VRS Technology is GREAT. But..............

Nesmuth

Nesmuth

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Look at what it's been doing to take a lot of interpreters away from the mainstream communication needs like doctor appointments, lawyer appointments, job interviews, police interrogations, and other more important communication situations. The ADA gives these entities the right to refuse interpreters if searching for interpreters becomes burdensome and simply the interpreter shortage is all the 'burden' they need to use to refuse our rights to interpreters.

Our title II and III rights to interpreters are being stifled by the VRS industry. Our rights to interpreters are being quashed by the lucrative VRS jobs and benefits offered to interpreters.

It's time to fight to return the interpreters back to the deaf communities that need them and let the greedy VRS industry farm up their own interpreters.

Richard Roehm
CEO
OCDAC
 
Actually, the blame should not be placed on the VRS company, but the interpreters themselves. Some interpreters are nothing but greedy and will not interpret for anything less than the pay they receive at VRS. Several interpreters I know work at the VRS company here in SLC, but they still go out to interpret for other companies at a lower rate.

Incidentially, I had the pleasure of having a CODA interpreter here in Utah the other night, and I asked her where she was from. She said she was from California, and that she prefers California because of no certifications required?! I was shocked, cos she said that Utah was much more stricter than California when it comes to certified interpreters.

Sorensen is trying to set up a bigger ITP at the local community college, but we see it as a fantasy for them. There is no way we will be able to graduate 100 interpreters per year, like they want us to. We usually graduate an average of 15 interpreters per year!
 
Does not matter, but its true that some terps loves to go on sites, while other terps prefer stay in office. So eventually this will spread out.

I was hoping for VRI so that more terp will be available, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!, even with only 15 munutes advance notice. That is what I am hoping for. VRS is steppingstone. So STFU!
 
Nesmuth said:
Our rights to interpreters are being quashed by the lucrative VRS jobs and benefits offered to interpreters.
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I dunno. How do those VRS companies decide what's the "right" amount to pay VRS interpreters? I thought that RELAY SERVICES pay the market rate for those kind of services -- meaning that they pay equivalent to services just like it in other industries, for example, a 711 relay operator gets paid just like any other phone monkey where they type what they hear and say what is typed to them.

An interpreter that doesn't have to commute isn't getting paid mileage. What warrants VRS interpreters getting benefits and other compensation given only to STAFF-classified interpreters (meaning they are UBER qualified and often do other duties than just interpreting)???

I mean, I think the reason why NECA is paying so much per minute is because the VRS companies are driving up the paychecks and then billing the government at NO COST to themselves.


Then again, when I think of teachers and how much work they do for a living on such meager pay (people complain they get 3 months off in a year -- but they don't realize teachers do 10-12 hours a work a day, and work weekends, holidays, and free time to grade papers, do planning, keep up with their certifications, and maintain their sanity). Have interpreters been getting taken advantage of for so many years, and now it's time for the market demand to go up, finally?
 
FYI Broadband is NOT cheap, the more videostreaming a company uses, the more they HAVE to pay for internet access. Its calling bandwidth! I think Sorenson's budget for payroll is below normal for most companies!
So, its basically equipment operation cost that VRS have to face.

So you see why FCC is paying less for TRS than VRS. IP relay, and other TRS methods don't require bigger bandwidth, so their cost stay low.

Dennis said:
I dunno. How do those VRS companies decide what's the "right" amount to pay VRS interpreters? I thought that RELAY SERVICES pay the market rate for those kind of services -- meaning that they pay equivalent to services just like it in other industries, for example, a 711 relay operator gets paid just like any other phone monkey where they type what they hear and say what is typed to them.

An interpreter that doesn't have to commute isn't getting paid mileage. What warrants VRS interpreters getting benefits and other compensation given only to STAFF-classified interpreters (meaning they are UBER qualified and often do other duties than just interpreting)???

I mean, I think the reason why NECA is paying so much per minute is because the VRS companies are driving up the paychecks and then billing the government at NO COST to themselves.


Then again, when I think of teachers and how much work they do for a living on such meager pay (people complain they get 3 months off in a year -- but they don't realize teachers do 10-12 hours a work a day, and work weekends, holidays, and free time to grade papers, do planning, keep up with their certifications, and maintain their sanity). Have interpreters been getting taken advantage of for so many years, and now it's time for the market demand to go up, finally?
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cental34 said:
:wtf:
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I'm not being derogative towards relay operators -- I'm referring to other kinds of call centers where they have similar capabilities that relay services provide. A telemarketing center, or a customer support center, or a technical support helpdesk, and so on. Oddly enough, when you think about it, a person using relay is often having the relay operator connect to someone who has similar basic skill set to what the relay operators are trained to do.

FYI Broadband is NOT cheap, the more videostreaming a company uses, the more they HAVE to pay for internet access. Its calling bandwidth! I think Sorenson's budget for payroll is below normal for most companies!
So, its basically equipment operation cost that VRS have to face.

So you see why FCC is paying less for TRS than VRS. IP relay, and other TRS methods don't require bigger bandwidth, so their cost stay low.
Click to expand...

Broadband costs are continuing to go down as scales of efficiency go up. It's not about using more bandwidth, it's also about improvements to the video quality with the bandwidth you have.

Sorenson's payroll is not, in fact, lower than others. My understanding is that they're paying more than other VRS companies. Dunno why, though. And dunno how they're getting away with "billing less than other companies" to the NECA fund.
 
So what do we do about it? Maybe interpreter organizations need to address this. Have they become too silent?

