Deaf-Blind And VideoPhone
Distant cousins.
Last night, a Canadian friend asked me on MSN whether I had Videophone. I said no, being one of the fast diminishing number of Deaf Canadians without videophone, a device that has changed the way Deaf people communicate with one another by way of video conferencing made possible to the public. I told her I would order one soon. Just to keep up with growing number of friends who have vp’s, in the states and in Canada.
Last week when I was about to depart Washington, D.C. after six long weeks, a lot of my peers told me we’d keep in touch via videophone. “It’s such an amazing tool, I can see your face age and see your family, being able to be part of your life thanks to videophoneâ€, one of my friends gushed. But her face suddenly frowned upon learning that I wasn’t the proud owner of such devices, and joked that I was in the ‘stone age’ of phone communication and if I didn’t get one soon, I would be further apart from my Deaf comrades.
And that couldn’t be more true.
The day that videophone was made accessible to Deaf people across the nation by way of two telecommunications companies, Sorenson Communications, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the deaf-owned Communication Services for the Deaf, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was the day many people decided to throw out their trusty old Ultratec Telecommunication Device for the Deaf, known as the TDD, or TTY. And that was the darkest day for the Deaf-Blind community.
I didn’t understand the enormous yet devastating impact of accelerating pace in which technology for the Deaf had on the Deaf-Blind communities and individuals across the nation until I took one of my Communication Studies required classes that focused on communication accessibility for the Deaf. Dr. Judith Harkins taught the “Accessibility in Communications†class at Gallaudet during the Spring Semesrer of 2006, the semester I graduated from the university. In the beginning, she would point out that the class would understand the chronological order of how technology had evolved for the Deaf people, from FM systems to the cochlear implant, from Morse Code to transmittal of codes through phone lines that made it possible for the TTY to decipher typed messages, and grainy webcam video images to communicate in sign language to clear, smooth signing on videophones. How time had evolved, and were kind to the Deaf people.
That was, until one day our lessons focused on the hottest accessible technology in the Deaf world – the videophone – that I had finally seen how it could hurt the Deaf-Blind community and ever since I’ve been vigilant and somewhat fearful.
When Dr. Harkins asked her 16 Deaf students how many of us had videophones at home. 12 of us replied Yes, including me – I had a condo off campus with two roommates who thought the world of the vp. She then asked how many of us had a TTY at home prior to 2000. All of us replied yes. Then the shocker came: Harkind then asked us if we had TTYs after we received videophones and only 3 responded yes. Including me.
Now, what does this mean? What does this answer tell you about the number of Deaf Americans who have videophones and not TTYs? Just by reading my recollections of my classmates’ answers? Is this bad or good news for the Deaf-Blind community?
Very devastating for the Deaf-Blind community. Why?
When I interned in Seattle, Washington, which happens to be the mecca of Deaf-Blind individuals, I had learned quite a few things about the community I am a member of, and the Deaf community around us. For instance:
-       The Americans with Disabilities Act is a poorly written work by the Government without never-ending adjustments since 1990. Because of negligence on the government’s part, the Deaf-Blind are left out of possible changes that could enforce states to shell out money to cover Support Service Provider projects, cover most of the deep costs incurred by technology companies that provide devices that could give Deaf-Blind people more independence, and aid services and agencies that work around and for the Deaf-Blind people. Social security checks aren’t enough, for it is a small relief for many Deaf-Blind people who aren’t employed and need more for increased independence. Computers for the Deaf-Blind with refreshable Braille displays cost an average $4,000 to $7,000. In many states, especially Louisiana, services and agencies are not funded mainly by the state government but on private funding which makes it difficult for program growth and stability. The future for Support Service Provider programs often dwindle from bright to dim, dim to bright because there aren’t any guarantees of permanent funding for Deaf-Blind people to have assistance to do what most sighted people do daily as independent folks. The ADA needs drastic change, so that the current revisions would enforce states to pay up, not just for the Deaf and the hearing blind, but for the Deaf-Blind people who greatly deserve more means to independence.
-       Now that I’ve mentioned insufficient funding from the state in regards to technology that enables Deaf-Blind to receive computers, this means with the world becoming more dependent on computers as a means to communicate via e-mail, webcasting, website browsing, research, et-cetera, many Deaf-Blind people who have no means to catch up with the rest will stay very far behind. For the lucky few in Washington State, the Deaf-Blind Service Center and the Lighthouse for the Blind, two agencies had convinced the state government to provide free computers to the Deaf-Blind people of the state with the understanding that they were to get training and with flying colors, they would get a free computer. What about the other 49 states?
