Category Archives: Editorials/Guest Blogs

Editorial #130: Is This Fair? Hearing People Can Get VoiceMail But Deaf People Can’t?

When hearing people call other hearing people and they can’t answer right away, it goes to their voice mail. It doesn’t matter if its AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. Anyone can leave voicemail.

For us deaf people, we can’t leave videomail on Sorenson devices if we use a non-Sorenson device. All the other providers except Sorenson can leave messages without problems. Sorenson is preventing us all from being equal with hearing people or making us second class citizens. This is not functionally equivalent. All ZVRS phones and software can receive and leave messages without problems, but we can’t leave messages on Sorenson devices.

The FCC has received complaints on this and let us hope they’re listening and doing something to make Sorenson do so.

Thanks for listening.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #129: Ping Pong at the FCC Between ZVRS, Purple and Sorenson!

The FCC is going to issue some orders and some new processes related to VRS any day soon.

Providers and consumers have been knocking on the FCC’s door to present their cases and mitigate any effect the new orders and processes may have on VRS as a service as we know it. This is like a ping pong game, with people looking at the ball going back and forth–VRS reform is going to happen, like it or not. The last thing we want to happen is to have it change VRS as we know and appreciate it.

Bottom line–the rules must dictate what is best for the consumer. What does this mean?

–freedom of choice of devices, without getting stuck with a device that one cannot use or communicate with other devices
–freedom of choice of software, with address books being portable (able to move) from one provider to another
–freedom of obstruction–without worrying if a call gets blocked, gets a black screen (full interoperability)
–freedom to make a call anywhere, anytime
–freedom of being tied to a remote control unit
–freedom of choice of providers, picking the provider that provides the best features and interpreters

This is ZVRS’s position-meaning you can go into a store and get the device you want and go ahead and make a call with a provider that has the best interpreters and features, so easy, so simple. Why go through the hassle of having a provider set it up for you and have them control what features and what you want on your device. This is a free country–we are FREE people, we should do what we want, not what others tell us what we should do!

Heres a link to the FCC’s postings–read on–(link)

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #128: Dr. Z Cares–Don’t Video and Drive!

We all have been hearing about not texting while driving. We have heard some sad stories related to this and while tempting, pulling off the road to text takes a few minutes instead of losing a life. A few minutes is all the difference it makes.

In any event, Dr. Z has picked up information that some folks are making video calls while driving. This is even worse than texting because one has to look at the video which means the eyes have to be off the road in front of you. True, with 4G and 4G KLTE coverage popping up everywhere makes it possible to video without Wifi, but please pull off the road when you need to make a video call.

Dr. Z cares about you!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #127: What Should I Get for the Holidays?

Thanksgiving is over…and that means we all are gearing up for the holiday season and with that means gifts for us all…

I was thinking of what we all would like to make video communication a great experience….

1) get an Apple iPhone, iPod Touch or an iPad

If you already have a smartphone with a locked in contract, an iPod Touch or an iPad does not require a contract and you can do many wonderful things with those devices without the need to have a phone connection. A wifi connection works with those devices.

2) Get a great stand for your iPad

The Mophie Powerstand is great–and expensive at $149. They’re hard to find and get. Only the Apple Store carries it (link). ZVRS has used this at all Deaf Nation shows and they are sturdy!

3) Wait until the Z5 from ZVRS comes out. It’s a great piece of software and in final stages of beta testing.

4) Look at the Apple App store for great apps. The top 6 apps Dr. Z likes are:

– Clear (an easy to do list) $2.99

– Evernote – to keep all your info in one place (free)

– Camera + – a great camera app (on sale now for 99 cents)

– Filmic Pro – a great video app ($3.99)

– Kayak Pro – a great travel app (99 cents)

– Waze – the best GPS app (free)

Have fun shopping!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #126: Thoughts for Thanksgiving 2012

As always, Dr. Z likes to put up thoughts for holidays..this is something Dr. Z clipped fron an unattributed source on the web…here’s wishing you a nice thanksgiving from Dr. Z and his colleagues at ZVRS…

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to stop for a moment once a year and remember to give thanks. It’s a time to be grateful for one’s health, family, friends, job, home and having food on the table.

Take a few moments as you read through this lens and to share what you will be giving thanks for this Thanksgiving.

We will be taking a few moments with our family to give thanks and say our “Gratefuls” before eating, as a reminder of all that we have to be grateful for, the good and the not so good.

Remember “In all things, give thanks.”

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #125: FCC’s Public Notice on VRS and the Ongoing Discussion

The FCC has issued a public notice for changes to the VRS program. The changes are not in place yet. The FCC is asking for comments before they decide on the changes. Some of the suggested changes are major and one of them involves a rate reduction.

