Sorenson Communications' VP-200® Videophone Wins TDI Engineering Award

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) has presented the Andrew Saks Engineering Award to Sorenson Communications™, the nation’s leading provider of Video Relay Services (VRS) for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. TDI, a long-time national advocate for equal telecommunications access for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, honored Sorenson Communications for its VP-200® videophone on Saturday at the 17th Biennial International TDI Conference in San Mateo, Calif.

The TDI award, given every two years, recognizes an outstanding design, electronic, or engineering accomplishment that improves access to telecommunications for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The VP-200 videophone delivers crisp video images and smooth hand movements, essential for ASL users who depend on quick finger spellings and subtle facial expressions to communicate. read more

Cast and Crew of The Deaf Family

With few days left before we begin production of The Deaf Family, we are really excited to have a very motivated and talented people to take on the project. It is a honor to have them share their talents with us.

Auditions and interviews went really well as everybody did a fine job.

Ladies and gentlemen, we announce our cast and crew…

Andrew Rubin once starred in the famous classic McDonalds commerical years ago. He’s making a comeback to play as CHARLIE, the Father. read more

god damn, shit the bed

The Summer of FYC closed with a whimper last night at Firewater. Dirty Pants, Shannon and I joined a tiny crowd for Deaf Pedestrians and assorted other bands.

By the time Deaf Pedestrians came on at 12:45, the crowd had thinned to well under 100 -- as usual. But, once again, the boys seemed not to care, as they rolled through a full 13 songs in fine fashion. They played several of the new songs from their soon-to-be-re-released CD, including "Idiot," which ranks highly with me. They also brought back my favorite: read more

What a load of crap people listen to

Being deaf from birth, and with my deafness increasing, I did not realise how noisy the world is and what a load of crap people listen to!

All I want to hear is people talking to me, but even then, people talk such utter drivel that 90% of it is not worth listening to!

Frankly, I'd rather remain deaf and use my hearing aids selectively to hear what want to hear, rather than this meaningless crescendo of pollution that appears to surround us that non-hearing impaired people call "normal hearing". read more

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Business

Grant discussed about deaf and hard of hearing owned business. He remembers his father was in painting business for many years in Pittsburgh area back in 60’s and 70’s. Today many deaf businesses still exist today in construction, painting, and all that stuff. What’s more, more and more deaf and hard of hearing entered advanced business in 80’s & beyond. we saw it growing steady over years. (dot com boom, technology, better laws, etc.)

Fortunately, we have organization like NDBI (National Deaf Business Institute) but they have been either quiet or dead for long time time now. (Anybody know why?) Hopefully NDBI will be active again soon before he get old read more

Six mile walk to hospital for deaf and blind person

Being deaf and blind - total of 3 points

There are other criteria too and there may be a number of combinations that stop anybody in serious need being left out. But a deaf and blind patient isn't automatically entitled to transport, nor would a person with learning difficulties who can only walk 200m, for example.

I'm not having a go at the North Mid, I guess this is fairly standard practice and I'm sure patient transport is a very expensive business. As usual, it all comes back to government funding. And in the meantime I'm sure the North Mid staff will be able to get transport for those patients who need it. read more

Monday profile: Sign language interpreter a bridge between sound and silence

She is a language vessel who often gets so absorbed in the work of listening, processing and signing at an event that, afterwards, she can’t say what was happening around her.

She is a light helping illuminate the experience of music for deaf people, like when she memorized 200 songs, including “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” at Country Jam in Eau Claire, Wis., this summer, or helping illuminate the experience of a silent world for hearing people, like when she requires students at Western Technical College to go around with ear plugs for six hours.

In her own spoken words, Cudo is a bridge.

“You’ve got the deaf island, and you’ve got the hearing island,” said Cudo, who lives in Onalaska with her husband and two children. “It’s like a bridge and you’re holding two islands together.” read more

DIAMOND-ENCRUSTED HEARING AID TO RETAIL FOR OVER US$50,000

According to UK-based charity Hearing Concern, an organization dedicated to individuals who are deaf or struggle with hearing impairments, younger adults are increasingly susceptible to hearing loss earlier on in their lives.

Modern day technologies were cited by the charity as the reason for recent trends. To address this emerging market of younger-aged hearing aid consumers, Denmark-based Widex, a company specializing in digital hearing aid technology, has developed a trendy, 24-karat gold hearing device encrusted with 220 diamonds. read more