News for ASL Interpreters

View the entire video of the workshop.

1. everyone claims VRS is a high priority for the government
2. Sherrese Smith:
3. must protect the integrity of the TRS fund
4. public must have confidence in the system
5. Jim Tobias, President, Inclusive Technologies:
6. concentrate on the end user
7. rapid changes in technology
8. live video is spreading throughout the world
9. Sheri Farinha, California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (CCASDHH):
10. we serve the community from the womb to the tomb
11. fraud is widespread in government, not just VRS
12. Sharon Hayes, Video Relay Services Consumer Association (VRSCA):
13. sponsored by Sorenson but make our own decisions – we do not endorse Sorenson
14. counter miscommunication by VRS providers
15. need options – not a one provider monopoly
16. many consumers new to VRS
17. need to educate and empower our consumers
18. we have not yet achieved functional
19. Claude Stout, Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. (TDI):
20. FCC doing an amazing job with TRS
21. cannot interfere with the advancement of technology
22. do not forget hearing individuals
23. Rosalind Crawford, National Association of the Deaf (NAD):
24. reading from the ADA – “functionally equivalent” – equal access to telephone network
25. support national certification of interpreters and RID Code of Professional Conduct
26. support FCC certification for VRS providers
27. supports current system of payments
28. Karen Peltz Strauss, Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT):
29. represents 270+ organizations
30. formerly with FCC, has worked with a VRS provider, has consulted for NECA
31. need for greater rate transparency – open process – know what is covered
32. greater dialog between FCC and providers
33. providers need to know what is allowed and not allowed
34. certification process needs to be improved
35. FCC needs more staff
36. backlog of petitions
37. does FCC have jurisdiction over providers who work for other providers
38. systems now are inadequate and not functionally equivalent
39. greater interoperability with mainstream technology
40. cannot keep VRS isolated from progress
41. Krishna Jayakar, Ph.D., Penn State University:
42. Gregory R. Rosston, Ph.D., Stanford University:
43. strategy project for Sorenson – views today are his own
44. economics are relatively straightforward
45. VRS expanded dramatically
46. main cost is interpreter time – no economy of scale
47. can use competitive bidding to hold down costs
48. Moderator:
49. talk about fraud and abuse first
50. Sheri Farinha:
51. what is the FCC doing to spot fraud earlier?
52. use independent auditors to catch fraud
53. we are guessing now
54. consumers want a fraud and abuse hotline run by deaf individuals
55. also a whistle blower hotline
56. FCC contact info on all provider websites
57. terminate white label programs
58. provisional certification for new companies
59. need clear NECA guidelines
60. electronic monitoring of CAs
61. all providers show their costs
62. Claude Stout:
63. only 3 or 4 staff members monitor TRS nationwide
64. FCC needs to meet with industry on a more frequent basis
65. Karen Peltz Strauss:
66. need a whistleblower program
67. fear of losing equipment prevents deaf from coming forward
68. FCC needs to rule on what is appropriate
69. improve the certification process – strict requirements
70. remove the states from the certification process
71. VRS is not mandated so the states could choose not to provide it
72. need for VRS oversight board
73. Dr. Jayakar:
74. consumers don’t monitor VRS closely because they are not paying for it
75. monitor minutes without invading privacy
76. Rosalind Crawford:
77. define what is a reimbursable call
78. standard is still functionally equivalent
79. cannot infringe on deaf making calls
80. defining legitimate business practices
81. cannot pay people to place calls
82. conduct is impermissible, not the content of the call
83. Greg Hlibok:
84. how can we have an open dialog with providers?
85. Claude Stout:
86. DRO needs more staff
87. set clear policy for the industry
88. Dr. Rosston:
89. look at the economics of crime
90. if you increase the possibilities of getting caught, fraud will decrease
91. Karen Peltz Strauss:
92. FCC action – not disclosure – is the problem
93. providers report on other providers
94. not enough FCC feedback
95. example:  no automatic reporting of minutes
96. FCC has not acted
97. some providers using manual recording of minutes
98. Michael Jacobs:
99. can we elaborate