Founded in 1829, the Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD) is one of the nation's oldest and largest deaf-centric public education programs. Although the extensive OSD campus located on over 138 acres in Columbus accommodates many of the unique needs of the students, they knew what was missing. Sorenson Media was contacted in mid-August by a group of OSD students and staff members with a special request - Sorenson VP-100 videophones for the school's use.

By October, Sorenson Media had sent 15 of the Sorenson VP-100 videophones as well as two videophone booths for OSD students and staff to use with the Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS). Today deaf students call home at any time to reconnect with family and friends, order their favorite pizzas, and even conduct

inter-dorm communications; something that was not done prior to the VP-100 videophones.

OSD installed all the videophones and the videophone booths themselves. The school's IT department completed the installation in a few days, yet the children learned how to use the technology at an even faster rate. "The students couldn't wait to use the Sorenson VP-100 videophones and were quick learners; even tutoring the staff at times," adds Edward E. Corbett, Jr. PhD, the Superintendent at OSD. "It is a joy to see our students express themselves with confidence and at their leisure with the Sorenson Video Relay Service."

Sorenson Media recently sponsored a pizza party at the school to hear the students'

perspective about the videophones and videophone booths. "You know boys, we don't do our homework," said Don Baughman, a student at OSD. He notes, "With the Sorenson VP-100 videophones we can call the girls dorm and get some help when we need it."

One of the student's favorite uses of Sorenson VRS is the call back feature so they can continue to work on their homework while waiting for a call.

Sorenson Media is proud to support the Ohio School for the Deaf and other schools across the country to bring the highest-quality communications to the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS) interpreters are excited about their jobs and are committed to provide the best customer service and interpreting for our customers. Sorenson VRS has seen tremendous growth in video relay usage. We consistently add features and make adjustments to meet the increase in demand.

One of the most recent improvements to Sorenson VRS is SignMail. This helpful feature answers the question of what interpreters can do for callers when the intended Sorenson VRS user is not available. If you have not signed up for SignMail, do it today so you don't miss a message.

With our 24-hour service now available, Sorenson has the hardest working interpreters in the business. We welcome customer feedback as it helps us thank our interpreters. If you want to share your thoughts about our skilled Sorenson VRS interpreters, please

e-mail the interpreting department at vrscompliments@sorenson.com.

At Sorenson VRS, we are always looking for highly qualified and skilled interpreters to work in our call centers across the country. Interpreters must hold national RID or NAD certificates to meet Sorenson VRS standards. This allows us to maintain the highest-quality video relay service. To push hold times down, we have recently hired many new interpreters for the newly opened call centers in:

• San Diego, CA
• Pleasanton, CA
• Tampa, FL
• Indianapolis, IN
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Columbus, OH
• Philadelphia, PA

To apply for an interpreting job or give us a reference, e-mail us at jobs@sorenson.com or view more information on our Web site at www.sorensonvrs.com.

This note was sent after Sorenson Media sponsored a community play for the students attending the Washington School of the Deaf.

"Dear Sorenson [Media],
Thank you for paying for us to see the Russian performers."

Keyna, Student from the Washington School for the Deaf

"I just want to add my thanks for your responsiveness and the way you have supported us. I have personally had the great pleasure of watching some of our elementary students in the residence hall using the [Sorenson VP-100 videophone] system to talk with their parents - it is so wonderful. The [interpreter] I watched was fabulous - so great with the little kids. I was very impressed. The smiles on the kids' faces really brought home to me what a wonderful tool this is.
Thanks again."

Jane Mulholland, Superintendent of the Oregon School for the Deaf (K-12)

This note was conveyed by a Sorenson VRS installer in Austin, Texas.

"A hearing caller, Robin Churchill, wants to let the president of Sorenson [Media] know how wonderful our [Sorenson Video Relay] Service is. I tried to give her various e-mails to contact the company, but she was emphatic that I get this message to the president directly. Her sister is 55 years old and the way our service has impacted their relationship is 'fabulous'. She is completely awestruck by the quality of the interpreters, and how wonderful it is that her sister has a 'voice' after all these years. She feels this is a remarkable addition to her sister's life, and would like to express her deepest gratitude to Mr. Sorenson for making it happen."

