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http://www.fresnostatenews.com/2005/12/1220deaf.htm
Deaf faculty at California State University, Fresno, will be able to more effectively communicate with students, colleagues and other individuals on campus and elsewhere with new equipment in the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies Department.
Sorenson Communications donated its Video Relay Service (VRS) equipment to the Deaf Studies Department. The equipment allows the faculty to easily communicate using American Sign Language with deaf and hard-of-hearing people using videophones. The callers also conduct video relay conversations with hearing people through qualified ASL interpreters.
The free video relay calls are possible using a sign language interpreter, Sorenson videophone, TV and a high-speed Internet connection. The deaf user sees an interpreter on his or her screen and signs to the interpreter, who then contacts the hearing user via a standard phone line and relays the conversation between the two parties. Hearing people also can use the system to call the Deaf Studies faculty.
"Having the new technology makes us more deaf-friendly," said Dr. Paul Ogden, a professor in Fresno State's Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies Department. Ogden, who was born deaf, has relied on a TYY (text telephone) or TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). Much of his communication consisted of conversing in two-way text, which is difficult in phone conversations, he said.
Ogden is one of six professors who have the opportunity to use VRS. He says the equipment allows the Deaf Studies faculty to become more actively involved in student recruitment and research projects and programs. "This is a very unique system. There are no pauses, interruptions or misunderstandings. The interpreter gets to look at you. It's as if you are calling someone through a cell phone," Ogden said.
Sorenson Communications is a pioneer of industry-leading communication services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The company has donated customized videophones and auto-updating technology to deaf and hard-of-hearing people throughout the United States.
For more information, contact Brandie Campbell in the Central California Center for Health and Human Services at 559.228.2150 or visit the following Web site:
Sorenson: www.sorensonvrs.com.
Deaf faculty at California State University, Fresno, will be able to more effectively communicate with students, colleagues and other individuals on campus and elsewhere with new equipment in the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies Department.
Sorenson Communications donated its Video Relay Service (VRS) equipment to the Deaf Studies Department. The equipment allows the faculty to easily communicate using American Sign Language with deaf and hard-of-hearing people using videophones. The callers also conduct video relay conversations with hearing people through qualified ASL interpreters.
The free video relay calls are possible using a sign language interpreter, Sorenson videophone, TV and a high-speed Internet connection. The deaf user sees an interpreter on his or her screen and signs to the interpreter, who then contacts the hearing user via a standard phone line and relays the conversation between the two parties. Hearing people also can use the system to call the Deaf Studies faculty.
"Having the new technology makes us more deaf-friendly," said Dr. Paul Ogden, a professor in Fresno State's Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies Department. Ogden, who was born deaf, has relied on a TYY (text telephone) or TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). Much of his communication consisted of conversing in two-way text, which is difficult in phone conversations, he said.
Ogden is one of six professors who have the opportunity to use VRS. He says the equipment allows the Deaf Studies faculty to become more actively involved in student recruitment and research projects and programs. "This is a very unique system. There are no pauses, interruptions or misunderstandings. The interpreter gets to look at you. It's as if you are calling someone through a cell phone," Ogden said.
Sorenson Communications is a pioneer of industry-leading communication services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The company has donated customized videophones and auto-updating technology to deaf and hard-of-hearing people throughout the United States.
For more information, contact Brandie Campbell in the Central California Center for Health and Human Services at 559.228.2150 or visit the following Web site:
Sorenson: www.sorensonvrs.com.