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The Frederick News-Post Online - Frederick County Maryland Daily Newspaper
Video relay call centers planned for Frederick and Baltimore counties will offer another communication alternative for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Viable Inc., a provider of video relay services for deaf and hard of hearing people, recently opened a call center in Ellicott City, which is a few miles from the Columbia campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf.
Viable Relay Services plans to open a center in Frederick County in early 2008. The new center will employ 12 people initially.
In the past month, the company has been scouting locations in Frederick, spokesman Glenn Lockhart said.
"After we secure a facility and fully equip it, our focus will then turn to a call center in Baltimore County. We expect both call centers to be operational in the first quarter of 2008," Lockhart said.
In a VRS call, deaf and hard of hearing people for whom American Sign Language is their native language, use video technology to connect to a video interpreter, who will dial out to another party then interpret their conversation. The VRS caller simply signs what he or she wants to say and the interpreter signs back what is voiced on the other end, and as with any telephone call, the conversation goes back and forth and proceeds until either calling party hangs up.
Why Frederick?
The reason Frederick County was selected for the next call center is two-fold, Lockhart said.
"First, our vice president of operations, Jason Yeh graduated from Maryland School for the Deaf, located in Frederick, and cherishes his connection with the town, and it has been his dream to open a business and create jobs where they matter," Lockhart said.
Frederick's high concentration of American Sign Language users due to the presence of Maryland School of the Deaf in the city made Frederick "a logical business choice" for Viable's next VRS call center, Lockhart said.
"We hope to recruit a mix of interpreters who already live in the area and who will be happy to move to a town with so much to offer by way of community and culture," Lockhart said.
"This is an exciting time for the local interpreting community," said Alan Abarbanell, who manages all Viable's VRS call centers. "Our video interpreters do more than just facilitate VRS calls. Viable has a community interpreting program that enables VIs to retain their community ties and fill interpreter requests at locations such as doctor offices. Our Ellicott City call center aims to serve deaf and hard of hearing residents of Howard County as well as Viable VRS callers throughout the country."
Viable Inc. provides next-generation video relay services for deaf and hard of hearing persons that can be accessed wherever there is Internet or wireless connectivity, opening them to a world of communication possibilities.
Founded in 2006, Viable is a private, deaf-owned company, and the majority of its employees are deaf and hard of hearing and are personally vested in the innovation and development of the company's products and services.
Further information is available at Viable.net Homepage.
Video relay call centers planned for Frederick and Baltimore counties will offer another communication alternative for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Viable Inc., a provider of video relay services for deaf and hard of hearing people, recently opened a call center in Ellicott City, which is a few miles from the Columbia campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf.
Viable Relay Services plans to open a center in Frederick County in early 2008. The new center will employ 12 people initially.
In the past month, the company has been scouting locations in Frederick, spokesman Glenn Lockhart said.
"After we secure a facility and fully equip it, our focus will then turn to a call center in Baltimore County. We expect both call centers to be operational in the first quarter of 2008," Lockhart said.
In a VRS call, deaf and hard of hearing people for whom American Sign Language is their native language, use video technology to connect to a video interpreter, who will dial out to another party then interpret their conversation. The VRS caller simply signs what he or she wants to say and the interpreter signs back what is voiced on the other end, and as with any telephone call, the conversation goes back and forth and proceeds until either calling party hangs up.
Why Frederick?
The reason Frederick County was selected for the next call center is two-fold, Lockhart said.
"First, our vice president of operations, Jason Yeh graduated from Maryland School for the Deaf, located in Frederick, and cherishes his connection with the town, and it has been his dream to open a business and create jobs where they matter," Lockhart said.
Frederick's high concentration of American Sign Language users due to the presence of Maryland School of the Deaf in the city made Frederick "a logical business choice" for Viable's next VRS call center, Lockhart said.
"We hope to recruit a mix of interpreters who already live in the area and who will be happy to move to a town with so much to offer by way of community and culture," Lockhart said.
"This is an exciting time for the local interpreting community," said Alan Abarbanell, who manages all Viable's VRS call centers. "Our video interpreters do more than just facilitate VRS calls. Viable has a community interpreting program that enables VIs to retain their community ties and fill interpreter requests at locations such as doctor offices. Our Ellicott City call center aims to serve deaf and hard of hearing residents of Howard County as well as Viable VRS callers throughout the country."
Viable Inc. provides next-generation video relay services for deaf and hard of hearing persons that can be accessed wherever there is Internet or wireless connectivity, opening them to a world of communication possibilities.
Founded in 2006, Viable is a private, deaf-owned company, and the majority of its employees are deaf and hard of hearing and are personally vested in the innovation and development of the company's products and services.
Further information is available at Viable.net Homepage.
