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Sign
up for the
Sorenson VRS Messenger
Newsletter
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Videophone
801-287-9403
Please hold until your call is answered. If you hang up, you will be disconnected.
TTY
866-877-9826
Telephone
866-496-6111
FAX
801-281-0662
(ATTN: Tech Support)
E-mail
Click here to fill out the online form.
Mailing Address
Technical Support
4192 South Riverboat
Road, Suite 100
Salt Lake City, UT 84123 |
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Away From Your VP? Use SIPRelay
When you don't have access to your Sorenson videophone and you need to communicate on the go, use Sorenson IP Relay (SIPRelay®)! Using a personal computer or a mobile device, you can contact anyone anywhere with SIPRelay.
SIPRelay is a free service that enables deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to place text-based relay calls from their personal computer (PC) and/or mobile device to any standard telephone user in the U.S. and its territories. A Sorenson Communications Assistant (CA) contacts the standard telephone user and voices the text messages in real-time from the SIPRelay user. All you need to use SIPRelay is an Internet connection and a PC or mobile device enabled with AOL® Instant Messenger (AIM®).
SIPRelay works with any Internet connection when using a personal computer and is quick and easy to use. Simply send an instant message to "SIPRelay" using AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) or go to www.siprelay.com to place a call. |
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Sorenson Communications is pleased to announce an exciting new feature: DirectVP™ numbers, which will enable hearing and deaf individuals to reach their deaf contacts by dialing just one number!
A DirectVP number is a personal phone number that deaf Sorenson Video Relay Service (SVRS) users can give their hearing and deaf friends, family, co-workers, and associates. The calls can be placed dialing a single phone number, free of charge, from anywhere in the United States. Calls will go directly to the Sorenson videophone (VP), either a VP-100® or VP-200®, that the deaf individual uses. Hearing individuals will no longer be required to dial the 1-866-FAST-VRS number and give the interpreter the VP number they wish to call. Instead, they will be connected directly to SVRS, where the interpreter will connect the call without having to ask the hearing caller for the videophone number.
DirectVP numbers will also make it possible for deaf individuals to use just one contact number on documents, such as resumes, legal and medical documents, and online forms.
Lori Gill, a SVRS DirectVP numbers user in Dayton, OH, explains, "I gave my DirectVP number to one of my interpreters at church. Later, she called me to test it out. I asked her what she thought about it. She thought it was much easier. She really liked it. It's great!"
To assist SVRS users in letting others know of the change from the existing videophone number to a DirectVP number, Sorenson Communications has created contact cards for SVRS users to personalize and distribute to hearing friends, family, co-workers, and associates. The cards also include an explanation of SVRS and how it works. To create and print your own DirectVP contact cards visit www.sorensonvrs.com/contact_cards.
To get a DirectVP number or to learn more, visit www.sorensonvrs.com/directvp.
For questions about getting a DirectVP number, please dial 200-877-4636 (200-VRS-INFO) on the VP you use. Any technical problems can be directed to support@sorenson.com or dial 801-287-9403 on the VP you use.
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Sorenson Communications is pleased to announce the new Sorenson VRS (SVRS) Interpreter Education Program (IEP) Award of Excellence. The award will recognize outstanding IEPs that incorporate VRS tracks into curriculum, continually improve programs in response to broadening communication needs of the deaf community, and go above and beyond routine education to ensure student outcomes are commensurate with entry level positions in the field.
The award will be presented to two IEPs that meet or exceed specific criteria. The winning programs will be awarded $10,000 each, which will be reinvested in curriculum and training materials. Additionally, arrangements will be made for two individuals (directors or instructors) from each winning IEP to attend the 2008 Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT), to be held in Puerto Rico. Award winners will be announced at the 2008 CIT Conference on October 22-25, 2008.
Sorenson Communications is now calling for applications from Interpreter Education Programs. IEPs wishing to apply will report on the student outcomes of the graduating class of 2007. The deadline to apply is August 29, 2008.
Complete details and an online application form can be found at www.sorensonvrs.com/IEP.
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Earlier this month, Sorenson Communications announced the launch of SIPRelay® Mobile for BlackBerry® smartphones, available through a one-step, free software download. SIPRelay Mobile works seamlessly with the company's current SIPRelay service, streamlines calling, and allows deaf and hard-of-hearing users to place free calls while on the go to any hearing telephone user in the United States and its territories. Users can place wireless calls from their call history list and from their BlackBerry smartphones' address book. Calls are quickly relayed through a network of text-to-speech Communication Assistants (CAs), who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A SIPRelay Mobile user simply downloads the free application from www.siprelay.com/download using his or her BlackBerry® browser (or to a PC for later installation on the BlackBerry® smartphone). The user then enters the number of the person he or she wishes to call on the BlackBerry smartphone and types a message on the "chat" screen. A Sorenson CA receives the message, contacts the hearing telephone user, and reads the caller's message. As the hearing telephone user responds, the CA types the reply for the deaf or hard-of-hearing caller, which appears on their screen, and dialog flows back and forth fluidly between the caller and the hearing person.
More information on SIPRelay Mobile can be found by visiting www.siprelay.com.
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Earlier this spring, the United States Library of Congress implemented an agency-wide videophone communication system. Sorenson Communications has licensed 16 of its VP-200 videophones and is providing training and ongoing support free of charge to the Library of Congress, one of the first federal agencies to set up a videophone network agency-wide for the benefit of staff members who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
The VP-200 videophones and SVRS will enable the 20 deaf and hard-of-hearing Library of Congress staff members who use sign language to conduct calls with hearing individuals via a high-speed Internet connection, television screen, and a qualified ASL interpreter.