Robin Churchill, Sorenson VRS customer

The Sorenson VRS engineering team has worked hard this year to provide our customers with a better overall experience. We value the feedback we receive, and incorporate good ideas directly into product enhancements whenever possible. Some of the recent enhancements to Sorenson VRS are outlined below:

SignMail:
Allows hearing people who call your VP-100 through Sorenson VRS to leave a video message that the interpreter signs for you when your VP-100 is unanswered. You can activate SignMail by selecting the "Settings" button on the Main screen and then selecting the "SignMail" button.

Speed Dial List:
The number of entries you can have in the VP-100 Speed Dial List was increased to allow you to have 40 entries in the list. You can access the Speed Dial List by selecting the "Dial" button on the Main screen.

Redial List:
A Redial List was added to the VP-100 that allows you to easily redial the most recent calls you have made. You can access the Redial List by selecting the "Dial" button on the Main screen and then selecting the "Redial" button.

Video Settings:
You now have the ability to manually adjust the video image that your VP-100 captures, including gain, brightness, contrast, and saturation. You can access the Video Settings by selecting the "Settings" button on the Main screen and then selecting the "Video" button.

Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS) is a hot topic in the news. Of interest to leading national news media and organizations, our products and services are recognized as life-altering and industry leading solutions. Here is a sampling of recent press coverage and awards for Sorenson Media's VP-100 videophone and Sorenson VRS.

September 6, 2004
"A Quiet Breakthrough. It would be an exaggeration to call [James Lee] Sorenson the Alexander Graham Bell of the deaf community-but not much of one. …In the past year Sorenson has donated 5,000 videophones free of charge. …His generosity has inspired gratitude among deaf users. 'Video relay makes us about as close to hearing people as we can be,' says I. King Jordan, the first deaf president of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. 'It's hard not to sound superlative and overly enthusiastic about Sorenson's work.'"

July 14, 2004
"Working a job that requires constant communication by phone has been a challenge. Last fall, Mr. Hlibok, 41 years old, learned of a service that would allow him to communicate by phone in sign language. Sorenson Media Inc., the company that runs the service, called video relay, said it would provide and install a TV monitor and videophone free. The benefits of video-relay service are hard to exaggerate. Besides cutting travel, it has improved the comfort level of Mr. Hlibok's hearing clients and allowed him to talk more frequently with all clients."

November 5, 2004
"Sorenson Media has placed about 200 of the [VP-100 video]phone systems around Gallaudet [University]'s campus. About 20,000 of the phones are in use nationwide … Exploding demand for the phones is increasing demand for hearing interpreters trained by Gallaudet who are experts in American Sign Language."

November 23, 2004, Larry Paradis, Executive Director, Disability Rights Advocates
Disability Rights Advocates honored Sorenson Media with its prestigious Eagle Award, which goes to businesses that contribute to the advancement of people with disabilities. Former winners include Microsoft, Fannie Mae, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. "Sorenson Media has proven to be a major advocate for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. We received numerous e-mail messages from the deaf community praising Sorenson Media's dedication to a state-of-the-art video relay system."

April 14, 2004, Julie P. Orchard, Commission Administrator, Public Service Commission of Utah
Utah Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities selected Sorenson Media as 2004 Golden Key Award Employer of the Year. "I think Sorenson Media should be commended for employing large numbers of individuals with disabilities to work on its high technology enterprises in Utah. In addition, Sorenson Media's decade of research and development on telecommunications tools for the deaf and hard-of-hearing have made a significant contribution to the empowerment of millions of people with disabilities across the U.S."

Sorenson VRS will again be visiting several cities across the nation in the first quarter of 2005 as the premium sponsor of the 2005 Gallaudet Academic Bowl National Tour and DeafNation Expo. Upcoming event dates and locations include: