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.

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)

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".

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. 

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! :).

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?

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.

Soon DeafBlinds will be able to drive independently!

A blind man said "has hope (is) that one day he might earn his driver's license -- something he never before imagined possible...." This is absolutely remarkable. I certainly did not foresee this happening anytime soon. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) challenged USA to build a vehicle for the Blind. They had certain requirements that must be met in order to be considered an acceptable solution. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) took it a step further and held several different contests with the goal to inspire the students to come up with an innovative solution. A nine-person team of students from Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory got it!

http://autos.aol.com/article/students-design-car-for-blind/?ncid=AOLCOMMauto

"Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory developed a driver-assist system that uses laser range finders, an instant voice-command interface and a host of other cutting-edge technologies to guide blind drivers as they steer, brake and accelerate. The new system was put to good use last year (2009) at a summer camp where 20 blind and low-vision teens were able to take the wheel of a retrofitted dune buggy and navigate a course completely on their own."

Soon enough, there wouldn't be any excuse for Blinds and DeafBlinds to not be able to navigate to anywhere in the world. How sweet is that?

The Mystery of the X in X Video Relay Services...

Tonight's interpreter was very interesting, She was friendly and very competent. She worked for XVRS. 

I googled XVRS and the first result was www.cacvrs.org/CAC_Relay/Home.html ??? That really threw me off. The website is still down. I even wrote a blog about CACVRS a while ago. http://www.cacvrs.org/ did not work and according to myvrs.org, CACVRS filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. So I did some more googling and I found this http://cacrelay.com/xvrs/.

http://cacrelay.com/

I noticed the main domain is http://cacrelay.com/ I clicked on it and what do you know!?
"CAC Relay Services provide you choices in how to communicate. Whether you do it through Video Relay Service (XVRS.TV)..."

I am utterly baffled. Why does CAC Relay call their Video Relay Services XVRS ??? What does X stand for?  Nevertheless, CAC Relay (or XVRS) provides the following:

• 24 / 7 VRS
• VP: XVRS.TV
• Hearing can call @ (866) 500-9662
• 10 digit number and 911
• Text Relay through AIM (XVRSRelay)
• VRI (competitive rates)
• Spanish VRS 24 / 7
• VP: SpanishVRS.TV
• Hearing can call @ V: (866) 448-8398

There is one particular thing I did like about their website, they list their public booths. A public booth is where you can go and make a VRS call without having to pay for anything. http://173.201.120.209/cacrelay/CAC_Relay/Booth_Locations.html. That is nice to know.

So can anyone clarify what's the relationship between XVRS and CACRelay? Thank you in ahead.

Has Viable Returned from the Dead?

Well, what do you know??? Viable is still up and running. I thought it was either taken over and replaced by another VRS company or had filed for bankruptcy and was shut down. Neither seems to be the case. Sometime last year, Viable was on its last breath and the doctors were ready to call it quits, but Snap!VRS came in and rescued Viable.

So the question is did Snap!VRS acquire Viable?
From a legal standpoint, no, Snap!VRS has not acquired Viable. However, that technicality does not affect your user experience. Snap!VRS is operating Viable and providing all the service support you need for your VRS calls.

http://www.viable.net/

Viable is still offering 24/7 VRS, VCO, 911, 10-digit number, VideoMail, and Viable Vision.

• VideoMail will allow you to personalize your video answer message, receive notifications through your pager and/or email, and finally you can view your video messages on your pager,  Mac / PC, VPAD, or on Viable Vision.
• Viable Vision is a software you can download for free onto your PC (not Mac). It'll allow you to record yourself or save conversations. Another cool thing about it is you can do text chat which means you can type down anything you want such as your SSN or phone numbers without having to sign it to the interpreter or another customer. That's neat.
• Also it looks like they are in the process of adding VRI services. That would be great; being able to go into a hospital and talk to your doctor with an interpreter all ready to go on your VPAD.

However, bad news... According to the website, the VPAD+ is currently unavailable. What a shame! Additionally, the website also says
'There's no reason to leave your friends and family in the dark when you upgrade to Viable Vision! The software operates on standard technologies that are compatible with most videophones, so you can continue to call the same people you love talking with.' (https://www.viable.net/product/vv)  I wonder which videophone in particular does not work with VPAD?

