to serve the Deaf Community. In fact, our partners don’t just take VRS calls – they continue to work in the Community,"

You can call them @ PAHrelay.tv or Hang people can call @ 866-351-0975. A 10-digit number may be obtained. The website doesn't mention if it offers VCO, VRI, or any other kinds of services. PAH Relay is not certified and have not replied to my request for an interview yet.

Next VRS Provider : SorensonVRS

Jobs for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and Hearing Impaired

If a Deaf or HoH person is to look for a job, where is a good resource to use? And I am not referring to jobs for Video Relay Services (VRS), residential schools for the Deaf, or schools offering programs in deaf-related or interpreting-related studies. What else is out there for the American Sign Language (ASL) community?

I found a website that I think has alot of potential. It is very easy to narrow down your search results by Company, Date Posted, Job Type, Education, Experience, Special Filters, Job Boards, or Recruiters.


It has received awards and press releases by major companies such as Time, Forbes, PC, CNET, and so forth.

If you search the keyword :
  • Deaf => will return 841 results; ranging from Interpreters to Executive Director.
  • ASL => will return 531 results, ranging from Interpreters to System Engineers
  • Hearing Impaired => will return 1,663 results; ranging from Nurses to Speech Pathologist.
Some fun facts for you from BusinessWeek
  • The easiest place to find jobs is Washington DC
  • The hardest place to find jobs is Detroit.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Deaf sue the Vatican over Sex Scandal

It was proclaimed that Father Lawerence Murphy, a priest for about 50 years, sexually abused up to 200 Deaf students from St. John's School for the Deaf. The school is located near Milwaukee in Wisconsion. The sad part is the current Pope and Vatican knew about it all along.

Father Murphy

As a result, lawyers from all over the USA are planning to sue the Vatican and demand more materials that will help prove that the Vatican knew that Father Murphy sexually abused up to 200 Deaf students and did nothing about it.

"US lawyers in other cases are now determined to sue the Vatican for access to material that may shed light on relations between Rome and American bishops and the extent to which there may have been a policy to hush up abuse by priests" (Timesonline).

Friday, March 26, 2010

I am seeing stars with this Video Relay Services: NationwideVRS

NationwideVRS offer NationwideVRS.tv, 10-dight number, and a 911 services. Also you can add NationWideVRS  onto your Instant Messenger (IM) such as AIM and others. Lastly, you can do ip-relay on their website directly. That's nice for those people at work who can't do IM. I am not sure if NationwideVRS offers any other services. The information on the website was very minimal and simple.

Additionally, I didn't really like the logo. The stripes, stars, and letters hurt my eyes a bit. I didn't like having to type in a long name "NationwideVRS.tv" (13 letters) in order to call VRS. It would be a lot easier to type in "NWVRS.tv" or something similar to that.



I tested their NationwideVRS.tv. I was connected within 2 seconds. I didn't have to wait at all. That was awesome. But then as I signed, I noticed the interpreter kept blinking her eyes every 5 seconds and did ask me to repeat things a  few times. She did have her glasses on. My friend noticed that she paused often during our conversation, she would say, please wait a minute. My friend assumed that she couldn't keep up with the conversation. The interpreter was polite and eventually got the message across properly. Maybe she just needs to buy a new pair of glasses so she can keep up better!

Nevertheless, I must applaud NationwideVRS because it is is a Relay Service Provider owned by the Deaf. I sent an email to CustomerService@NationWideVRS.com a while ago to try to set up an interview with the company via email or VP. I haven't received a response yet. Hopefully, he or she will respond soon. I'll keep you posted of any further updates.

Next VRS Provider: Pah Relay

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Have the hawks flown away with HawkRelay.tv?


I visited http://www.hawkrelay.com/ and I saw  personal pictures of different people, couples, and families. I was touched. It encouraged me to explore their website even further. It looks like they were the first to set up DeafBlind Relay Service (DBRS) and Internet Protocol Speech-to-Speech (IP STS).

The way DBRS works is a DeafBlind will call the center and ask for a Communication Assistant (CA). The CA will come over to your house and sit down with you. The DeafBlind will tell the CA who to call. The CA will interpret the call for you. It is a pretty cool idea.

