Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,158
- Reaction score
- 7
News 8 Austin | 24 Hour Local News | LOCAL NEWS
At a call center full of employees, complete silence might be an indicator of an unproductive staff, but the silence at one Waco call center doesn't mean that at all.
Communication Service for the Deaf is the first center of its kind in Waco.
"This service provides them access so that they can communicate with hearing people, or for hearing people to communicate with deaf people. It works both ways," Interpreting Manager Byron Bridges said.
At the new call center in Waco, two full time interpreters and five part-time interpreters answer calls.
"And so the deaf individual with their video phone at home calls the operator here and say 'Call my doctor,' for example," Bridges said.
Newer technology provides more detailed information, and the interpreter and caller can see each other on their monitors.
Before video phones came along, deaf people used a device called TTY or teletype. It looks like a large calculator only with letters instead of numbers and the concept is similar to text messaging.
With the video phone, Bridges said the emotion you can see is better communication.
"Being able to use American Sign Language on video conveys so much more -- 70 percent more information in terms of your facial expression and what you see through the interpreter," Bridges said.
Texas State Technical College student Eduardo Accardte agrees.
"You know, it's very good that we have that here in our town, it really helps the community and the deaf and the hearing," he said.
The center takes calls from all over the nation.
At a call center full of employees, complete silence might be an indicator of an unproductive staff, but the silence at one Waco call center doesn't mean that at all.
Communication Service for the Deaf is the first center of its kind in Waco.
"This service provides them access so that they can communicate with hearing people, or for hearing people to communicate with deaf people. It works both ways," Interpreting Manager Byron Bridges said.
At the new call center in Waco, two full time interpreters and five part-time interpreters answer calls.
"And so the deaf individual with their video phone at home calls the operator here and say 'Call my doctor,' for example," Bridges said.
Newer technology provides more detailed information, and the interpreter and caller can see each other on their monitors.
Before video phones came along, deaf people used a device called TTY or teletype. It looks like a large calculator only with letters instead of numbers and the concept is similar to text messaging.
With the video phone, Bridges said the emotion you can see is better communication.
"Being able to use American Sign Language on video conveys so much more -- 70 percent more information in terms of your facial expression and what you see through the interpreter," Bridges said.
Texas State Technical College student Eduardo Accardte agrees.
"You know, it's very good that we have that here in our town, it really helps the community and the deaf and the hearing," he said.
The center takes calls from all over the nation.