Crazy Deaf Joe Blog

It’s Official! SnapVRS will Acquire Viable, Inc

Read this press release I got email today, this is good news and this means SnapVRS will clean up and make sure Viable does the right job.

Snap!VRS to Acquire Viable Communications, Inc.
Move Makes Snap!VRS a Leader in Deaf Community Outreach While Maintaining Industry-Standard Ethical Business Practices

Pearl River, N.Y. – Snap!VRS announced today its plans to acquire Viable Communications, Inc. The companies reached agreement on Friday and will immediately begin the difficult work of stabilizing Viable’s business operations and restoring the confidence of its significant constituent base.

Current Snap!VRS and Viable customers can continue to expect quality service as the transaction is finalized.

“Viable has been a formidable competitor and a major contributor to the VRS industry. We’ve always been very impressed with the company’s commitment to and connection with the deaf community. Pairing our respective synergies will create a company capable of servicing the deaf community unlike any other,” said Snap!VRS President & CEO, Tom Kielty.

“Snap!VRS is an industry leader in setting the highest ethical standard, and we are happy to be supported by such a well-respected team,” said John Yeh, President of Viable. “By joining the Snap!VRS team, we will be able to continue serving our loyal customers while continuing our commitment to our employees, the industry, and most importantly the deaf community.”

More details of the transaction and the opportunities that it creates for customers will be made available in the next few months.

About Snap!VRS

Snap!VRS is a video relay service that delivers a high quality and convenient relay experience between people who use American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. Whether at home or in the office, relay users enjoy fast connections to experienced and professional ASL interpreters that are available anytime from a variety of video phones. Snap!VRS is committed to delivering video relay service with integrity and excellent customer service. To learn more about Snap!VRS, please visit www.snapvrs.com.

About Telecommunications Relay Services

Mandated by Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, telecommunications relay services (TRS) enables individuals with hearing or speech disabilities to achieve functional equivalence by accessing telephone systems to place or receive calls through an intermediary known as a relay operator or relay interpreter. Emergent IP technology has given rise to video-based solutions, which are known as video relay services (VRS). VRS options include using a webcam or a videophone to connect to a video relay interpreter, and allow deaf and hard of hearing callers for whom sign language is native to fully achieve the ideal of functional equivalence.

Oh Great! New VRS Provider: CallVRS! We have ENOUGH!

As of today, I was being told that there is a new VRS provider called callVRS and it made me mad and why we need more new VRS? I think FCC needs to step in and stop to create more new VRS. We need to speak our voices and tell how we do feel. It cost us taxpayers money and not doing it right.

I had enough of this bullshit, it’s time for us to act and make the VRS world more serious. That explains I will NOT use their service until they fix it up. Also, this is the other reason I won’t use other VRS provider’s wireless device until everything is all clean up and no more dirty business. I only use VP200 and it’s good enough for me for now.

I’ll make more updates when it’s available but in the meantime, please voice your feelings to FCC and make sure they will hear it, it’s really important!

More New VRS Providers? Convo Relay? You Got Be Kidding?!

Honestly, I don’t think we need more new VRS providers and we had enough, let’s focus on real VRS providers like Sorenson, HOVRS, SnapVRS and others who are the true providers. I do not need affiliate providers that is under a VRS company.

Look how many VRS we have today? Almost to 55!! FCC is very mad and they are cutting rates this September or October then it will force VRS to make cutbacks, we have tooo MANY. VRS are dirty business and stealing OUR taxpayers money and abuse it. Go read about Viable story if you know about it. Also, The Z needs to get rid all of affiliates providers and instead use ONE VRS, it’s enough. We don’t need VRSFLA, what for? That’s stupid. If FCC makes new proposed cuts, they got my vote. We need to fix VRS system very bad.

I hope that FCC will make changes and force all VRS providers to make some changes and make it more effective for deaf customers to use the VRS system. I will not use any new VRS providers, I rather use my current provider, it’s good enough for me and I am happy with it and why waste use other providers, too confusing.

YOU deaf people need to speak up your voices by telling the story to FCC and that is the only way they can fix it up and DONT tell to VRS, they won’t do anything because they are slow and tend to avoid it so FCC is the best start to speak up to.