deafbiz.com

A post was made at deafness.about.com regarding the high price of UbiDuo and that he has a low-cost alternative.

I’ve posted my response in the forum but I’m going to reprint here because not everyone is registered at the forum.

Robert,
Your contraption for a low cost communication tool is a good and worthly alternative for those that are technically inclined.

But not everyone has 2 laptops around, or know which cable to use, and know how to fiddle with the laptop settings so that both units will communicate to each other.

The UbiDuo just makes it simpler for two units (or 3 or 4) to communicate with each other without fiddling. Just turn it on and type!

This is a recurring issue so Scomm already addressed this issue in their FAQ:
http://www.scommonline.com/blog/?p=8

Now, let’s go over quickly the difference between your laptops contraption and UbiDuo:

Laptop: Turn on time is 30 seconds or longer

UbiDuo: Turn on time is 3 seconds.

Laptop: Battery life is up to 4 hours

UbiDuo: Battery life up to 8 hours

 
Laptop: Wires between two units

UbiDuo: No wires to tangle with

Laptop: Limit to two units attached by wires

UbiDuo: No limit on the distance between two units (Range goes to 500 feet)

Laptop: One person can type at a time back and forth

UbiDuo: Up to 4 people can chat at the same time with no pause

Laptop: File saved to laptop

UbiDuo: Chat can be saved to a file to be downloaded via USB.

Laptop: Complicated to be used as a TTY, if possible.

UbiDuo: Functions as a TTY (software and phone jack included).

What can UbiDuo be used for? At doctor’s office, at job interviews, at business meetings, at family events, at parties, at restaurant, at anywhere!!!

Compare the price of getting a Sign Language Interpreter. Who pays for it? You or them? What if they don’t want to pay for an Interpreter?  Then what?

Secondly, will the interpreter be there when you need it? What happens if the Interpreter doesn’t show up? Or what if you can’t get an Interpreter at all? Then what?

Now, try to put  a price on the lack of communication because of no Sign Language Interpreter.

Then compare with the price on the FREEDOM to communicate at any time you want, anywhere, and with anyone, over and over again.

I want to add that I had the privilege of meeting with Jason Curry, inventor of the UbiDuo and he demonstrated what the UbiDuo can do.
Once you try the UbiDuo, you won’t let go of it.

Oh by the way, remember life before TTY? Before Relay Services? Before Pagers? Before VRS and VP? Same thing here. The UbiDuo is another revolutionary device to communicate.

JSG
Manager, WinfreePCS Inc.
Ubi Duo Dealer

Where Sign Language Is Far From Foreign

Since I live in Rochester NY, I do have a unique perspective.

Recently DeafNation held it’s show in Rochester, NY. How many attended? I don’t think it even hit 3,000.

How does this square with 90,000 deaf or HOH that the NY Times claims?

And there’s a lot more to Rochester than just the deaf culture. How about jobs? Deaf-owned businesses? Mr. Zack is hearing, so why is he part of the story? We have a deaf insurance agent and a deaf owner of a sign language agency. Why not interview them?

Of course, the “NY Slimes” leaves out the full story, as usual.

Hamodia Magazine is the only Jewish Orthodox daily newspaper covering a wide range of topics of interest to the Jewish Community. Hamodia does NOT have an Internet Edition.

Hamodia recently printed an article about the Orthodox Jewish Deaf  Community. Jewish Deaf Community Center was gracious to host a scanned copy in .pdf on their website.

Hearing: Their Silent World

Finally someone spoke up about a deaf person perspective toward muslim women wearing the veil that blocks facial expression:

Sir, I am surprised to have noticed that nobody has raised the issues of communication with the 9 million people living in Britain are Deaf or Hard of hearing. I am profoundly Deaf and use British Sign Language to communication. A Vital aspect of sign language is facial expression which is clearly not visible by a person wearing a veil. I am aware Jack Straw has a hearing loss which may be the precise reason he requires the veil to be removed as he would be unable to lip read.

Read more here:

I received this in the comments and thought it would be useful to create a new entry. I welcome a counter-point. Just keep it factual and cordial.

This was submitted by Richard Roehm |:

This protest is, of course, the key event in the evolutionary proccess we’re seeing in the deaf community.

The protesters are all about the old deaf guards who dont believe in the re-intergration of deaf people back into the hearing society.

The deaf communities are facing major evolutionary changes in the near future which enable them to mainstream and re-integrate back into the hearing society. They are cochlear implants and recently, stem cells, which are promising to be part of the final solutions to addressing deafness. The medical marvels have enabled deaf people to function almost like hearing people. This has created a new deaf society in the past decade and this new deaf society has been slowly taking over Gallaudet University operations.

The protests youre seeing is the old deaf guard’s last stand against the changes in the future of deaf society, against the new deaf society taking over Gallaudet University.

Jane’s leadership has the support of the new deaf society and is best one to lead the new deaf society which comprises 80 percent of the students at Gallaudet into the future.

The protesters are about the past deaf society, about the old deaf guards who have become the scourge of the deaf communities.

They have to give it up because they cant beat the evolutionary proccess the deaf society is facing.

Richard Roehm
Chief Executive Officer
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center