-       While a small number of Deaf-Blind people are fortunate enough to have computers so they could e-mail their peers, families and co-workers, many other Deaf-Blind people still rely on their Ultratech Braille TTY or Large-Print TTYs. These devices are compatible with regular Ultratec TTYs meaning that a completely blind individual using a Braille TTY could call a Deaf sighted person and converse the same. The same goes for the Deaf-Blind person who could call relay services with their TTYs and order a pizza. But now seeing that most of my Communication Accessibility peers had thrown out their TTYs, how would I call them later on if I became completely blind? I cannot even use a videophone for obvious reasons….
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The number of government-sponsored voice relay services that service TTYs are going down while video relay services sponsored by the government and private funding has gone up. What if a census has been done in say, 5 years and it proves only 5% of the Deaf population still uses TTYs out of two million people? What would happen then? If voice relay services diminish, then that would mean Deaf-Blind people would have NO way of communicating with their peers and their families, what with the expensive costs of a computer designed for the Deaf-Blind and visual images on the videophone impossible to understand?
People, especially ‘my’ people, don’t feel depressed or down. Instead, ask yourself – what can I do? How can I change the ADA to better meet the needs of the Deaf-Blind community? How can we change the pace of the technology evolution so that we, the Deaf and Deaf-Blind people, make a difference all the same? Do I have bright ideas on how a completely Deaf-Blind person can still use videophone with a few alternatives? Would videophone companies listen? Especially Sorenson, Viable Communications, Hawk Relay, CSD and the ever growing number of vp services and relay services?
Most importantly you should ask yourself: where is that TTY of mine, collecting dust? You just might have a Deaf-Blind friend calling you sometime soon.
Main message of this blog: please don’t leave us behind. Deaf people have said the same thing to Hearing people and for decades, the Deaf communities have made themselves heard with captioning rights, the ADA, a strong organization like the National Association for the Deaf, Gallaudet University, and right to interpreter. Now, what I am asking you to do is to keep us in mind while you’re changing the face of the Deaf world – include the family members who happen to be blind. There’s so much that we don’t have that you have – pagers, vp’s, the right to interpreters, state funding, a strong organization, refreshable Braille displays on atm machines and a place in the deaf community. It makes me pissed off. And energized to do something but on an international level. What say you, those in a position to change something, locally, statewide and nationally?
Tactile love and keep your ttys and keep calling for changes.
Christine Roschaert
Commentary: While struggling to fix my new videophone, inoperable for months, several days ago, I wondered how the deafblind people feel about the videophones, now that many people have dumped their TTYs for newer technology. Then I came across Christine’s article the next day. Thanks, Christine, for agreeing to share your article with the public.
email contact: mishkazena@aol.com
Distant cousins.
Last night, a Canadian friend asked me on MSN whether I had Videophone. I said no, being one of the fast diminishing number of Deaf Canadians without videophone, a device that has changed the way Deaf people communicate with one another by way of video conferencing made possible to the public. I told her I would order one soon. Just to keep up with growing number of friends who have vp’s, in the states and in Canada.
Last week when I was about to depart Washington, D.C. after six long weeks, a lot of my peers told me we’d keep in touch via videophone. “It’s such an amazing tool, I can see your face age and see your family, being able to be part of your life thanks to videophoneâ€, one of my friends gushed. But her face suddenly frowned upon learning that I wasn’t the proud owner of such devices, and joked that I was in the ‘stone age’ of phone communication and if I didn’t get one soon, I would be further apart from my Deaf comrades.
And that couldn’t be more true.
The day that videophone was made accessible to Deaf people across the nation by way of two telecommunications companies, Sorenson Communications, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the deaf-owned Communication Services for the Deaf, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was the day many people decided to throw out their trusty old Ultratec Telecommunication Device for the Deaf, known as the TDD, or TTY. And that was the darkest day for the Deaf-Blind community.