And for IP STS, it allows people with speech disabilities to make telephone calls using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) to connect to a CA. Another cool idea.

They also offer Instant Messenger (IM). Just add HawkRelay to your list.


I became quite anxious to call @ hawkrelay.tv. (There seems to be no number for the Hearing to call). As I proceeded to call, a message appeared telling me it was not accepting any calls.  I wondered why?

I googled it up and just my luck, it filed bankruptcy. I wonder why the website is still up?? I even emailed them a few days ago to find out if they have any plans to bounce back. I haven't heard a thing from them since. I hope to get a response from them eventually.

Next VRS Provider : NationwideVRS

Hola Amigos Gracias Relay Services (GraciasVRS)

Hola! ¿Cómo estás? Estoy fantástico. Me encanta usar Gracias VRS.Es tan fácil de traducir al español de ASL y viceversa!
translates into:
Hello! How are you? I'm doing fantastic. I love using Gracias VRS. It's so easy to translate from ASL to Spanish and vice versa!


That's just what I said to my friend from Puetro Rico. I haven't talked to her for a year and I thought this was a perfect opportunity for me to try out GraciasVRS. We ended up chatting for an hour and it was very easy and smooth. The female Latina interpreter had strange blond dyed hair, but it was easy for me to overlook that because she was very professional and smooth. I understood her perfectly. My Puerto Rican friend enjoyed the conversation a great deal. She told me that "the interpreter was fast and very effective in translating ASL into Spanish, and then from Spanish back into ASL. The  conversation went perfectly and just as normal as if she were translating English into ASL. Great fun!"

You can contact GraciasVRS @ GraciasVRS.tv and Hearing people can call @ (877) 326-387. You may sign up with them and get a 10-digit number, software, and videomail. I am not sure if it is safe to assume that if you do have a 10-digit number, then you can do 911? Their website doesn't say.


Speaking of their website, I thought it was done professionally. It was appealing and easy to navigate. Nice colors, but I don't recommend putting light colors fonts on light backgrounds. You can follow them on Twitter or Facebook. The future looks bright for them especially for the Spanish-Speaking population.

Next VRS Provider : HawkRelay

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Are the days of TTYs over?

I saw this ad through an email. "15% off all Ultratec TTYs" from http://www.weitbrecht.com/onsale.php. I had mixed reactions to this news.

On one hand, I thought to myself ,"Ooh. discounts...." It never hurts to save money! You know? But then I quickly began to wonder, "Is anyone still using TTY?"


First, let's go over the timeline quickly.

  • 1964 => The first TTY was developed by Robert Weitbrecht whom is Deaf. (It only worked 1 way.)
  • 1973 => 2-way TTY (Manual Communications Module) was developed.
  • 1980's => Micon sold hundreds of thousands of TTY to consumers and businesses, despite costing over $500.
  • 1990's => Non-Printing TTYs came out.
  • 2000 => VRS came out.
  • 2010's => The minutes of VRS used are over 100 million while TTY uses only a few million minutes (FCC).

As I investigated a bit further. I realized the cost of TTYs is still expensive! At least $300 or more at harriscomm, maxiaids, amazon, hearmore, and others. That's absolutely ridiculous for something that was $500. (A dollar in 1970s is about $5 now. So that means it cost $2,500 for a TTY). We can literally buy a new mini-laptop for $250 or less.

I do understand the reason for 911, but I can tell you that technology is improving at a rapid pace. It won't be soon before we can do 911 through the Internet.

So again, I ask you,

"Are the days of TTYs over?"

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Link your life with LifeLinks Video Relay Services

"Real-time, cost-effective online solutions for your interpreting needs in over 180 languages, including American Sign language."


Sure enough, I had to look at their list of languages. Amharici? Fulani? Mien? Quiche (is that a food lol)? Urdu? It made me wonder how many languages do have in the world? Well, according to the Linguistic Society of America, there are over 6,000 languages. (http://www.lsadc.org/info/pdf_files/howmany.pdf) Absolutely mind-boggling! But I digress.

Lifelinkes currently offer VRS, VRI, and 10-digit number. They do also offer 911, but make sure you do check their disclaimers (http://www.lifelinks.net/vrs_911.html). .

