deafsqrrl

Well, HOVRS has already started business right in my back yard. Actually close enough for the cmmty terps to be attrached to work there. $$$ is a Big reason.

What is going to happen to a deaf community without having terps physically around?

Would you want a VRS involved for your medical appt?

Just wanted to share thoughts.

Deafness

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Etoile

For a medical appointment they use different technology, called VRI (Video Remote Interpreting). The law says that VRS can only be used if the two people are in different places. If they are in the same place you cannot use VRS, you have to use VRI. I don't know a lot about it, but I think the best place for VRI is in hospital emergency rooms. If you cannot tell the doctor what is wrong and the interpreter has not arrived yet, you might end up very sick! But with VRI the interpreter is there immediately and the doctor can ask you what is wrong, what hurts, things like that. That way they can get started treating you. I still think a real live interpreter should go to the hospital! But that takes a long time so VRI is a good way to start off so the doctor doesn't have to wait to help you.

I am an interpreter and one time I was called to a hospital emergency room. The patient was in so much pain and the doctor and nurse had only been able to figure out that something was wrong around the stomach but they didn't know what. When I got there, they were able to ask the patient exactly what the problem was, and the patient was taken care of professionally and felt better much faster! But the patient also spent a long time in pain while everybody waited for me to arrive...with VRI that could be easier because patients can immediately tell the doctor what is wrong.

But anyway! You asked about community terps going into VRS interpreting. That is a very real issue that the Deaf community has been concerned about for a while now. It's true that many VRS companies, not just HOVRS, pay interpreters very well. Also it is a steady job, you don't have to worry about will you have money for food this week! So it is very tempting for a lot of interpreters. But I know many, many of my fellow interpreters who are not interested in VRS. Even myself as an interpreter, although I do work in VRS now, I would prefer to be working with a real live person standing in front of me! So I don't think ALL terps will start working in VRS, but it is a problem coming up fast that there will not be enough terps in the community soon.

deafsqrrl

Thank you for the feedback.

I have been hearing so much about the VRS/VRI companies - thank you for clarifying a difference rbetween VRS and VRI.

Some of us have been depending on our own in-house interpreters for our work for years. We have been losing the # of these interpreters and it is been getting worse.
There is 5 deaf workers of us and we had 5 interp assigned to work with us. Now there has been down to 2. I feel sorry for the 2 remaining terps. They might have a pressure enough to leave their positions. Our supervisors have been awkard trying to borrow one without havng a dramatic issue. It is even harder to get our interp. request filled. The terp agencies have been having a harder time to find an avail. interp for our needs.

I apologize for missing the trend if this issue was addressed before. I don't have much free time but I would love to hear what the Deaf has been saying about that and whats their recourse to this situation. Thank You.

Sincerely Sqrrl.

javapride

etoile. respectfully i must disagree with you on VRI, for instance tv and then the patient laying down can you see the patient laying down no, unless u had that VRI right in your face its TOO impersonal, i would rather have a IRL interp there. NOT a tv interp seriously think abt the feelings of the clients they are the ones in pain NOT u NOT me, think abt thier needs not UR MONEY's NEEDS

this is WHATS seriously LACKING in the community all because of F*cking GREED when are u INTERPS going to get a brain and STOP thinking MONEY and think of the poeple OUT in the community! this is why we are SO LACKING on interps just cause we have VRS doesn't give poeple the right to go depending on tech as the easy way out. common sense previals WE NEED real WARM BODY not TV!

Etoile

Wow, Javapride. I think you totally missed what I was trying to say. I do not appreciate your "get a brain and stop thinking money" comment. I understand that you feel upset about community terps leaving for VRS but I don't think you understand the issue completely, and so you are getting angry without knowing the whole story. I don't appreciate your rude comments and I don't think it is worth addressing the issue with you unless you calm down and read my post again and try to understand what I was saying.

Nesmuth

We're going to be developing a VRI system that enables the camera to move and follow the patient. We've come accross medical terps recently who want help in developing the system. The technology is out there.

Richard

Etoile

Who is "we" that is doing this? I didn't know you work for a company that develops communications equipment for the deaf.

And for the record, I have always said that a real live interpreter is preferable, but that VRI is a temporary substitute while the real interpreter is still driving to the hospital. It's better than sitting and waiting alone and in pain.

Deafilmedia

what happen to paper and pen?

I wouldn't want an interpreter there with me at the doctor office... I need my privacy.

A veteran (HOVRS inventor) and AT&T are giving us deaf people these free service to use Relay and VRS...
Later they will charged us for using these equipments...
Not like we deaf people will be rich... these hearing people will get
rich off of us.

So I think I'll stick with Government Relay Service, cause it is free,
paid by taxpayers.

Etoile

Some Deaf people do not feel comfortable with their English skills, and they feel that if it is a life and death situation then they want the information in their own language. Everybody is different, some people use paper and pen and some people don't like it.
I'm sorry you feel that having an interpreter at a doctor appointment would violate your privacy. You may not know this, but privacy is the single most important thing to interpreters. Anyone who violates a deaf person's privacy will NEVER work as an interpreter again, so nobody does anything like that. And this might come as a surprise, but interpreters also don't usually care about your doctor appointment. I know it is important to you, but to us it is just another day at work. We have our own lives and we are there to facilitate communication with the doctor and then we go home and live our own lives. So although you are concerned about privacy when there is an interpreter at the doctor's office, you really do not have a reason to worry because (1) it is against "interpreter law" for us to tell anything and also (2) we don't really care anyway.
I don't think anybody is trying to make money off deaf people using VRS. It's not free because the companies are giving it to you free...it's free because the government pays for it. VRS and text relay (IP/TTY) are both funded by the government. It is ALL paid for by taxpayers including VRS. Every American who has a phone line has a little charge on their bill every month for TRS, Telecommunications Relay Service. This includes VRS and text relay both! So even if you use VRS it is still paid for by the government...no matter what. The ADA does not allow the VRS companies to charge deaf people, the government HAS to pay for it!

Deafilmedia

Really nothing is free....

We gotta be on internet to get AIM and IP relay.
We gotta have sidekick.
We gotta have phone, phone bill

So we are paying all of those. If you think about it.

Etoile

You are definitely right about that! I would probably cancel my TV service before I would cancel my Internet. And I would never give up my Sidekick! Of course, hearing people pay all those bills too.

But relay is free at least because it is paid for by the government...it's just the equipment that costs money.

ZiNg31

Oh I thought this tread stand for Whore VRS because HOVRS sounds like it.

Deafilmedia

yeah many sick people prefer sore n son VRS,,, eek!!!