I didn’t understand the enormous yet devastating impact of accelerating pace in which technology for the Deaf had on the Deaf-Blind communities and individuals across the nation until I took one of my Communication Studies required classes that focused on communication accessibility for the Deaf. Dr. Judith Harkins taught the “Accessibility in Communications†class at Gallaudet during the Spring Semesrer of 2006, the semester I graduated from the university. In the beginning, she would point out that the class would understand the chronological order of how technology had evolved for the Deaf people, from FM systems to the cochlear implant, from Morse Code to transmittal of codes through phone lines that made it possible for the TTY to decipher typed messages, and grainy webcam video images to communicate in sign language to clear, smooth signing on videophones. How time had evolved, and were kind to the Deaf people.
That was, until one day our lessons focused on the hottest accessible technology in the Deaf world – the videophone – that I had finally seen how it could hurt the Deaf-Blind community and ever since I’ve been vigilant and somewhat fearful.
When Dr. Harkins asked her 16 Deaf students how many of us had videophones at home. 12 of us replied Yes, including me – I had a condo off campus with two roommates who thought the world of the vp. She then asked how many of us had a TTY at home prior to 2000. All of us replied yes. Then the shocker came: Harkind then asked us if we had TTYs after we received videophones and only 3 responded yes. Including me.
Now, what does this mean? What does this answer tell you about the number of Deaf Americans who have videophones and not TTYs? Just by reading my recollections of my classmates’ answers? Is this bad or good news for the Deaf-Blind community?
Very devastating for the Deaf-Blind community. Why?
When I interned in Seattle, Washington, which happens to be the mecca of Deaf-Blind individuals, I had learned quite a few things about the community I am a member of, and the Deaf community around us. For instance:
-       The Americans with Disabilities Act is a poorly written work by the Government without never-ending adjustments since 1990. Because of negligence on the government’s part, the Deaf-Blind are left out of possible changes that could enforce states to shell out money to cover Support Service Provider projects, cover most of the deep costs incurred by technology companies that provide devices that could give Deaf-Blind people more independence, and aid services and agencies that work around and for the Deaf-Blind people. Social security checks aren’t enough, for it is a small relief for many Deaf-Blind people who aren’t employed and need more for increased independence. Computers for the Deaf-Blind with refreshable Braille displays cost an average $4,000 to $7,000. In many states, especially Louisiana, services and agencies are not funded mainly by the state government but on private funding which makes it difficult for program growth and stability. The future for Support Service Provider programs often dwindle from bright to dim, dim to bright because there aren’t any guarantees of permanent funding for Deaf-Blind people to have assistance to do what most sighted people do daily as independent folks. The ADA needs drastic change, so that the current revisions would enforce states to pay up, not just for the Deaf and the hearing blind, but for the Deaf-Blind people who greatly deserve more means to independence.
-       Now that I’ve mentioned insufficient funding from the state in regards to technology that enables Deaf-Blind to receive computers, this means with the world becoming more dependent on computers as a means to communicate via e-mail, webcasting, website browsing, research, et-cetera, many Deaf-Blind people who have no means to catch up with the rest will stay very far behind. For the lucky few in Washington State, the Deaf-Blind Service Center and the Lighthouse for the Blind, two agencies had convinced the state government to provide free computers to the Deaf-Blind people of the state with the understanding that they were to get training and with flying colors, they would get a free computer. What about the other 49 states?
-       While a small number of Deaf-Blind people are fortunate enough to have computers so they could e-mail their peers, families and co-workers, many other Deaf-Blind people still rely on their Ultratech Braille TTY or Large-Print TTYs. These devices are compatible with regular Ultratec TTYs meaning that a completely blind individual using a Braille TTY could call a Deaf sighted person and converse the same. The same goes for the Deaf-Blind person who could call relay services with their TTYs and order a pizza. But now seeing that most of my Communication Accessibility peers had thrown out their TTYs, how would I call them later on if I became completely blind? I cannot even use a videophone for obvious reasons….
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The number of government-sponsored voice relay services that service TTYs are going down while video relay services sponsored by the government and private funding has gone up. What if a census has been done in say, 5 years and it proves only 5% of the Deaf population still uses TTYs out of two million people? What would happen then? If voice relay services diminish, then that would mean Deaf-Blind people would have NO way of communicating with their peers and their families, what with the expensive costs of a computer designed for the Deaf-Blind and visual images on the videophone impossible to understand?