Deaf VRS users – LLVRS.TV or LLSPANISH.TV for spoken Spanish
Hearing VRS users – 888-SIGN-LANGUAGE (888-744-6526)

Additionally, Lifelinks' speciality seems to be in Medical. "LifeLinks brings to the medical community the value of a rare blend of substantial medical experience and expertise in Interpreting technology and methodology. In addition, the Company provides VRI services to corporations and judicial bodies."

So I decided to call their VRS and test an interpreter's medical jargon and signs. (Yes, I do realize it shows how much of a nerd I am. Sad eh? Smile).I chose an easy topic; "Whipple's disease". Well, it would be an easy topic for anyone who watched House on FOX. It is a rare disease that makes you unable to break down your food properly, eventually causing damages to your other organs.

To my shock, the interpreter caught it all. GI Tract, lesions, anemia, pericaditis, and so forth. I'm impressed. Lifelink's VRI services may be a good Choice for any hospital. I wonder if they did train the interpreters in these area?

Next VRS Provider : GraciasVRS

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Is there a future for Deaf reporting / reporters?

Ken Davis think so...


Ken Davis, the CEO and founder, established DeafNewspaper LLC in 2002. Eventually a website was established. and the first vlog was made on August 04, 2009. It was about www.aspencamp.org. The websit es growing nicely. News vlogs are being shown on every Tuesdays and Saturdays.


As I continued watching more vlogs, I couldn't help but notice that  Ken Davis is always cheerful and jolly. I bet if he grows a bigger beard and gains some more weight, he'll make an excellent Deaf Santa Claus. Lol.

Anyway, I see his vlogs / reports cover everyday news in the Deaf community. They cover everything from sports cars to scams to camping to marriages to McDonald's. You will never know what will be next on the news. That's cool. Here are few to start with: Vlog 1 (Tax) and Vlog 2 (Valentine) I wonder if DeafNewspaper will expand to the point where it can do new vlogs everyday? That means we will need more Deaf reporters all over the USA. Anyone want to help out?

However, I did not like the design of the website. It is literally covered with ads. The menu toolbar is made in flash. That's a bad idea due to accessibility and usability reasons. Also I noticed iframe is being used. That's generally frowned upon. I think a make-over look will help the company grow even more.

Moving on... It looks like it sponsors 2 other websites; http://www.aslvlogs.com/ and http://www.aslsilentchef.com/. Mhmm.. Here's a thought, Michi Demarrais of ASLSilentChef could help Ken Davis become Santa Claus...Her foods look delicious though!

Experience Natural Video Relay (ConvoRelay) with Robin Horwitz

I conducted a short interview with Robin Horwitz who is the CEO of ConvoRelay. He was kind enough to respond quickly.

1) Is ConvoRelay Deaf-owned (meaning is the CEO, founder, or owner Deaf)?
"Convo is a 100% deaf owned company at this point with 4 partners. (Chad Taylor, Wayne Betts, Ed Bosson and myself: Robin Horwitz)" (They are all Deaf). Ed Bosson is the father of VRS, inventing the system back in early 1990's when he was working with Texas Public Utilities Commission."

2) How many Deaf employees are working for the company and what percentage do they make up of your workforce?
"Currently, we have 86% of our employees/contractors that are deaf. If you take CODA's into consideration with signing skills - it would be 93%. So we're really a company that relies a lot on signing to communicate with each other."

Currently, their flagship product is the ConvoIM on the iChat service. If you do have Mackintosh equipment, give it a try! You can watch this tutorial to guide you in setting up ConvoIM. Also they have convorelay.tv for all Videophone based devices."

Lastly, this is a funny video that promotes ConvoRelay.

"Convolution"

Once again, thank you Robin Horwitz for taking the time and energy. We all appreciate it!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Convo(y) Relay Services is chugging along

"Experience Natural Video Relay"

Through the grapevine, I heard about a new VRS provider called ConvoRelay that is supposed to be Deaf-owned. So I went ahead and googled it and Convo Communications came up first. I thought the aesthetic of the website was well done. I was hooked immediately! It is easy to navigate also.

According to their website, they offer VRS and 911. You can call at 911.convorelay.tv, but you will need to give your emergency location to the video interpreter. Additionally, they do offer a 10-digit number and have their own blog for you to keep track of their updates.

