Videophone Gives Deaf People in Nunavut Better Talk-Time

VIDEO: New videophone gives Deaf people in Nunavut better talk-time. "Hearing impaired people in Nunavut now have access to a state-of-the-art communications tool."



IQALUIT, NUNAVUT - Nunavut MP and federal health minister Leona Aglukkaq took what she calls “a new way of communicating” on a test drive April 10 in Iqaluit.



That’s when she spoke to Clayton Ungungai of Baker Lake, a student at Algonquin College in Ottawa, who is Deaf, thanks to a new video-conference telephone connection.



Helped by sign language interpreters on both ends, Aglukkaq asked Ungungai when he planned to graduate and what his plans were.



Aglukkaq learned that at the end of the month Ungungai graduates in aboriginal studies and then he wants to head back to Baker Laker, where his communication will be that much easier due to the new video telephone he’ll have at home.



“Thanks to this project, hearing impaired people in Nunavut now have access to a state-of-the-art communications tool,” Aglukkaq said.

Impact on Sign Language Communications in Canada.

Six communities in Nunavut are now participating in a pilot project to test the video-conference equipment in a partnership between the governments of Canada and Nunavut, the Nunavut Broadband Development Corp., and the Canadian Deafness Research and Training Institute.



The special telephone, which is outfitted with a tiny video screen so that people on both ends can see each other sign, is an easy thing to use and not expensive to supply: $200 a phone, a $75 modem along with access to dedicated broadband, the most expensive and essential part of the new communication. ...READ MORE: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674new_videophone_gives_deaf_people_in_nunavut_better_talk-time/

Do We Need Specialized Hardware For The Deaf ?

VIDEO: Do we need specialized hardware for the Deaf? Companies that once made specialized hardware may soon be relegated to software and services.



A company called Purple Communications this week unveiled a product called SmartVP. It’s a videophone with applications and features to help Deaf people communicate. Purple says it’s the first videophone to feature “true HD quality.”



How do Deaf people use the telephone? In the past, most used a typing system called TTY. Paging devices soon followed; the term became so fixed that the Deaf community is said to still call all wireless devices, including iPhones, “pagers.”

But the age of the video call has changed all that. Now, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing routinely communicate by simply using sign language over a video call. When a Deaf person wants to communicate with a hearing person, there are “relay services,” involving live translators proficient in sign language.



One smart thing Purple’s doing is pursuing what they call a “five-screen strategy.” What this means is that their customers can use Purple’s relay service on PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or TV. Here’s a YouTube video pitching SmartVP. Refreshingly, it’s not full of over-the-top music, like the majority of tech promotional fare out there. ...READ MORE: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/513336/do-we-need-specialized-hardware-for-the-deaf/



Sign up for more information: http://www.purple.us/SmartVP. Are you ready for a smarter way to make calls? Make the Smart Choice. SmartVP.

VRS Call Centre Continues In Canada

VIDEO: VRS call centre continues in Canada in American Sign Language.



Vincent expresses concerns about the continuation of Sorensen VRS call centres in Canada after Telus VRS cut off.

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CANADA VRS RALLY

Video Phone Is Like Skype For The Deaf

GAINESVILLE, GA. - Center gets new communications device for the hearing impaired through grant. The Disability Resource Center in Gainesville has a new piece of equipment that promises to make communication for the local Deaf community a little easier.



The center was contacted by another nonprofit organization, Communication Service for the Deaf, about a grant that would allow the center to house a public access video phone.



The Disability Resource Center's new Public Access Video phone system will allow anyone who is hearing impaired or speech disabled to make video phone calls... Read more: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/blogger