Just a year ago, I was making phone calls mostly by text relay or a Captel phone and occasionally by webcam using video relay. In January, I took a position as a Sales Manager for Zvrs and I was introduced to the Z-150 videophone which is made by Tandberg. Tandberg is a world leader for videoconferencing and apparently Cisco feels the same way– they purchased Tandberg in a recent deal for three billion dollars.
I think they got a great deal.
My life took a huge change when the Z-150 came into my life. I was introduced to single-line VCO: when I make a phone call, I use my voice to talk directly to the hearing person on the other end of the connection. I don’t need a second phone to do this, I speak directly into the videophone and the person can hear me. Perched on the screen in front of me is a Zvrs interpreter.
A few weeks ago, for the first time, I called my friend Cassie to talk about plans for our kids. In the past, we always texted or used email but I decided to give her a call because we wanted to discuss something in detail. It was the first time that she experienced a VCO call and she was simply blown away.
“How are you keeping up with me so well?” she asked.
“I’ve got a great interpreter in front of me and he’s doing a great job!” I explained. The interpreter grinned.
“It’s almost like you’re hearing,” she said.
The neat thing is that people can call me up using a regular ten-digit number. I don’t have to explain anything to anyone when I give out my number. I just tell them, “Call me,” and they do. When they dial the ten-digit number, it automatically routes through Zvrs and my Z-150 alerts me to the call with an email and then the videophone flashes on the screen. I press a button and answer with, “Hi, Karen here!”
I’m not kidding when I say that my life changed after getting a Z-150– because now I’m on the phone all the time. I used to dread making phone calls because the other person would become impatient and hang up. I still work as a Deaf Mentor on the side and I love being able to call up families and connect with them. I use the Zvrs Spanish-speaking interpreters to connect with Latino families.
Now that Cisco has Tandberg, it won’t be long until most of America has a Tandberg sitting on their desk.
How cool is it that a deaf person is ahead of the phone trend?
Update: Tandberg picked up the blog on their site: Videoconferencing Changes Deaf Mother’s Life.