In the past, Deaf people had to use what was called a teletypewriter or TTY or TDD. To call a hearing person, they would have to call the relay service where they would type to an operator that would then call the hearing person and tell them what the deaf person was typing. Sound complicated? It was an often long process to make a phone call.
Now, bring technology into the 21st century! We now have video phones! The service that we use for our video relay is called Sorenson. It is a service that is offered free to deaf and hard of hearing people that offers a visual communication for the client. It is easy to apply and get set up! All you need is high speed Internet and fill out the application. Depending on their waiting list, it doesn’t take too long for a Sorenson representative to contact you with dates and times for an install. The equipment is just a small camera that you set on top of your television and the installer connects the equipment to your computer. It also comes with a remote control for easy calling and receiving calls. The one complaint we have about the video phone machine is that there is no built in flashing light to notify the deaf person that there is an incoming call. It does “ring” like a phone, though. I think that is funny, considering it is for deaf people. You either have to buy a flashing light or have a hearing person tell you that it’s ringing.
How the video phone works, you turn it on and you can either make a call to another deaf person with a video phone and talk face to face like you’re right in the same room together. If the deaf person needs to call a hearing person, they call an operator/interpreter, who in turn calls the hearing individual. The nice thing about this as compared to the TTY relay is that it is FAST! It is like having a conversation like the person is there. There is no need to say “Go Ahead” after each turn talking. You can just talk whenever you want. You don’t have to wait for the other person to say everything they need to say before you interject. IT takes much less time to do!
The other nice thing about this service is that if a hearing person is trying to call through an interpreter, and the deaf person isn’t home, they can leave a message that is stored on the Sorenson service. All you do is check your email and click the link to retrieve your message, and the interpreter interprets the message for you right there.
This video phone service has totally changed the deaf community! It’s easier to stay in touch with long lost friends and makes phone calls less of a hassle for all parties involved!
For more information on any of these services, please see the link I have posted with this article. We absolutely love our video phone! I feel much safer leaving our children with my deaf husband if something were to happen, he can now call much quicker for help.
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