I couldn't find a number for Hearing people to call. Also, it seems they don't offer Captel, Ip-Relay, VCO, or VRI. Again, it's a new company. I'm guessing they have plans to expand their services.

Anyhow, I borrowed a friend of mine's Macbook and downloaded their Greenbook. "A beautiful marriage between ConvoIM and iChat" might be an over-exaggeration, but I can tell you that setting it up was a piece of cake. It took me less than 1 minute to do it all. That is cool.

But of course, I cannot complete a review without a VP call. I called @ convoRelay.tv I got a woman that reminded me of a British lady, double chinned, bowled hair, and wore black sleeves. I decided to make a surprise call to my mother. My mother literally screamed, "Hello!" and the interpreter did show it in her mannerisms. I could have sworn I saw the interpreting jump off her chair. Nevertheless, I have no complaints. It's all gravy.

My mother thought the interpreter was very efficient and also very animated in her voice. She said that she felt that  the intrepreter did an excellent job.

Next VRS Provider: CSDVRS (or is it ZVRS now)?

Interview with the Best ASL Comedian: Keith Wann and callVRS

Keith Wann, true to his words... He does care for the Deaf community. He took the time to send me a long and thorough email.  Here's the summary.

1) Is callVRS Deaf-owned (meaning is the CEO, founder, or owner Deaf)?
(No. I am a CODA) "Our goal is to be stand alone and certified and we are in the process to make that happen, we plan on being around for a long time, offering a choice to the deaf community from a true small vrs provider.  We don't want to be the biggest, we just want to be the best!"

2) How many Deaf employees are working for the company and what percentage do they make up of your workforce?
"As we start we are a very small company and owned by me and my wife, both working interpreters who still process calls.  The rest of our team are ICs who are also all interpreters.  We have many Deaf ICs also that we work with for marketing, advisory guidance, and even interpreting."

3) Anything you would like to mention?
"(We are not in this for money). We pride ourselves in answering to the deaf community, and giving back with projects like the ASL story, the Signing Santa, even social events like the ASL Comedy tour.  We do not have an official board  because we have not reached that level yet, we are all working stiffs (big smile)."

Additionally,  one of our email correspondences suggests that we should try to find out which VRS providers are certified. For those who aren't, who are they partnered with? Like President Obama said, "Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency." That means no one should cover up the truth or hide information. Let us share our information with each other. That will promote unity and peace.

Thank you, Keith Wann and Emilia Lorenti-Wann. Keep doing the great work with the Deaf communities.

For your entertainment. "Deaf Driver"

Friday, March 19, 2010

Who is Calling with callVRS?

When we think of Keith Wann, we think of MANY things. Coda, Comedian, Entrepreneur, Author, Performer, Presenter, Consultant, Interpreter, and much more. I met him at one of his ASLComedyTour shows. He is a nice guy who cares about the Deaf communities across the USA. Meanwhile, his most recent project is callVRS.info (note the info... It's not .tv)
According to their website, callVRS.org, they do not offer IP-Relay, Captel, or VCO. However, they offer VRS and VRI. They are partnered with CSDVRS, but they are in the process of getting certified by FCC. Additionally, they offer several more options that are unique.

Dial "dbvrs.info" to connect with one of our Deaf-Blind friendly interpreters.

Dial "trivrs.info" to access trilingual interpreters serving the Deaf-Latino community.

Dial "ASLstory.info" to see the latest ASL story for children. Updated every month. This month's story is "Papa do you love me?" done by Keith Wann"

Hearing people may  call at 877-241-1411

I decided to give up my Friday night for the greater good and went ahead to test their TriVRS.info. However, there wasn't any answer. I waited for 15 minutes. I wonder if it was past their hours of operations. And don't worry, that 15 minutes weren't wasted. I took 10 minutes of that to make a delicious sandwich. Then I tried out their DBVRS.info. I got an interpreter who looked like a skinny Mr. Clean. It did make me chuckle for a second. Anyway, the interpreter was up close to the screen and made sure his hands were within the "head-to-shoulders" frame. He did above average job translating my ASL. He might be tired.

That's my story for tonight. When you have time, you should go to the website and watch their video (on the left column). It is funny and entertaining. I wonder what's that guy's name is?

