Video Relay Service (VRS)

Video Relay Service is a method of providing relay between a deaf person and a hearing person that allows the deaf person to sign and the hearing person to speak. An interpreter at a remote location does the interpreting between the two languages. Both the deaf person and the interpreter must be in front of a camera, which transmits the image. Both sites require "high speed" connectivity to ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available to transmit what is essentially a movie. This service is just getting off the ground in 2000, and seems destined to become the service of choice for deaf people who sign.

October 2000 - Texas becomes the first state to offer VRS as a standard part of their relay service

January 2009 - Phone program for deaf is questioned

August 2009 - Thoughts on TDI's Statement Regarding Allegations of Manufactured VRS Minutes

November 2009 - Twenty-six Charged in Video Relay Fraud Scheme

July 2010 - FCC Acts to Sustain Video Relay Service