"This technology greatly improves the ability of our deaf colleagues to conduct their daily business and it underscores our commitment to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act," said Doug Meick, program manager for the library's Assistive Technology Demonstration Center. "We hope other federal agencies will see our partnership with private industry and follow our example."
The Library of Congress, the research arm of the U.S. Congress, is the world's largest library and offers 30 million books and 134 million catalogued items representing more than 450 languages.
"The Library of Congress is leading the way for other federal agencies to offer the most effective communication solution available to their deaf and hard-of-hearing employees," said Pat Nola, president and CEO of Sorenson Communications.
Fred Pickering, a deaf information technology specialist in the Library of Congress' Information Technology Services, uses the new agency-wide videophone system to communicate with a colleague.
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On June 18, Sorenson Communications hosted an open house in Salt Lake City to announce the company's newest features: DirectVP numbers and SIPRelay Mobile for BlackBerry® smartphones. At the event, Pat Nola, Sorenson Communications President and CEO, also recognized the official opening of the Salt Lake City SVRS Interpreting Center, now housed in Sorenson Communications' corporate office building. Founded in 2003, the Salt Lake City SVRS Interpreting Center was the first such facility opened by the company. Now, five years later, the company's SVRS Interpreting Centers are located in major cities throughout the United States.
Nearly 300 people attended the event, which featured a tour of the SVRS Interpreting Center and a variety of demonstrations on how to obtain a DirectVP number and how to download the new SIPRelay Mobile application.
Sorenson Communications President and CEO Pat Nola signs the announcement of DirectVP numbers.
L to R: Jason Dunn, Senior Director of Operations, Jim LaRose, SIPRelay Director, Barry Utley, Salt Lake City SVRS Interpreting Center Director, Sorenson Communications Executive Interpreter Brad Holt (second row), Sorenson Communications President and CEO Pat Nola, and Sorenson Communications Vice Presidents Chris Wakeland (Interpreting), James Locke (Information Technology), Joe Romriell (Engineering), Diana Lewis (Marketing), Ron Burdett (Community Relations), and Reed Steiner (Finance)
Nearly 300 individuals attended Sorenson Communications' June 18 open house.
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Sorenson Communications congratulates the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) on 40 years of serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students, offering quality academic and technical education, support services, and an enriching campus life. As part of the anniversary festivities, Sorenson Communications will sponsor a reception at NTID, in front of the Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Building, on Friday, June 27, from 4 until 6 p.m.
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On May 20, 1,000 deaf students and individuals from the local deaf community attended the Atlanta Braves/New York Mets baseball game at Turner Field. Sorenson Communications purchased the game tickets and distributed them among students and staff at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and Georgia School for the Deaf and through various deaf organizations, including the Georgia Commission for the Hearing Impaired.
"Sorenson Communications was looking to host a fun social activity in the area," says Sorenson Communications Eastern Regional Sales Director Cameron Tingey. "The Braves and Mets game was a perfect opportunity to bring deaf students and the local deaf community together to enjoy great baseball. One of the most fun parts of the evening was before the game, when the students from the two schools signed the national anthem along the first- and third-base lines."
Deaf students and members of the local deaf community in Georgia attended the Braves and Mets baseball game on May 20.
L to R: John Sirakoulis, Sorenson Communications Area Specialist, and Sorenson Communications Trainers Hinton Stone, Billy Sofey, and William Rochester
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Shari was mainstreamed as a young student and learned to use her voice and read lips to communicate. As an adult she learned sign language. Now she uses ASL and her voice to connect with the significant individuals in her life through SVRS with Voice Carry Over (VCO). Visit www.sorensonvrs.com/svrsvideos to view her story and learn how Sorenson Communications is successfully connecting other SVRS users, one person at a time.
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Sorenson Communications has been chosen by the California Educators for the Deaf (CAL-ED) to receive the organization's Contributor of the Year Award for 2008. This major award is presented annually by CAL-ED to recognize outstanding contributions to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
The award, which was presented March 8 as part of the 2008 CAL-ED Conference held in San Ramon, California, was in recognition of Sorenson Communications' outstanding contributions to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals throughout California and the United States, including its leadership in providing access for the deaf community to the hearing world. CAL-ED also praised the company's volunteer work at many schools.
Richard Kendall, past president of CAL-ED and 2008 awards chair, noted that Sorenson was honored because of "its continuing commitment to communication access between languages and cultures. Since 2003, Sorenson videophones have greatly improved communication between the deaf and hearing communities and provided career opportunities and role models for deaf and hard-of-hearing adults and children."
CAL-ED is the largest professional organization for the deaf in the western U.S., with more than 500 members that include educators, parents, teacher trainers, interpreters, support staff, and other professionals. CAL-ED is dedicated to the pursuit of educational excellence for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
In accepting the award, Sorenson Communications Vice President of Community Relations Ron Burdett, said, "We are deeply honored to receive the prestigious CAL-ED Contributor of the Year Award for 2008. We are especially delighted to receive this award from CAL-ED, an organization that is highly attuned to the needs and interests of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community."
L to R: 2008 CAL-ED President David Smith presents Ron Burdett, Sorenson Communications Vice President of Community Relations, with the 2008 CAL-ED Contributor of the Year Award.
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Did you know that you can call SVRS with your D-Link videophone?
Go to www.sorensonvrs.com/dlink to view the steps to take if you would like to call SVRS with your D-Link. Now you can use the best Video Relay Service—SVRS!
You are also able to call other VRS providers using your Sorenson videophone. Remember, some services such as Sorenson SignMail® and VCO are offered only by Sorenson Communications through your Sorenson videophone and SVRS.
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Do you need SVRS equipment (videophone) for your home or office? Do you have DEAF family members or friends who still need to get SVRS equipment? Apply for FREE SVRS equipment today at www.sorensonvrs.com/apply!
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