Hate the video phone!

We had it made in the basement.  Walled in concrete, you could escape the heat and be convinced it was already december.  Our TV was fully loaded, featuring both xbox and playstation systems.  Friends came from miles to enjoy hours of game play. Oh, it was summer vacation and nothing could stand in our way. Until, the release of the video phone.. countless times we debated cutting it's wires to ensure not a single incoming call. Yes, it's fair to say: In summer of 2004 we HATED the video phone.

It seemed so innocent at first.  My dad added a simple box on top of our tv.  It certainly didn't stand out as our TV was already lined with peripherals.  Cable box to the left, and two gaming consoles down below.  The Video Phone had a sleek design, and we had no qualms at all allowing it into our entertainment world. We assumed that it would merely be a spectator to us mashing the buttons of our controllers. Then one day it rang.  I can't recall if we were playing Halo or Madden football that day. What I'm sure of is that when we heard the piercing RING of the VP, our ps2 controllers flew out of our hands smashing against concrete as we covered our ears.  Sorenson trying to make CODAs become DEAF?!?!?

Unfortunately, the 120 decibel rings were only our first gripe against the video phone.  It seemed that every Deaf person my dad had ever met were receiving video phones. As my dad engaged in countless hour long conversations, the VP shot my brothers and I a smug grin.  It seemed in fact, that we had become spectators to my father and his Sorenson remote.

We needed to do something.  It seemed wrong, but necessary.  In the heat of a game of madden I saw the glaring light of the VP.  By now I had discovered that this was a warning signal to allow us hearing people to brace for the impact that was about to strike our ears.  After 20 rings, the coast was clear.  My dad did not come downstairs and I was still playing ps2.  However, the Video Phone still had an ace up it's sleeve.  A haunting red dot began to flash to alert a missed call.  This meant one thing for a gaming CODA: as soon as my dad entered the basement I would be giving up the TV for 20+ minutes.  After some time passed I heard familiar foot steps coming down the stair case.  How could I make the red dot stop blinking??  Scrambling for the remote and flipping the input of the tv I scrolled through the VP interface looking for an option to make it STOP. "Who? Who called me?" my dad signed. Foiled again by the device that took over our summer of game play.

We tried many tactics that summer.  Taking out the ethernet plug because we "needed" it for the computer. Accidentally, removing the red and yellow component cables.  All of this proved in vain.  By the end of the summer we were waving the white flag in concession. Those three months we hated the video phone.  Although, as we started to accept this new box on our tv it grew to be part of our lives.  Now, years later, I live in my own apartment.. a part of me misses that ring.

How to Work for VRS

"Hello? No, sorry he can't come to the phone.  Yes he's here, but you can't talk to him.  Well, because he's Deaf. No, no... he's very much alive.. Deaf means he can't hear you.  Do you want me to tell him something??"  Before the launch of video relay service(VRS) I answered calls in this manner every week for several years.  I had no idea that each one of these calls served as a foreshadowing to my adult career.

I've been working professionally as a Video Interpreter for more than 3 years now, but it was a skill I acquired growing up with my Dad.  Some may call this child abuse, but I prefer referring to this as free on the job training.  At 13 years of age I was completing a job function that now requires state/or national certification along with 20+ hours of training.  If only we had headsets back then, instead of trying to balance a cordless phone on my shoulder to make both hands available to sign!

Let me be very blunt about this, while it is a great memory to look back on... I was ecstatic when interpreters starting showing up on our basement television and my father stopped needing another family member to place his personal phone calls.  There were many failed attempts at trying to recruit the other 3 CODAs in the house.  I would like to think I was the chosen one due to my skill, but the honest truth is my inability to say "no."  This is something that plagues me to this day.  In many cases it can also be a blessing, and getting experience as a young interpreter is one to be considered such.

With all the conversation that can be had over political debate of individual providers, I for one am very thankful for the on-set of the industry.  Not only for the accommodation it provides for thousands of people like my father, but also the career it has provided for me and many others.  While I wasn't fond of placing pre-VRS relay calls in my basement, I happy true work now since.. wait - Interpreter clarification "I really do enjoy my job nowadays."