By the way,  the friend that I called tonight gave the interpreter just an average rating. The interpreter was not very smooth and stumbled over words often.  There were pauses in the conversation.  He didn't seem as efficient as my friend is used to hearing on the VRS calls.

Next VRS Provider: ConvoRelay

Thursday, March 18, 2010

CACVRS Video Relay Provider (Who am I really dealing with?)


I called CACVRS at CACVRS.TV. At first, it rang 4 times and then it hung up for no reason. So I tried again and it was dialing for about 20 seconds. Then boom, a male interpreter showed up. The conversation went smoothly. There was a slight misunderstanding. The interpreter thought I said blackberry, but I really said blockbuster. Not a big issue though. Additionally, the video quality was not the best, but good enough to last a conversation. 15 fps and above. The friend that I called thought the interpreter was not quite as smooth as most interpreters. He was also very casual with my friend and not as professional as other interpreters tend to be.  The conversation was understood, but with a few glitches from this company.

Then I went online to check out their website. What do you know??? http://www.cacvrs.org/ did not work! I was baffled. How can that be? I googled it up and I got surprising news...

According to myvrs.org, "CACVRS filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy)." I googled again and found out another interesting note, "Viable is under CACVRS. FCC will not pay directly to Viable. Viable will billed to CACVRS." (proud-geek). I am guessing that means CACVRS owned Viable? If that is true, then it would explain why they filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. What a bummer..

But then I became confused because whose VRS provider did  I just call? So I called again and got the same interpreter. I asked him what was the name of the company. He replied, "CACVRS"... Now I'm confused... Can anyone clarify this?

Next VRS Provider: CALLVRS

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Is the BIS a BUSY (BISVRS) Video Relay Service?

Birnbaum Interpreting Services (BIS), a Deaf-owned corporation, was formed in 1995 and has quickly become one of the nation's largest and most respected interpreting services.BIS has been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the top 500 small business successes in the country—and has repeatedly been recognized by Deloitte & Touche with its Technology Fast 500 award.



I was anxious to test the quality of their interpreting services. I decided to fingerspell everything! Of course at the end of the conversation, my hands were sore and I'm sure the interpreter's eyes were too! Nevertheless, she caught it all and did a great job.

They seems to not offer IP-Relay, VCO, or Captel.

But they do offer VRS, VRI, and if you create an account and get your own 10-digit number with them, you'll be able to receive their VRS mail as well (Same concept as SignMail and others). You'll be able to call 911, but they do not encourage it. "BISVRS recommends for you to dial 9-1-1 from a TTY or use a traditional TTY relay service to make 9-1-1 calls." Lastly, BISVRS can handle calls to or from  the United States/U.S. Territories and to or from any international number.

The website offers two choices: I can call them with my VP @ BISVRS.tv (Hearing people can call at 1-866-928-3230). Or I can call them directly with my webcam. I decided to give it a shot. I clicked on their "Call Now Using Your Webcam" and interestingly enough the Viable Vision software appeared. It seems I have to log onto Viable Vision before I can call BISVRS... Isn't that a parody? Perhaps a conflict of interest? (My system was configured to automatically launch Viable Vision. I fixed it). Their technology is supported by the CSDVRS's platform.

My friend on the other end of the call, rated the interpreter as efficient and competent. My friend did not know that I had been fingerspelling to the interpreter during our conversation. He thought she was fluent and extremely skilled. She also identified herself at the beginning of the call as bring an interpreter. 

Next VRS Provider: CacVRS

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

What does AT&T offer as a Video Relay Service (ATTVRS)

So I went onto the website (http://attvrs.com) and the website immediately gave me the option to call through either VRS or VCO.


I simply had to put in the number and click " Dial Now." So I tried to make a call from my Chrome browser, but instead, I got a refresh on the page. Then I switched to Firefox and gave it another shot. Ah-ha. I got this message;

      Microsoft Internet Explorer® browser (version 5.5 or above) is required to support AT&T VRS service.

I don't know about you, but I think every website should be compatible with not only IE, but also Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.  It would be a golden day when everyone agrees on a standard for web browsing including DOM, javascript, html, xml, css, etc. But that's another (long) topic.