The problem i faced is that last week I got a call from 2 San Diego attorneys who say they searched for months and couldnt find terps for their clients at a planned meeting last friday. I even asked DCS of SD for help and they too couldnt find one either. A lady there also points the finger at VRS for the interpreter shortage.

Maybe that the reason why the San Diego and Santee cops couldnt get interpreters too. This resulted in needless convictions because some the deaf inmates and probationees have been completely silenced by the interpreter shortages.

And the interpreter shortage could be seen as an excuseable burden that waives them the obligation of securing communication services.

Richard
 
Nesmuth said:
Look at what it's been doing to take a lot of interpreters away from the mainstream communication needs like doctor appointments, lawyer appointments, job interviews, police interrogations, and other more important communication situations. The ADA gives these entities the right to refuse interpreters if searching for interpreters becomes burdensome and simply the interpreter shortage is all the 'burden' they need to use to refuse our rights to interpreters.

Our title II and III rights to interpreters are being stifled by the VRS industry. Our rights to interpreters are being quashed by the lucrative VRS jobs and benefits offered to interpreters.

It's time to fight to return the interpreters back to the deaf communities that need them and let the greedy VRS industry farm up their own interpreters.

Richard Roehm
CEO
OCDAC
Click to expand...


Still, why are you complaining? Train more interpreters as the demand still outweigh the supply for many, many years. It just got worse. Thanks to lucrative FCC/NECA rates.

You dont fight to return more interpreters, you fight on training and certifying more interprters, simple as that.

CEO?? OCDAC?? Orange County Deaf Advoacy Center, why not partner with NAD/RID to train terps? OCDAC is just full of hot air.
 
qwerty123 said:
OCDAC is just full of hot air.
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Whaoh thats uncalled for we're already in the business in supporting terp training through our ASL Meetups and we already trained people to start terp farms in the prisons.

meetupa.gif

ASL Meetups

And it dont have to be as glossy as NAD/RID wants it to be.

Richard
 
Nesmuth said:
So what do we do about it? Maybe interpreter organizations need to address this. Have they become too silent?

The problem i faced is that last week I got a call from 2 San Diego attorneys who say they searched for months and couldnt find terps for their clients at a planned meeting last friday. I even asked DCS of SD for help and they too couldnt find one either. A lady there also points the finger at VRS for the interpreter shortage.

Maybe that the reason why the San Diego and Santee cops couldnt get interpreters too. This resulted in needless convictions because some the deaf inmates and probationees have been completely silenced by the interpreter shortages.

And the interpreter shortage could be seen as an excuseable burden that waives them the obligation of securing communication services.

Richard
Click to expand...

May I remind you that there are another interpreters still on the call for emergery for hostpital, police, etc? That's why there are not enough workforce at VRSs. They also need some break too like summer season. Who knows. They also interpret at night schools. They also have personal reasons like family problems, home problems like waiting for plumbing or receiving new items like new furnitures. They also need some break from doctors' orders like developing tunnel carpels. Should I go on....?
 
True, PLUS let me remind ya all that problem with terp shortage exists long before the VRS were invented! Please quit blaming on VRS, they got NOTHING to do with the shortage problem.

I often use VRS as an remote terp! Many times, I told people to wait for me to call them so we can discuss more depth. So I go back home and call then. This made alot easier for me than to get an terp and pay for fees.

mld4ds said:
May I remind you that there are another interpreters still on the call for emergery for hostpital, police, etc? That's why there are not enough workforce at VRSs. They also need some break too like summer season. Who knows. They also interpret at night schools. They also have personal reasons like family problems, home problems like waiting for plumbing or receiving new items like new furnitures. They also need some break from doctors' orders like developing tunnel carpels. Should I go on....?
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mld4ds said:
items like new furnitures. They also need some break from doctors' orders like developing tunnel carpels. Should I go on....?
Click to expand...

Go ahead, and lsit all of the problems, just to quiet down Richard Roehm.
 
qwerty123 said:
This is a joke, right? Your ASL Meetup is just a social gathering, not a training or classroom session.

Perhaps I can say "I love you", by signing "I '****' you" to these folks.
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Most of these folks are ASL and interpreter training students.

Richard
 
Nesmuth said:
So what do we do about it? Maybe interpreter organizations need to address this. Have they become too silent?

The problem i faced is that last week I got a call from 2 San Diego attorneys who say they searched for months and couldnt find terps for their clients at a planned meeting last friday. I even asked DCS of SD for help and they too couldnt find one either. A lady there also points the finger at VRS for the interpreter shortage.

Maybe that the reason why the San Diego and Santee cops couldnt get interpreters too. This resulted in needless convictions because some the deaf inmates and probationees have been completely silenced by the interpreter shortages.

And the interpreter shortage could be seen as an excuseable burden that waives them the obligation of securing communication services.

Richard
Click to expand...

Really,,, Interpreter shortage in SD? Are there any VRS in that town ? If so, tell us who.
 
I think what he means is that he is having trouble finding terp that is qualified for courtroom. Most courtroom is VERY picky on qualification on terp! That is THEIR problem, not general problem!

lovesorenson said:
Really,,, Interpreter shortage in SD? Are there any VRS in that town ? If so, tell us who.
Click to expand...
 
Nesmuth said:
Maybe that the reason why the San Diego and Santee cops couldnt get interpreters too. This resulted in needless convictions because some the deaf inmates and probationees have been completely silenced by the interpreter shortages.
Richard
Click to expand...

I don't understand. Where were their lawyers? They're suppose to fight for their rights. Well, if it's too late then they can appeal due to lack of interpreter, can't they?
 
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