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| James Lee Sorenson, CEO of Sorenson Communications |
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| Signing of House Bill 145 (left to right:Robert Sanderson, Jeff Pollock, Dave & Shauna Mortensen, Governor Huntsman, Craig Radford, Rob Kerr, J.R. Goff and Senator Goodfellow) |
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Download Printable Version
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COMPANY MESSAGE
Sorenson Communications– A Checkup
Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” At Sorenson VRS, a service provided by Sorenson Communications, we are often checking the pulse of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to better understand the needs and issues affecting our customers. Through our customers and employees, interpreters, and important industry organizations including the FCC, we are able to make a difference for the deaf and hard-of-hearing through creative problem solving and by taking action to make things happen.
At the core of Sorenson VRS is a healthy framework of incredibly loyal customers who share their views and opinions with us. Sorenson VRS installers and outreach managers meet daily with hundreds of consumers across the country. Armed with the knowledge they share of what our customers need and want – Sorenson Communications is able to offer world-class products and services including Sorenson VRS, Sorenson IP Relay, and the VP-100 videophone. We attribute the high demand for our solutions to our ability to implement customer feedback and our strong team of deaf employees who are instrumental in product and service development.
In checking the pulse of Sorenson VRS, I can assure you that our interpreters are at the very heart of video relay service. These dedicated individuals are committed to providing excellent service and care in taking your Sorenson VRS calls. The interpreter shortage we are experiencing across the nation is nothing less than a reality; one that we are striving to restore to health. Sorenson Communications is implementing a landmark “Interpreter Initiative” to fast-track interpreting programs and generate the interpreters required to meet the demand (see the VRS Know-How section of this issue for details.) Sorenson VRS is committed to collaborating with other national and regional organizations to end the interpreter shortage for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
The FCC is another important organization with which we maintain a life line. Sorenson Communications meets every regulation the FCC requires and collaborates with the government agency to provide the best solutions possible for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. We have recently created the Sorenson Communications Community Group (SCCG) to bring together Sorenson Communications consumers to discuss ways to effectively use products and services, and industry issues that impact the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Initial SCCG meetings in Phoenix, Austin, and Denver were attended by hundreds of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who learned more about our technology, company and perspectives on FCC regulations.
Sorenson Communications has a good health report thanks to many of you. Our best return on our knowledge investment lies in the gratitude of our customers who love their VP-100s and Sorenson VRS. We welcome your feedback, which can be sent via e-mail to vrscomments@sorenson.com.
James Lee Sorenson
CEO, Sorenson Communications
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SORENSON VRS KNOW-HOW |
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Chris Wakeland
Vice President of Interpreting, Sorenson Communications
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The Interpreter Shortage and What Sorenson VRS is Doing About It |
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Nobody likes call wait times - including us! At Sorenson VRS, a service provided by Sorenson Communications, we are working to come up with long-term solutions to end wait times and provide the best customer service possible. What you may not know is that wait times are the result of the nationwide interpreter shortage. This shortage is due in part to a lack of funding for interpreter training programs, and in some cases a need for increased awareness of the benefits of a career in interpreting.
According to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) interpreter database as of April of this year, there are less than 6,000 interpreters nationwide to meet the needs of an estimated 28 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
Although video relay technology is improving daily, the interpreter crisis across the nation is holding up progress and contributing to the time you have to wait to make a VRS call. No matter how far technology develops to improve communication solutions for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, ASL is and will always be the most important part of VRS. Without professional interpreters, the human touch of VRS would be gone and we would be right back to the impersonal TTY.
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Sorenson VRS is not the only company that sees the interpreter shortage as a serious concern. In recent letters to the FCC, RID also recognizes the lack of interpreters declaring a “national interpreter crisis in the quantity, quality, and qualifications of interpreters.” (See the white paper for more information).
To address the interpreter shortage, Sorenson Communications has sponsored the Interpreter Initiative. Designed to fund training programs and generate interest in interpreting as a career, the Interpreter Initiative (House Bill 145) was unanimously approved with resulting legislation in Utah. Sorenson VRS is also taking this program to other state governments to showcase the benefits and lobby for similar bills to generate more qualified interpreters across the nation.