Wow! The Public Notice from the FCC has generated a lot of discussion via email and social media like Facebook. This is a healthy scenario. Rarely has such a matter on public policy generated a lot of dialogue in the deaf and hard of hearing community. But there lies the danger of some parties trying to mislead or distort the message. One website (www.savemyvrs.com) seems to be neutral representing all VRS companies, but it is backed by Sorenson. The whois lookup for the ISP indicates that the owner of the domain is Sorenson:

Another website claiming to be neutral is vrsca.org. While the whois does not indicate it is Sorenson-related, the ISP is located in Utah:

It is common knowledge that VRSCA is funded by Sorenson. While the domain name “vrsca.org” seems to indicate it is a non-profit organization, a lookup on guidestar.com does not bring up VRSCA or Video Relay Services Consumer Association. Doing a Google search on VRSCA, there are no hits when it comes to organization headquarters, nor does it have a Board of Directors or the like. It is not a separate organization; rather it is an arm of some organization, Sorenson in this case. (Disclaimer: I have some very good friends who are part of VRSCA–this is in no way a personal affront on you folks, but merely pointing out the association between VRSCA and Sorenson. I still love you folks on a personal level.)

Both Sorenson and VRSCA have embarked on an offensive disparaging the FCC public notice, trying to influence deaf and hard of hearing people to follow their party line.

While Dr. Z has some concerns about the notice, he feels the public needs to discuss this matter among themselves and decide what is best for the when it comes to VRS. The bottom line in all of this is “functional equivalence”–meaning what hearing people get in the way of their communication needs, we deaf and hard of hearing people legally must have those. What is the cost of functional equivalence? What are the parameters of functional equivalence? To use an example–speed of answer. The FCC mandates 80% of all calls must be answered in 120 seconds measured monthly. If they cut rates too much, providers need to cut interpreters, then this increases the possibility of not meeting the answer time requirement. Where is the line between rates and functional equivalence? I think this is the crux of the ongoing discussion. VRS providers, of course need to realize a profit margin to create innovation and enhance features that promote functional equivalence.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing people like hearing people also need a functionally equivalent market. When hearing people go into a phone store (ATT, Verizon, etc.) they see 50-100 phones in front to choose from. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people should have the same choice, not being locked into one or two. Those phones do not have to be specially designed for video calls. The software inside those phones can do a lot of wonderful and great things. (Dr. Z has been developing software since he attended college-45-50 years ago, that’s how old Dr. Z is. ) Dr. Z understands the power of software and he’s still developing software to this day.

We need a functionally equivalent service and a functionally equivalent market. This should be the objective of the FCC’s Public Notice. And rates should be sensitive to the concept of functional equivalence.

Let the dialogue continue.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #124: Unusual Uses for your iPhone, iPad and Android Devices that You Never Thought Of!

Dr. Z came across an article on the web on this subject and decided to explore more and found some cool ideas, although some of you may already know about this. Tnis is a good diversion from all the things that have been happening out there of late.

Lets go over them….

1. Saving an argument with your spouse (or significant other) on buying whole wheat bread instead of white, non-fat milk instead of whole milk…

If you are at a supermarket and your shopping list just says “milk”, or “bread”. With bread, the bread shelves have 50 varieties of bread, what shall you do? Use Z4 (and soon the Z5) to talk with your spouse or significant other and turn your smartphone over to the bread shelves to point our which specific bread product should be bought. Same with milk or even ice cream…end of argument, live happily ever after!

2. You lose a small screw in a dark room and need to find it! Or you are in a dark area and can’t put a key into the keyhole of your home.

Simple, use the flashlight app on your smartphone! It saved my day the other day in a rainstorm!

3. You visit a friend or relative and they seem not to answer the doorbell.

Use the email or the messaging function on your smartphone top send a email/message!

4. You cut yourself on your face and want to see how bad the cut is, or even want to check your makeup or making sure your hair is in place.

Use the self-view on the camera app–it works as good as a mirror!

5. You get a package tightly packed or bought something from a store that you are not sure you want to keep.

Take a picture before you unpack and more pictures every step of the way. This way, when you return the package, you can repack everything and it will fit perfectly.

6. Playing Monopoly as a board game with someone remotely.

My grandchildren do that with their cousins. It’s much better than the electronic version and promotes conversation and dialogue and brings the family together. You can also do it with Scrabble and other board games.

7. Do something stupid and not using your mind. Sometimes we need a good diversion.

Link to this website for some crazy apps (they can entertain, too.) (For iOS users only for now, sorry.)

8. You need to calculate your tip or need to figure who’s paying what with a large group in a restaurant.

There are many apps out there which help you do this.

9. You want to do yoga, exercise, etc.

Again there are many apps out there. There’s even one app that counts how many times you jump rope by holding the iPhone in your hand. NOTE: Dr. Z is not responsible for any sprained ankles or rapid heartbeats as a result of using this app.

