One year ago today, Gracias VRS was granted provision certification from the FCC and became an eligible provider of VRS services. We are very proud of what we have accomplished in providing for the VRS needs of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community and Latino and English speaking communities. We are very grateful and humbled by the support that our customers have given us over the last year and we look forward to serving your needs for many years to come! We welcome you to take part in our celebration by sharing your experiences you have had in using our service and interacting with our amazing interpreters by leaving a comment below.

Over the next year Gracias VRS will expand services to ensure we are continuing to meet the needs of all of our customers. Look for exciting new updates very soon!

We cannot thank you enough! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GRACIAS VRS!

Gracias VRS is proud to present a few new videos for your viewing pleasure! Our first video is all about Emergency Kits, find out what yours should have in it and why you should have one! And our second video straight from the NAD is a call for your help, check it out!

Make Your Own Emergency Kit

Learn how to make your own Emergency Kit and be prepared!

FCC VRS Reform Rulemaking Needs Your Comments!

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed new rules and asked for suggestions on how to improve Video Relay Services (VRS). The NAD first found out that the FCC was considering making reforms to VRS last summer. We have been working diligently along with other Consumer Groups representatives, to let the FCC know our concerns about possible changes to VRS and also improvements we would like to see. (Instructions on how to file at the bottom of the page).
The rulemaking has four key areas for reforms:

• TRS Broadband Pilot Program (TRSBPP)
• Better Technical Standards for VRS
• Change from a Per-Minute to a Per-User Reimbursement System
• Improvements to VRS Quality

Read more online on the NAD.org website.

Want to know how to change the Language on your YouTube Closed Captions?

Youtube: Viewing Videos with Captions

Gracias VRS supports the inclusion of Closed Captioning in Spanish and English and of Audio Descriptions in Spanish and English in all TV programming because we all are humans and as such, have the same rights to have access to information. Guaranteeing this right provides dignity and equality to the communities that benefit from these services. That is why DICAPTA has the “spotlight” this month. For more information on DICAPTA and their services please go to http://www.dicapta.com/.

We all love to go to the movies or watch them afterwards when they are available in DVD or in our favorite streaming equipment. Being able to see and listen what happens and what is being said is a “given” for the majority of people. But what happens when you cannot hear or understand what is being said or when you can hear what is being said but have no idea what things look like. This is the reality that faces 1 in 20 Americans who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (According to the Survey of Income and Program Participation -SIPP), 10 million blind and visually impaired and more than 50,000 Deaf-Blind citizens in the United States. So how these human beings gain access to all the media that is available? Technology and hard working people is the answer.

Many of us take for granted that a TV show or movie presented on TV will have captions but this was not a reality before the 1970’s. It was in 1971 that the first experiments were conducted to create what we call Closed Captions today. In 1972 another showing of this promising technology was done in Gallaudet College when they showed “The Mob Squad” (A Very famous TV series at the time) with captions. More recently in 1990, a law mandated that after 1993 all televisions with 13” or more had to have a decoder embedded on the TV. The captioning has allowed now for more than 30 years access for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to TV programming both live and pre-recorded. But what about the Deaf-Blind and the Blind and Visually impaired population. How can they “See” television? Audio Description is the answer.

Audio description refers to an additional narration track for blind and visually impaired consumers of visual media. It consists of a narrator talking through the presentation, describing what is happening on the screen during the natural pauses in the audio, and sometimes during dialogue if deemed necessary. The person that does the description translates the visual image in a way that is accessible to millions of individuals who otherwise lack full access to television and film.