Most Sorenson VRS interpreters have completed many years of schooling and extensive community interpreting before being prepared to handle video relay calls. The Interpreter Initiative will allow individuals interested in an interpreting career and those who simply need advanced training to become qualified interpreters more quickly. This initiative will mean more community interpreters for everyone! For more information about the Interpreter Initiative, go to www.sorensonvrs.com/shortage.
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INTERPRETER HIGHLIGHTS
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Gino was hired as Phoenix Sorenson VRS Interpreter Manager/Trainer last year. He holds CDI and CLIP-R certifications from RID. He has been involved with teaching and training ASL students and interpreters for over ten years. He is primarily responsible for assisting the Center Director with day to day operations and training VRS interpreters.
Q: What do I do when I’m not interpreting for Sorenson VRS?
A: I try to stay involved with various community activities like Arizona Deaf Community Theatre. I also enjoy reading, watching open-captioned movies and making mosaics. (I just started this so will have to wait and see where this goes!)
Q: Where is your favorite place in the world?
A: Arizona—without any doubt! It’s been home for me for most of my life! I love the hot summers and warm winters.
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Crystal was one of the first interpreters in the Atlanta area to inquire about video relay and traveled to Salt Lake City to train prior to the Atlanta VRS Center opening in August 2004. Crystal was the first full-time video interpreter for the Atlanta Interpreting Center.
Q: Where did you get interpreting experience before coming to Sorenson VRS?
A: I went to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and went through their Basic Interpreter Training Program in 1993. Since then I’ve worked in educational, medical, and legal settings.
Q: What do you do when you are not interpreting for Sorenson VRS?
A: I volunteer with my husband locally and in other states helping the deaf community learn about the Bible. I also like to read and watch old movies.
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VRS CUSTOMER HIGHLIGHTS |
Diana Lewis
Director of Marketing, Sorenson Communications
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With thousands of Sorenson VP-100 videophones installed Sorenson VRS is quickly becoming a mainstay in businesses, homes, and schools. Below are just a few of the various notes that our company has received over the past few months. |
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| Mary Reed |
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“I just wanted to let someone know how much [Sorenson] VRS means to our family. I am a CODA [Child of a Deaf Adult] and my father passed away in 2002. Shortly after that VRS was made available in our state. [With the Sorenson VP-100 videophone] my mother, who is now 78 years of age has connections to her world and the hearing world and does not feel lonely. She also has the freedom to take care of her own personal phone calls. I cannot thank you enough for the accessibility and freedom you have given our mother. THANK YOU!!! BIG HUGS!!! to Sorenson and the deaf brother-in-law who suggested you invent such a service. May God Bless You!!!”
Peggy Anderson, daughter of Sorenson VRS customer Mary Reed
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| Lucy Herron |
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“Sorenson VRS helps my communication skills at work with hearing people, improving better and quick, especially more involvements. It restores my energy at work from being drained with TDD. Sorenson VRS is a wonderful technology and a miracle for deaf people. I want to say to the Sorenson VRS…thank you for making my job much better!”
Lucy Herron, program manager of group home and Sorenson VRS customer
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| Laura Fitzgerald |
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“This videophone has certainly opened up a whole new world for my sister and me in terms of communication. Now we can both see each other’s facial expressions. This is so important because the face conveys feelings and emotions, something that just can not be expressed when writing… My husband and I thank you for the excellent service provided to us by your Sorenson techs. They are to be commended for their superb efforts, their professionalism, and their warm mannerism.”
Laura Fitzgerald, Sorenson VRS customer
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This note was sent in following the donation to the USA Deaf Sports Federation:
“We are grateful for your donation. Thank you for joining the USADSF family and helping our athletes in their quest to make USA proud by winning the Gold!”