Anyhow, they do offer your own 10-digit number, VCO IP-relay, and an address-book that will work on all of them..

They used to provide a software called "VSoft" where you could download it to your computer, but it is no longer available. Captel or VRI are not supported either. Also, they stated "VRS calls in Spanish are currently not permitted. The FCC is considering whether or not to allow VRS calls of this type. As soon as the FCC reaches a decision, we will post it here on the FAQ page."

Hearing people may call @ 1-888-VRS-9998.

Finally, it was time for some human interaction. I called AT&T's Video Relay Service @ ATTVrs.tv and at the same time, I was hungry, so I ate and signed at the same time. You know how some interpreters hate that, but the one I got was fantastic. She matched my body language and facial expression very well. I would recommend her to anyone if I knew her name. The friend that I called agreed, she thought the interpreter was bubbly and energetic in her voice.  She expressed herself verbally very well and efficiently.  She was a very good interpreter.  The only thing my friend noticed was that at the beginning of the call, she did not identify herself as working for a VRS company or that she was an interpreting a phone call for someone, she simply began to talk.  That was different,  but at the same time it worked out just fine.

Next VRS Provider: BISVRS 

Monday, March 15, 2010

AmericanVRS : Is It right for Deaf Americans?

Today's VRS Provider, "AmericanVRS"'s turn for review!


Once again, I used VP-200 to call @ amvrs.tv (212-990-1234). I got a gentleman with a bristly beard. He never SMILED. He was absolutely stoic. Anyway, I gave him the number I wanted to call. The connection between us became bad right away and  I couldn't understand a word he said. There was about a 5 second delay between us.  He said  that I had given him an incorrect phone number which was impossible because the number I was calling was my own mother's phone number. So I hung up and called again, hoping for a new interpreter with a better connection. No luck. I got the same man. The video quality got much better, but then it began to deteriorate rapidly. I couldn't understand him and he kept saying he couldn't connect my call. After 5 minutes, I gave up.

On the other hand, their website (http://www.americanvrs.com/Default.aspx) looks very nice. My first thought was, "what modeling agency did they use?" Ha ha. Where are the guys? Not that I am complaining! It's just that we live in a world where everything must be politically correct. Tsk.

Anyway, they offer 911 services, a software for you to download on either PC or MAC, VRI capability, Captel, and Ip-Relay. However, it looks like they do not offer VCO.

Furthermore, one more feature that I really noticed was their ability to do both Domestic and International calls. I am not currently aware of any other VRS providers who can do International calls. This could be a great tool for those who wants to do business or host a conversation with someone outside of the United States.

FYI, I am unable to find a number for Hearing people to use to call. Again, if you get your 10-digit number, they can call you directly instead.

Next VRS Provider: AT&T (ATTVRS)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Journey into VRS World: 258Communications

Well, after all the incidents that have occurred recently in the VRS industry, I have become quite curious to find out which VRS providers are still alive and what do each VRS provider offer.


Today, I decided to try out a new provider that I have heard about; 258Communications. You can call them @ 258VRS.tv.

Anyway, I was introduced to a female that looked like a librarian. Tall and poised. Had her hair held back in a bun and wore glasses. I wasn't sure how good she would be at first, but after 2 seconds, I was satisfied with her skills.  She understood every word I said and signed ASL fluently. I was impressed.

However, I cannot say the same about the quality of the video. It was at 5 fps.. I used VP-200 by the way. 5 fps is way too slow. It was like watching with a 200/20 vision. I wonder what is causing that exactly?

Also I noticed on the website, http://258communications.com/, you can contact them to find out if your favorite interpreter is available for interpreting in your community. That means you can get them to fly over and interpret for you. That's neat. :)

Also, they can do VRI, but no VCO, a software to download for PC or Mac, no Captel, and IP-relay either.

Oh, for a hearing person to call; they'll need to call 877-258-5258 or if you did get a 10-digit number from them, they can just call you directly instead. By the way, my friend on the other end of the line thought the interpreter was smooth and easy to understand. She was very professional and efficient.

Next VRS Provider: AmericanVRS

My VRS Robot

Beep! Beep! Beep! Here's the inside scoop from MIT.