But what happens to the millions of Latino and Hispanic Deaf, hard of hearing, Blind and Visually Impaired and deaf-blind populations that live in the United States and watch channels that only speak Spanish?. They too have a right to accessibility and DICAPTA (formerly known as Closed Caption Latino) is one of the leading providers of Spanish Closed Captioned Services as well as Audio Description for this community. This fiscal year alone up to February 2012, DICAPTA provided more than 74 hours of Captioning and 285 of Video Description. Some of the channels that are benefited by this project are HITN, V/ME and TBS for FAMILY. The heart of DICAPTA is her CEO and President Mrs. Victoria Díaz Ruiz and her committed staff who spend countless hours making the Deaf “Hear” and the Blind “see” countless hours of tv programming funded in part by the Department of Education. DICAPTA also offers Real time dubbing, Remote Simultaneous translation, live on site translations and CART (Communication Access Real Time transcriptions) services. Right now DICAPTA is leading an effort to convince both the government and the privately owned TV channels that more hours of programming should be offered with Audio Descriptions both in English and in Spanish as it is not mandatory by law for the programming to have this service. The Deaf-blind and the Blind and Visually impaired population has a right to “see” television as everyone else but up to now it seems that the request has fallen on “deaf” ears.

As of this past August, the state of Florida’s Unemployment Compensation (UC) program became completely automated. People can only apply online over the Internet and not by phone or with paper forms anymore. People have to take a skills test online and people have to report work search with five employers each week online. While the toll-free call centers still operate statewide, it is sometimes hard to get through to a live operator and they don’t offer much in the way of individualized assistance over the phone when you do get through. Additionally some people are being directed to visit One-Stop centers (or other Regional Workforce Boards such as Worksource) for in-person interactions with DOE where accommodations for computer access are rarely provided. Further, there seems to be no notice about how one would request such accommodations.

With so many people out of work, the UC program needs to operate at peak efficiency and accuracy. Putting everything online was supposed to make it easier and faster for clients, but unfortunately, as often happens, the agency did not think through how to provide individualized service to people with a need for an accommodation, including those with disabilities or an inability to read or understand English, Spanish, or Creole.

On behalf of a Miami non-profit, Florida Legal Services filed a federal administrative complaint against the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), which runs the UC program. The complaint says the UC program discriminates against unemployment claimants’ civil rights because the online system is too difficult for applicants with disabilities or limited English proficiency to use. The complaint is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

If you know an individual who had difficulty interacting with the UC system after August 1, 2011, we would like you to contact us so we can let the Department of Labor know how the program affects actual people. You can reach us at:

Valory Greenfield, Florida Legal Services attorney
Phone 305-573-0092 ext. 205 (Voice only)
valory@floridalegal.org

OR

Cindy Huddleston, Florida Legal Services attorney
Phone 850-701-1814 (Voice only)
cindy@floridalegal.org

We are interested in your feedback even if the client has already been assisted and the problem has been resolved. Thanks for any information you can provide.

NOTE: The particular complaint we are working on does not address employer-related discrimination against persons with disabilities. For example, employer-related discrimination would be when an employer tells a job applicant “we don’t hire people in wheelchairs” or says “we have no ASL interpreter so we can not interview deaf people for jobs.” For employer-related discrimination, contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at http://www.eeoc.gov/ or the Florida Human Relations Commission at http://fchr.state.fl.us/.

Gracias VRS salutes WASLI as the premier global association of interpreters world wide, united in the common bond of advancing the Sign Language interpreting profession and support of accessible communication between the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities connecting with the hearing communities of the world. Join today and be member of the World of sign language interpreters in an amazing interchange of professional development, languages and cultures! Visit WASLI Online

Alert, Alert February is considered peak time for Flu season!

Flu season is at it’s peak in February.

If you feel sick call your doctor to determine what is the best course of action for you.

People who catch the flu while having other chronic illnesses can develop life threatening complications and prevention is the best “cure”.

With this in mind, washing and or sanitizing your hands frequently and the spaces where you share at home and at work is the best line of defense to keep the flu away.

Also, The Center for Disease Control says that you should get vaccinated every year. Along with staying away from contact with people who already are sick due to influenza.

Finally, those who are sick need emotional support, so remember to keep your friends and family informed as well, so they can protect themselves from the Flu .

If anyone you know is already sick, provide them emotional support by calling or stopping to help make them feel better.

For more information about the Flu (influenza) check out: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm

Or call them at 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348
New Hours of Operation
8am-8pm ET
Monday-Friday
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