10. Inventory

Keeping an inventory of your wallet, or what’s in each room in your home. Use your smartphone camera to take pictures of all the credit cards in your wallet. Also pictures of every room in your home. It will come in handy whenever there is a need to refer to them.

Dr. Z had so much fun developing this list. He will do it from time to time.

Coming soon! Z5!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is associated with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Business Development

Editorial #123: Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

Dr. Z wants to express his concern for those who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. Dr. Z was at his son’s home in Connecticut–not at a coastal city, but inland.

Nothing much happened where Dr. Z was, except for some fallen branches, etc.

But for those who had blackouts, flooding – it is a difficult thing to deal with.

First of all, most of you have computers and mobile devices.

The information stored on your computers can be lost due to a blackout as it is often accompanied by a surge, so turn off your computers when you expect to lose your power and unplug it.

To add more insurance, save (upload) all your data and your photos (not your apps), on something called Dropbox or Box (cloud). This way if your data is lost, you can always download it. Apps take too much space and you can always download the apps from the App Store or your DVD’s. If you have a flood, and your pictures are on a DVD, it could be damaged. The best is to upload it to the cloud.

For your mobile devices, they are always with you, but they can run out of power. Remember, your car is a mini-generator, you can always plug in your mobile device in your car’s lighter or power outlet and have it charged (remember to do it with the garage door open or outside.) You can also use a battery charger such as Mophie or a Duracell/Energizer battery with a connector to your device. For an interesting story re charging in an hurricane, click on this link.

Wifi will go out in your house, so you will have a 3G or 4G connection on your mobile device. You should download the Z4 to your mobile device to enable video communication in an emergency.

Dr. Z is hopeful the above information will be of help in the next natural disaster in your area.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is associated with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Business Development

Editorial #122: Apple’s Announcement-What Does it Mean for Us? More Choices!

Let’s look at the Apple product line:

iPod

iPhone

Mac (Macbook, Air Mac, iMac)

iPad (iPad, iPad mini)

All of these products have video! All have cameras in front of the devices! (This is true for the newest Apple devices–some of the older devices do not have a front-facing camera so be sure to check before you buy!)

A little more explanation is necessary. Only the iPhone and the iPad has 3G/4G/4G LTE which means you can use video to communicate when you are out of the house or office.

The iPod and the Mac’s do not have 3G/4G/4G LTE, which means you use wifi inside your home or office.

The iPod, iPhone and the iPad mini-you can hold in your hand.

The Macs laptops and the iPad-you can move around the house and office with those.

Only the iMac will need to stay at your desk.

The point here–you have FULL video communication capability, wherever you are with the Apple product line!

One word of caution: 3G/4G/4G LTE have monthly data caps–which limit you to 3-4 hours of video per month. So for those devices, if you are in a wifi evnironment, be sure to switch to wifi as wifi does not have monthly data caps.

Dr. Z is thrilled with more choices!!!

By the way, the forthcoming Z5 will run on all of the above devices–it’s in the final stages of beta testing. Stay tuned!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is associated with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Business Development

Editorial #117: Hearing People Out There–It’s Time to Thank Deaf and Hard of Hearing People!

This is an update of an editorial published almost 2 years ago.

Dr. Z did some research and looking back on technological developments the past 100 years, he has identified 3 things that hearing people have the deaf and hard of hearing people to thank for.

The first is the telephone-which supposedly came about while Alexander Graham Bell was working on an hearing aid for his deaf wife, Mabel. Out of that work, he came up with the telephone, which the deaf people didn’t have full benefit until almost 75 years later with the development of the TTY modem by Robert Weitbrecht.

The second thing is closed captioning. When the concept was first brought to the public in the 1970’s, the hearing community found it distracting and they went back to the drawing boards and made captioning “closed” instead of “open”. Today, we see captioning in bars and gyms and well-used by hearing people. Without captioning, they would be “deaf” in those environments to enjoy TV. Now, in 2012, we are beginning to see more captioning on the Internet. The FCC has ruled that any TV shows previously shown on TV must be captioned if they are to be shown on the Internet.

The deaf people were quick to pick up video communication when it was first commercialized in 1999. For the past 11 years, the hearing community used video only in business environments to cut down on travel costs, and they did not think it would be useful in the consumer community–preferring voice communication instead. Look at video communication today, it is becoming almost mainstream. With tablets and smartphones coming out every now and then—they all are coming out with FRONT-FACING cameras. That was not the case a few years ago. More and more people are using software-based apps such as the Z4 and soon to come Z5 to enable video communication.

The bottom line–with a diverse community worldwide–each segment of the community has values and developments that benefit the rest of the community–this is true with those 3 developments Dr. Z just mentioned. That is cross-pollination for everyone!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is associated with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Business Development