People, especially ‘my’ people, don’t feel depressed or down. Instead, ask yourself – what can I do? How can I change the ADA to better meet the needs of the Deaf-Blind community? How can we change the pace of the technology evolution so that we, the Deaf and Deaf-Blind people, make a difference all the same? Do I have bright ideas on how a completely Deaf-Blind person can still use videophone with a few alternatives? Would videophone companies listen? Especially Sorenson, Viable Communications, Hawk Relay, CSD and the ever growing number of vp services and relay services?
Most importantly you should ask yourself: where is that TTY of mine, collecting dust? You just might have a Deaf-Blind friend calling you sometime soon.
Main message of this blog: please don’t leave us behind. Deaf people have said the same thing to Hearing people and for decades, the Deaf communities have made themselves heard with captioning rights, the ADA, a strong organization like the National Association for the Deaf, Gallaudet University, and right to interpreter. Now, what I am asking you to do is to keep us in mind while you’re changing the face of the Deaf world – include the family members who happen to be blind. There’s so much that we don’t have that you have – pagers, vp’s, the right to interpreters, state funding, a strong organization, refreshable Braille displays on atm machines and a place in the deaf community. It makes me pissed off. And energized to do something but on an international level. What say you, those in a position to change something, locally, statewide and nationally?
Tactile love and keep your ttys and keep calling for changes.
Christine Roschaert
Commentary: While struggling to fix my new videophone, inoperable for months, several days ago, I wondered how the deafblind people feel about the videophones, now that many people have dumped their TTYs for newer technology. Then I came across Christine’s article the next day. Thanks, Christine, for agreeing to share your article with the public.
email contact: mishkazena@aol.com
January 31st, 2007 at 3:02 pm
How can I help? I want to contact Mark Hill of North Dakota about his work with DeafBlind.
Vonne (Gulick) Gulak
January 31st, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Thank you Christine!!! That is my husband’s concern. He is becoming blind and said it is very hard for him to read deaf signing if the signer with grainy background, busy background, or signs too fast, etc. For him, written word is much, much easier.
We want to join the DeafBlind Community. Vonne Gulak
August 19th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
As a DeafBlind individual like me, you have put the DeafBlind’s situation in the proper perspective. The future does hold some good potential. But at the moment we are indeed being left behind in many areas. The DeafBlind most popular direct line TTY, Tele-Braille, has not been manufactured for over eight years which makes the situation much worse in communication with their friends via TTY. The good news is the Videos Phone providers are beginning to recognize our dire needs and working with the American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB), Helen Keller National Center (HKNC), and others. They still have a long way to go but our hopes are becoming a reality. The big question in most mind is when.
Keep up the great work you are doing and again thank you for this great article.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I just came back from Deaf/Blind retreat as a partcipant, and I googled blogs with the search term “HKNC blog” because I wanted to find out more about HKNC and this was the first result on the page.
I agree completely with you about the situation, and I didn’t even know videophones existed. I don’t sign, but I am learning ASL, but as I found out, it is hard for me to read signs as I have ushers. Also, I never personally used TTY for personal use (I have cochlear and raised with the oral method), I still fear that with the technology getting better with the years, the deaf/blind community is getting left behind.
Since this was posted well over a year ago, maybe the technology improved now. I hope so, and I will research further. =) Thanks for bringing the issue up!
January 29th, 2008 at 2:17 am
I am Deaf and my vision has recently became so bad that I am now legally blind in what used to be my good eye as well as the one I have always been blind, growing up I always used large print, so I don’t know braille as of yet, and my vision is so bad on some days that I can’t see anything these days are occurring more and more frequently therefore I can no longer use a vp or a TTY. I am stuck and unable to communicate with hearing people in real time on the phone.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thank you.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I am so glad I found your blog smile. I am NOT a big fan of the videophone. I have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) & due to it, I prefer tactile sign even though I can see & hear fully. I still have my TTY & love-it smile. I miss having friends to call on it though. I mostly use it for calling businesses that have TTY numbers. But I know-that the Deaf-Blind & speech-impaired still widely use TTYs & hope that the traditional TRSs continue to be offered as they always were before. Recently I contacted the FCC & expressed concern for the future availability of the traditional TRSs, which I use often.
I must mention…I would like to participate in advocating for the Deaf-Blind to NOT be left behind due to technological advances. The Deaf-Blind are my good-friends smile. Please feel free to email-me & check out my autobiographical website.