VRS Page on FCC Website
For those who don't know, VRS stands for Video Relay Service. That's
the Deaf relay service that uses an interpreter as the communications
assistant, so that a Deaf person can sign into a camera rather than type
on a TTY, and view the interpreter signing on her monitor, rather than
having to read English on the TTY display. The claim that Deaf and hard
of hearing people use VRS perpetuates the ideas that hard of hearing
people sign, and that a sign language interpreter is an appropriate
accommodation. The content to which we object is on the VRS page of the
FCC Website. Please point your browser to:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/videorelay.html
The following email was sent to fccinfo@fcc.gov
July 21, 2005
Dear FCC:
First I'd like to
congratulate you on your ADA site (http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/ada.html).
It's well written, well organized, and pleasing to the eye - a very nice
site to visit.
So I was somewhat
dismayed when I clicked on your video relay page (http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/videorelay.html)
to see that it perpetuates misinformation that prevents hard of hearing
people from obtaining appropriate telecommunications services.
I'm referring to
your use of the phrase "Deaf and hard of hearing" when you
really mean "Deaf".
The truth of the
matter is that over 95% of "Deaf and hard of hearing" people
are hard of hearing, and the overwhelming majority of them cannot use
VRS services because they don't sign. Your claims that "Deaf
and hard of hearing" people benefit from VRS services misinforms
the general public that hard of hearing people benefit from services
that are really applicable only to Deaf folks.
Oral Hearing Loss
(OHL) Advocacy (OHLA) represents people with hearing loss whose
primary means of communication is spoken language. This includes people
who are hard of hearing, late deafened, and oral deaf. We are working to
reclaim ownership of terms that refer to our community. This includes
the term "hard of hearing", which is most often
misappropriated, as in "Deaf and hard of hearing".
People are so used
to seeing the term "Deaf and hard of hearing" that they assume
members of the two groups comprise a single group. Hard of hearing
people are not "Deaf lite" or "less deaf"; hard of
hearing people have a different disability, require different
accommodations, and comprise a separate group from Deaf people. The term
"Deaf and hard of hearing" is almost never an accurate
description of reality, and should generally be avoided.
Referring
specifically to telecommunications services for hard of hearing people,
many members of our community are very successful using amplified
telephones. For those whose hearing loss is more severe, the voice
carryover service provided by some relay services is often the
accommodation of choice.
We do not, and
cannot use Video Relay Service. We would very much appreciate it if you
would quit claiming that Video Relay Service serves the "Deaf and
hard of hearing" community, because that claim perpetuates the
misinformation that hard of hearing people have access to adequate and
appropriate services.
Thank you,
Larry Sivertson
None to date
