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http://www.vbbeacon.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/07/05/44ac141ee8544
Remember the old days when The Jetsons popped into your living room on Saturday mornings? George Jetson always used his futuristic technology to call his wife Jane, who could see her husband’s face on a television screen and communicate with him that way.
Now, according to Caroline Holland, Director over the Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH), a very similar system is now being made available to homes with deaf or hard of hearing residents free of charge.
Enter the Sorenson VRS: a new device that, when installed in someone’s home, can be used to contact family members, the CCDHH office, or another deaf or hard of hearing friend using the same equipment. And the communication method: what else? Sign language!
“Sorenson VRS enables people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate directly by signing,” Holland says, adding that Sorenson users can also get in contact with the CCDHH office via the office’s Sorenson.
CCDHH has decided to extend the service to qualified applicants in 11 counties around the region, Unicoi included. The program effort has been funded in part by the Tennessee Division of Rehabilitation Services.
“It’s like Instant Messenger for the deaf,” Erwin resident Margaret Seward says.
Seward’s daughter, Deah Seward, was diagnosed as being hard of hearing a while back. The scary thing is that Deah could go deaf at any given time, pending the rupturing of fluid-filled sacs in her inner ears.
According to Deah’s mother, Deah is qualified to receive the SRS device for free. But Margaret wants to wait a while before pursuing this option.
“I don’t think she’s ready as far as her ability in sign language,” she says, adding that Deah will get the equipment at some point after learning enough to have an advanced conversation in sign language.
Deah knows about 150 words right now, as she and her mom have been traveling to Frontier Health’s signing classes. She also knows her numbers and her alphabet.
The two of them completed the introductory level of the course but were unable to go on to level two because not enough people signed up to take the course.
Currently, no course is being offered, but Deah and her mom plan to go back once school starts back up, despite some hardships faced on Deah’s part.
“She’s the only child in the class,” Margaret says. Deah adds that sometimes the class is difficult for her since she is so young, but she enjoys it nevertheless.
Frontier Health’s Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers the above mentioned courses, which focus on the development of sign language through finger-spelling, vocabulary skill structures, and learning about deaf culture.
Students like Deah begin by learning the alphabet and numbers. By the fourth level of the course, they are able to engage in full conversation by using body movements and facial expression. Margaret seems to hope that one day, the high school will offer courses in sign language to benefit students like Deah and others who just want to take it for fun.
If you would like more information about CCDHH, the new Sorenson systems, or the American Sign Language courses, call (423) 434-0447. You may also contact technicians for the Sorenson VRS at (423) 434-4271. You may also visit www.frontierhealth.org/ccdhh.html or www.sorensonvrs.com.
Remember the old days when The Jetsons popped into your living room on Saturday mornings? George Jetson always used his futuristic technology to call his wife Jane, who could see her husband’s face on a television screen and communicate with him that way.
Now, according to Caroline Holland, Director over the Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH), a very similar system is now being made available to homes with deaf or hard of hearing residents free of charge.
Enter the Sorenson VRS: a new device that, when installed in someone’s home, can be used to contact family members, the CCDHH office, or another deaf or hard of hearing friend using the same equipment. And the communication method: what else? Sign language!
“Sorenson VRS enables people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate directly by signing,” Holland says, adding that Sorenson users can also get in contact with the CCDHH office via the office’s Sorenson.
CCDHH has decided to extend the service to qualified applicants in 11 counties around the region, Unicoi included. The program effort has been funded in part by the Tennessee Division of Rehabilitation Services.
“It’s like Instant Messenger for the deaf,” Erwin resident Margaret Seward says.
Seward’s daughter, Deah Seward, was diagnosed as being hard of hearing a while back. The scary thing is that Deah could go deaf at any given time, pending the rupturing of fluid-filled sacs in her inner ears.
According to Deah’s mother, Deah is qualified to receive the SRS device for free. But Margaret wants to wait a while before pursuing this option.
“I don’t think she’s ready as far as her ability in sign language,” she says, adding that Deah will get the equipment at some point after learning enough to have an advanced conversation in sign language.
Deah knows about 150 words right now, as she and her mom have been traveling to Frontier Health’s signing classes. She also knows her numbers and her alphabet.
The two of them completed the introductory level of the course but were unable to go on to level two because not enough people signed up to take the course.
Currently, no course is being offered, but Deah and her mom plan to go back once school starts back up, despite some hardships faced on Deah’s part.
“She’s the only child in the class,” Margaret says. Deah adds that sometimes the class is difficult for her since she is so young, but she enjoys it nevertheless.
Frontier Health’s Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers the above mentioned courses, which focus on the development of sign language through finger-spelling, vocabulary skill structures, and learning about deaf culture.
Students like Deah begin by learning the alphabet and numbers. By the fourth level of the course, they are able to engage in full conversation by using body movements and facial expression. Margaret seems to hope that one day, the high school will offer courses in sign language to benefit students like Deah and others who just want to take it for fun.
If you would like more information about CCDHH, the new Sorenson systems, or the American Sign Language courses, call (423) 434-0447. You may also contact technicians for the Sorenson VRS at (423) 434-4271. You may also visit www.frontierhealth.org/ccdhh.html or www.sorensonvrs.com.