They are developing a robot with a videoconferencing technology. The robot will read your hand gestures, head movements, and proxemics (fancy word for cultural body language) on the other end and show it to me.

Here's a video to help you understand better.



Is that cool!? (This could become a VP-300, Z-1000, P5, or etc)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Phone that can read your lips!

"Researchers at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a method for mobile phones to convert silent mouth movements into speech. The technology is based on the principle of electromyography, that is the acquisition and recording of electrical potentials generated by muscle activity. This muscle activity is measured in the face and converted into speech." (http://www.cellular-news.com/story/42211.php)

You literally put the phone against your cheek and it will interpret your facial muscles.

Here are some mof the advantages that  I can think of right away;

  1. Deaf people will no longer look silly on the phone. "Hello!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
  2. Also Deaf people can talk now without having to worry about making "funny" noises in front of people.
  3. Anyone will be able to tell their passwords, PINS, "I love you" on the phone anywhere and anytime.

At the  same time, a question arises, How many Deaf people know how to talk or at least move their mouth to form the words correctly? Beside, Deaf people still can not hear anythingon the phone.

Is this really going to help Deaf people or not? 

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

1,100 Deaf jobs are saved (Purple) FCC Update

Latest update concerning the status of Purple and its debt. 

Main Points:
  • Purple Communications, a provider of telecommunications relayservices, acknowledged its debt to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  • Owes $18,459,064
  • FCC will continue reimbursing Purple for legitimate relayservices provided by Purple month by month.
  • Purple has 180 days to come up with a plan to pay back their debt to the  FCC in a timely manner. 
  • No further penalties
  • 1,100 Deaf jobs are secured. 
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296758A1.pdf

Sunday, March 7, 2010

DeafBlind can see with their tongue???

That's right. That is what I said!

It is possible to see with your tongue! Bizarre huh?

I'll admit that when I first read this, I was extremely suspicious. I thought it had to be a hoax or something. But then as I continue reading, it started making sense. I even went online to verify the data. Shockingly enough, it is true.

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

Here's the story in laymen terms.

The world is pretty much divided into insulators (rubber, plastics, etc) and conductors (metals, water, muscles, etc).

We are made of mostly water. Our muscles, fat, and bones are made of mostly water as well. Therefore, that means we are a very good conductor.

With that being said, your tongue is actually a muscle. Well, many muscles to be accurate. These muscles help you to swallow, chew, talk, etc. Your tongue is hooked up to the brain with many different nerves. (refer to Figure 1).

Every time you take a bite, the taste buds on your tongue will send out an electrical signal through the nerves to your brain and your brain will tell you if it's delicious or bad tasting.
--------------------------------
So our brilliant scientists thought, "Why can't we do that with a device that will control the current flow of electricity and put it on the top of their tongue?"

Well, that's what they have done. It is called BrainPort.


You literally put the sunglasses on, put the white device on the top of your tongue, and turn it on with the remote control. Boom! Like magic, you can see!

This is currently a protoype and not for sale anywhere in the world. However, if you would like to particpate in this project, you may contact Dr. Amy Nau @ University of Pittsburgh, Dr. William Seiple of Lighthouse International in New York, or Dr. Aimee Arnoldussen @ Wicab, Inc in Wisconsin.

Now here's the million dollar question.

Is it really "seeing" ???? 

Thursday, March 4, 2010

YouTube will offer CC on your videos now!!!

This just came in!

Google Inc.'s YouTube said it will offer automatically generated captions for its entire video catalog, a boon for deaf users and those who want to watch videos in other languages.

At a press conference at YouTube's San Bruno, Calif., headquarters, Google software engineer Ken Harrenstein demonstrated the feature and went through the reasons Google invested in the product—from expanding accessibility to crossing language barriers to improving search.

YouTube watchers can see available captions by clicking on a button in the lower-right-hand part of the video player. They can also select to see captions in a different language from the language of the video. Mr. Harrenstein, who is deaf and gave his presentation in sign language, said he has been working on the product for the past five years.

YouTube has been pushing captions for a while, in part because the company hopes it will make it easier for its search engine to identify particular moments within a video. In 2008, it began allowing content owners to upload their own captions. Last year, Google turned on automatic captioning for videos uploaded by a small number of partners, like the University of California, Berkeley and Yale University.

