VDDHH Technology Assistance Program Summary
Engineering Students Get a Charge out of Competition
Engineering students at RIT/NTID got to experience first-hand just what goes into creating a new product by competing in a contest to design a solar-powered hearing aid battery charger. At stake was a $1,000 prize, the opportunity to help develop a new product and a chance to potentially help deaf and hard-of-hearing people around the world. See who won.
Sign Language Translator on Mobile Handheld Device
DHHSC Bits Reader ran across this in a review of the international consumer electronic show:
“There’s always room for mobile handheld devices with big displays, even those that perform just one function. Krown Manufacturing of Fort Worth, Texas, which has for many years produced special TTY devices for the hearing impaired, has produced a handheld computer just for learning sign language. By tapping with a finger on the on-screen keyboard, you can look up a word, and then see a video of a sign language professor demonstrating the sign language equivalent of that word. It’s a nifty demonstration of using familiar technologies for a dedicated purpose.”
- Thanks to DHHSC Bits Reader and Krown Manufacturing
Viable Begins Distribution of VPAD+ to Federal Employees
The Department of Defense’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) has approved the VPAD+ for distribution, at no cost, to deaf and hard of hearing Federal employees. The VPAD+ is a lightweight, standalone VOIP videophone with a 10.2″ touchscreen monitor, WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities and enables sign language users to place phone calls by videoconferencing with interpreters specially trained to relay phone conversations.
Viable, a deaf-owned and deaf-operated provider of video relay services (VRS), developed the VPAD+ so deaf and hard of hearing people could access the telephone system with forward-looking technology. The VPAD+ is interoperable with 10-digit telephone numbers and has USB ports for Bluetooth-enabled headsets, providing hard of hearing people with amplification options.
CAP was established in 1990 by the Federal Government to provide assistive equipment such as teletypewriters (TTYs) and light signalers to Federal employees who are deaf or hard of hearing so they can enjoy equal access to inter-office information and communication. CAP also provides accommodations to Federal employees with disabilities and to wounded military personnel. In 2006 CAP reported partnerships with 65 Federal agencies and in 2007 CAP distributed 8,775 products.
Ward Pettis, who obtained his VPAD+ through CAP and works for the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, MD, said, “I am thrilled with my VPAD+, it has been a great asset for my workplace. Now I can place and accept calls from hearing people via VRS on my videophone. Finally, Federal employees have a standalone videoconferencing solution without a hook-up to a TV set or using a webcam.”
“This is a breakthrough for Federal employees who have endured TTY technology for too long,” said Shane Feldman, who manages government relations for Viable. “The VPAD+ is one of the first videophone products offered by the CAP to feature built-in WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities and offers customized advantages that will improve communication with coworkers and boost workplace productivity.”
“The VPAD+ has the ability to traverse firewalls once the appropriate ports are opened and rules put in place,” said Feldman. “During a recent Department of Commerce conference on videophone technology, it took Viable’s sales engineer only 15 minutes of working with the Department of Commerce’s IT department to create a stable connection for the VPAD+.”
Federal employees interested in the VPAD+ can apply online at CAP’s website. Federal employees whose agencies are not a CAP partner can email government@viable.net to purchase a VPAD+.
Federal employees and IT technicians may contact government@viable.net with questions ranging from NAT traversal to security. Specifications, video clips, and further information on the VPAD+ can be found at www.viable.net/product/vpad .
- Thanks to NVRC, Fairfax
Hearing Dogs & Cruise Ships
An NVRC News reader who is about to take her hearing dog on a cruise for the first time asked for advice. This is a new question for us, so we asked others with assistance dogs for their experiences and advice. We thank Cindy, Linda, Deborah, Kimberly, Marty, Libby, and Moody for their input!
Tips on Hearing Dog Relief Areas on Cruise Ships
- Notify the cruise line in advance that you are traveling with an assistance dog which will need a relief area
- Share information about what kind of relief area will work best for your dog
- Ask for a covered balcony for the relief location
- If the relief area uses a box with litter, try to pick up the clumped urine before the dog needs to get back into the box again; a wet clump can stick to a dog’s feet like glue
- Bring your own pick up bags
- Be prepared to have people ask you, “Where does the dog go potty?” every 15 minutes
- If you are the first person with a hearing dog, consider allowing for more interaction between crew members and your dog than usually allowed with the public — on your command, of course
Cruise Stories
A service dog partner said that Princess provided a box made of cardboard or wood that was lined with heavy plastic. Dog or cat litter was spread on top of the plastic. Princess has also been known to use wood chips, but this was found to be a poor choice because the chips blow everywhere in the wind.
An individual whose guide dog was the first to go on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas said they provided a 4′ x 4′ wood box with mulch in it, and a garbage can was placed nearby. The box was located in a crew-only area on an outside deck and was somewhat protected by a half wall.
One ship put a section of artificial turf on a balcony. It may have been a product such as The Pup-Head(TM) Portable Dog Potty: http://www.pupgearcorporation.com/Products/Pup-Head/Pup-Head-Portable-Dog-Potty_2
Another ship used a litter box filled with wood chips that was placed on one of the decks. One day the sea was rough and that deck was closed. The crew suggested that the dog go in the shower area.
After Boarding the Ship
It often takes a dog a day or two to understand that s/he needs to go in a box. This is true even with some dogs who go on cruises often. One tactic that could help is to exercise the dog vigorously at a non-busy time of day by going up and down the ship’s stairs and around the deck to “get things working.” Be armed with paper towels and plastic bags just in case you don’t reach the relief area fast enough.
- Thanks to NVRC, Fairfax
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