I made a test call and got an interpreter with an androgynous look, but nevertheless, the interpreter was great. The interpreter was a master with body language. I would recommend the interpreter to anyone. My hearing friend could tell it was a female based on the voice, but also did onfirmed that the interpreter did an excellent job with the call.

I'm in the process of contacting Snap!VRS / Viable to ask them some questions. Do you have any particular questions you would like me to ask? Thanks!

Next VRS Provider : XVRS

SnapVRS, the Eye or Ojo, as we say in Spanish, of VRS

Finally, I found another Video Relay Provider (VRS) that will provide a free videophone to Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. The name of the videophone is called "PVP-900 Ojo" The Ojo is a stand-alone desktop appliance that affords the highest quality video transmission and blends industry-standard technology with unique patented enhancements to achieve jitter-free two-way video calls. A fun fact is the word, "Ojo" is a Spanish word that translates to "Eye". It is distributed by Snap!VRS. Snap!VRS is owned by Snap Telecommunications, Inc and is certified by the FCC.

Naturally, I was curious to find out more information! I went to their website (http://snapvrs.com/) and their facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/snapvrs). I see they do offer 24/7 interpreters, VCO, 10-digit number, and VRI. Although, it is not handled by Snap!VRS. Instead, "Snap!VRS has partnered with Communication Access Network of America, Inc...Please visit www.caninterpreting.com to find out more about rates and reservations for VRI services." Anyhow, they also do two things that I think are cool. 1) You do not need to sign out your SSN, your credit card #s, or anything like that to the VR interpreter. Instead, you can type it in using your free Ojo. That's nice. It'll give some people a better sense of security. 2) You can make your own video greetings for other people to view. I do wonder if the interpreters can view this also during any calls made by Hearing callers?

Deaf can call @ "call.snapvrs.com"
Hearing can call @ 888-711-SNAP (7627).
(A bonus for the Hearing callers, the Ojo can be purchased for $299.99 with a monthly subscription fee.)

**FYI, it seems there is another OJO model called "Ojo PVP-1000". I'll have to contact Snap!VRS and check on that a bit more.**

Lastly, I made a call to my mother to say hello. The conversation went very smoothly. There were no video delays. The interpreter did a great job translating my American Sign Language into English. My mother agrees. The only suggestion I have is if I sign out something in the middle of a conversation, I would like the interpreter to either appropriately interrupt my mother or add my question or comment to the end of the conversation rather than make me sign things twice. Again, it's not a big deal. I'm just thinking about a perfect world with 100% equal and fair communication.

I'm looking forward to the next VRS blog. Apparently Snap!VRS also bought or took over ViableVRS? I'll have to investigate  that too. Will follow up soon.

Next VRS Provider : ViableVRS

Why is Federal Video Relay Service (VRS) closed on the weekends???

Interestingly enough, I tried to make a call using myfedvrs.tv yesterday (on Sunday). Much to my surprise, it was closed! I am a little bit confused. If the government is supposed to be accessible 24/7, then why is their Video Relay Services only open from 7am to 11pm ET M-F (excluding Federal holidays)? Isn't that sending a misleading message to America?

http://www.fedvrs.us/session/new

Nevertheless, I tried again today (Monday) and made the call to myfedvrs.tv. I got a middle aged female who looked quite professional. She gave me the impression that she was a high-caliber interpreter. As the conversation began, she had her mouth closed and signed pure ASL. Now that was a first!  Very few people can sign pure ASL with their mouth closed. That was neat to see. However, I cannot say the same about her voicing skills. She kept missing my fingerspelling and  also a few of my signs. She never bothered to double check with me. Instead, she just apologized to the friend that I called, and said "Interpreter error" and continued interpreting. Now I thought that was unprofessional. I think every interpreter should ALWAYS double check with the clients regardless. My hearing friend agreed, the conversation was confusing at times.

Anyhow, they have a clean and simple website. Easy to navigate.  They offer a 10-digit number, Spanish VRS, a  software you can download to your PC or MAC, and VCO. They do not do VRI, IP-relay, or captel.