Now, YouTube is rolling them out across the catalog of millions of videos, starting with English-language videos, as long as they have clear audio. The move was cheered by several students from the California School for the Deaf, who were in attendance.

Google research scientist Mike Cohen said the captioning technology blends Google's speech-recognition and translation algorithms. "I don't know about anything tried at this type of scale before," he said.

Mr. Cohen said the technology is constantly improving, getting better at canceling out noise conditions and factoring accents.

He said it relies on the same technology components as Google's other speech-recognition products, like Google Voice's automatic voice-mail transcription and its voice-based search service. But he noted that the algorithms have to be tweaked to account for the differences in audio spoken into a phone versus an audio track.

The technology isn't perfect. Mr. Harrenstein pulled up captions for a video of Google executive Vic Gundotra at a Google developer conference last year.

While talking about giving each developer in attendance an Android phone, Mr. Gundotra said the phones contained a SIM card, which provides service for the phone. The technology picked it up as "salmon."

Mr. Harrenstein said, aside from the captions for millions of videos already running, Google will have the rest of the library done soon.

YouTube viewers will be able to select to see captions automatically, although some companies that upload large amounts of content to YouTube will get to choose whether they want captions available.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704187204575101852850074026.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Test Your Knowledge of Deaf Culture Around the World!

How much do you know about deaf people and sign languages in other countries? Here are a few questions to spark your curiosity. Test your knowledge and let us know how you do. Have fun! (See answers below).

1) What is the only country in the world to have sign language specific law?
a. USA
b. Japan
c. New Zealand
d. England
e. Mexico

2) In how many countries are deaf people not allowed to drive?
a. less than 10
b. 10 - 25
c. 25 - 50
d. more than 50

3) How many countries legally recognize sign language?
a. less than 10
b. 10 - 25
c. 25 - 50
d. more than 50

4) Deaf people can vote in all of these countries except ________?
a. Thailand
b. Australia
c. Saudi Arabia
d. Kenya

5) How many hours of interpreting per year per deaf person does the Bulgarian government pay for?
a. 0
b. 10
c. 100
d. 500

Source for all questions/answers based on a survey of 93 countries from The World Federation of the Deaf: Deaf People and Human Rights Report, January 2009. Click here to view a .pdf of the full report: http://www.wfdeaf.org/pdf/Deaf%20People%20and%20Human%20Rights%20Report%20-%2023%20Feb%2009%20Version.pdf

ANSWERS: 1) c. New Zealand; 2) c. 31; 3) c. 44; 4) c. Saudi Arabia; 5) b. 10

(Courtesy of http://discoveringdeafworlds.org)

List of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Stores online

Children & Teaching Resources

buyASL
(No Description provided.) Looks like it focus on resources upon how to teach and learn ASL along few pagers, alarm clocks, and gifts.

Novelty

ASL Sign of Love
“The ASL Sign Language Stuff Store where you will find products with unique ASL graphics on them.”

Little ASL Shop
“We sell ASL themed T shirts & gifts for adults & kids in the deaf community. Artist designed.”

Interpreters

ASL Terp Store
“A store for American Sign Language Interpreters.”

Books & DVDs & VHS

OhSoEZ Deaf and Sign Language Store
Offers hundreds of books, DVDs, and VHS upon American Sign Language and Deaf Culture

General Merchandise (Walmart-like)

Harris Communications
“Find over 2,000 products for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, people interested in sign language, Deaf Culture, hearing loss and more.”

Hearmore
“Hearmore, is your one source for aids and appliances for assistive living. We offer unparalleled selection and affordable prices of products for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Our dedicated staff will provide you with service that is fast and reliable. Browse our site to view the variety of products we have for the deaf community. Our goal is to is to bring you the best products available in alarm clocks, amplified telephones and vibrating watches plus low vision products, medical products, mobility products and household products.”

Emphasis on Independent Living such as products for those with Lack of Mobility, Vision, or / and Hearing

Maxi-Aids
“Maxi-Aids has been an established special-needs provider for over two decades. In that time, we have evolved into the world’s leading provider of adaptive products, products for independent living and products designed to enhance your lifestyle simply by making your every-day tasks easier.”

Are there any more I have missed?