US Deaflympic Committee & USADSF Executive Board
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IN THE NEWS |
David Parkinson
Public Relations Manager,
Sorenson Communications
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NEWLY-OPENED SORENSON VRS INTERPRETING CENTERS |
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Sorenson Communications held three open houses for Sorenson Video Relay Interpreting Centers in Boston, Philadelphia, and Manhattan. The three ribbon-cuttings were well attended, with 350 attending Boston’s June 22 opening; 350 arriving for Philadelphia’s June 23 ribbon-cutting, and 1500 coming to visit the Manhattan center on June 24.
“We were delighted so many people came out to visit our new facilities,” said Chris Wakeland, vice president of interpreting at Sorenson Communications. “Visitors were very enthusiastic to discover how easily and spontaneously communication flows using Sorenson Video Relay Service. Everyone seemed happy to see an innovative, high-tech communication system that serves the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community so well.”
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| Boston Open House Ribbon Cutting |
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| New York Open House Ribbon Cutting |
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| Philadelphia Open House |
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SORENSON VRS IN THE NEWS
Arizona Daily Star,
Tuscon, Arizona, May 11, 2005 |
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"For the first time in their lives, Latrina and Kendrick Lewis are able to talk on the telephone without translating their words and feelings into a foreign language: English.
"The deaf couple are among the first in Tucson to make use of a new Internet and telephone based technology that is revolutionizing access and communication for the deaf.
The equipment ... is made available free of charge to the deaf and hard-of-hearing by Sorenson Media, a Salt Lake City company that has built a reputation as a leader in the development of communication services for the hearing-impaired. ...
"Coupled with the company's Video Relay Service, the videophones also make it possible for the deaf to communicate with the hearing world by providing translation from American Sign Language to English. ...
" 'This changed my life ...,' signed Kendrick, an American Sign Language instructor at Miles Exploratory Learning Center in Tucson. 'With TTY I was frustrated always because I could not express how I felt. My words of expression were limited ... how do I express funny, happy, upset?' " ...
Columbus Dispatch,
Ohio, April 04, 2005 |
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"It's the hottest thing out there for deaf people now. ...
"Bill Estes doesn't have to rely on his sons to make phone calls for him anymore. Estes, who is deaf, now can make the calls using a video-relay system that allows users to call with the help of a certified American Sign Language interpreter and a high-speed Internet connection.
"After years of typing long conversations on a TTY machine or using his children as interpreters, Estes said the videophone has humanized communication for him.
" 'I feel like I'm a real person now,' the athletic director for the Ohio School for the Deaf said through an interpreter. 'I can use the videophone instead of putting the burden on my children to interpret for me.' ...
"The system, called a Sorenson VP-100 videophone, is made by Sorenson Media. ...
"With videophone technology, 'The deaf are ahead of the hearing community.'"
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COMMUNITY EVENTS |
Eric Johnson
National Event Manager, Sorenson Communications
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Sorenson Communications across the Country
We are committed to giving back to local deaf communities through educational workshops and programs. For more information, please visit the “Events and Sponsorships” section of the Sorenson VRS web site (www.sorensonvrs.com).
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| Choose a region to highlight its events this quarter: |
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West Region |
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event |
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location |
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Deaf Seniors 2005 Conference |
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August 31 - Sept 5 |
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San Francisco, California |
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DeafNation Expo - Seattle |
September 17 |
Seattle, Washington |
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Valley Center for the Deaf Hondo Golf Open |
September 24 |
Phoenix, Arizona |
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Central Region |
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event |
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date |
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location |
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RID National Conference |
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July 10 - 15 |
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San Antonio, Texas |
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TDI National Conference |
July 11 - 13 |
New Orleans, Louisiana |
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East Region |
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event |
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Georgia Asso. of the Deaf Conference |
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July 14 - 17 |
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Macon, Georgia |
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NBDA Conference |
August 2 - 7 |
Orlando, Florida |
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West Virginia Biennial Conference |
August 4 - 6 |
Bridgeport, West Virginia |
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DeafNation Expo - Maryland |
September 24 |
Gaithersburg, Maryland |
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