• ASL Video users : myfedvrs.tv
• Spanish Videophone users: espanol.myfedvrs.tv
• Videophone users : vco.myfedvrs.tv

Additionally, they do offer something special that I do not know any other VRS  provider has and that is ISDN. You can use your ISDN to call their VRS.

• Non-emergency: 877.709.5798
• 911/Emergency: 877.646.7441
• (NEW) Hearing Callers: 877.709.5801

Lastly, it seems myFedVRS is owned by Sprint??? In fact, when I called yesterday, a message appeared, "Sorry, we are closed. Please call Sprint"... Isn't that misleading? I emailed them a few times and never got a response.

Next VRS Provider: Snap!VRS

Can you read my lips? No? How about a robot's lips?

Japanese scientists are developing human-like robots. So human-like that it's actually creepy in some ways. How are we going to tell the difference between human beings and robots / androids.

fastcompany

Geminoid F is the newest product of the Intelligent Robotics lab atsaka University and robot builders Kokoro Co. Ltd.  "Silicone realistic skin, convincing hair, and teeth that seem so real they make Geminoid F have a nearly human smile." Not only that, but the robot also comes with a a tele-operation system which uses a smart camera to track your facial expressions and replicate them.

In other words, Japanese scientists are working on a robot that will  imitate you. Soon enough, we'll be able to read robots' lips. I wonder if that's a good thing or not? After all, everyone lip's are different, thus making it a challenge for us to lipread with ease.

iPhone may be the first to have Video Relay Services (VRS)!!!!!

"As they do with any major new iPhone OS release, people have been tearing apart the iPhone OS 4.0 SDK from the very second it was available. Almost immediately, someone noticed that bits and pieces of iChat had found their way into the new software." (Link).

The reason why this is a big deal is because 4g is coming out. Technically, it is already here. Sprint have started implementing it across USA and Tmobile, Verizon, and ATT is likely to start in 2011. 

Currently our phones and smartphones are using 3g standards. It allows simultaneous use of speech and data services and offers data rates of about 10 mbps download and 5 mbps upload. In other words, it'll take an hour to download a DVD movie. 4G will be 10x faster. That means it'll take less than 10 minutes to download a DVD movie. That's fast. Fast enough to do videoconferencing. :)

Anyway, it looks like the people from Apple may be preparing for the new technology. But then I do wonder about Sprint's HTC EVO 4G coming out this summer. It is supposed to be the best of all smartphones. Not only the specs are far beyond any other smartphones and it'll work with 4g, but it'll also come with a camera on each side. That'll make videoconferencing very possible. 

Is iPhone gonna be the first? Will Sprint be the first? What do you think? 

Google will soon be able to translate Sign Language

Google can already translate over 50 languages. What about Sign Language??? Sooner than you think!

Here's a list of the languages they currently can translate:

Afrikaans	Danish	Greek	Japanese	Polish	Swedish
Albanian	Dutch	Haitian Creole	Korean	Portuguese	Thai
Arabic	English	Hebrew	Latvian	Romanian	Turkish
Belarusian	Estonian	Hindi	Lithuanian	Russian	Ukrainian
Bulgarian	Filipino	Hungarian	Macedonian	Serbian	Vietnamese
Catalan	Finnish	Icelandic	Malay	Slovak	Welsh
Chinese	French	Indonesian	Maltese	Slovenian	Yiddish
Croatian	Galician	Irish	Norwegian	Spanish
Czech	German	Italian	Persian	Swahili

Google has a prototype app where you can take a picture with your Android phone. It will digitize the picture into text. Then the text will be translated into any language of your choice. Cool huh?
"Right now this technology only works for German-to-English translations and it's not yet ready for prime time. However, it shows a lot of promise for what the future might hold. Soon your phone will be able to translate signs, posters and other foreign text instantly into your language. Eventually, we're hoping to build a version of Google Goggles that can translate between all of the 52 languages currently supported by Google Translate — bringing even more information to you on the go."

One day, we willl be able to carry a device that will allow us to communicate with anyone in the world.