VRS companies, a beggining of a trend.

Sorenson Communications was the first. Then came Hands On Video Relay Services. Then came a slew of other smaller Video Relay Service (VRS) companies popping up on our radar. Hawk, Viable, Hamilton, Sprint, CSDVRS, etc..

What do these companies have in common? Why, video relay service, of course. And we all know about that.

What else do they have in common? I don't know if the lot of you have thought about it but this is one area that I find intriguing.

Deaf-friendly workplaces.

CSD is the first to be the biggest, deaf-friendly workplace where ASL is the primary language used within the company as it's preferred mode of communication. It's founder, Benjamin Soukup, is Deaf and when building and growing his fledging relay company in South Dakota, he hired many deaf individuals into his company. While at Gallaudet in the late 90's, I would see my friends graduate and head out to work for CSD in Sioux Falls. Some of them are still there.

These VRS companies started hiring. IT persons, managers, account managers, outreach specialists, marketing directors, web designers, videographers for their media department, etc. And the nice thing is that, there never was such requirement of "Must hear and speak". Instead, it was something along the lines of "must have some knowledge of the interpreting industry, whether it be as a consumer or as a manager". Something like that.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is actually a real golden opportunity for our Deaf Nation.

Read employment and business opportunities for the Deaf.

It's simple--here's the logic.. Why bother work for a hearing company and struggle with adapting to their preferred mode of communication, i.e. verbal and audible English produced by the mouth? Why not, we, as Deaf folks, turn the tables and own our own businesses? That way, we, as Deaf folks, can institute the preferred mode of communication in our business, namely ASL? Why bother getting ourselves into situations that have the potential to submit ourselves to oppression and audism by working for Hearing companies? Why not start our own businesses where we can be sure that that never happens within our companies?

Lastly, why not start and build a company that will create employment opportunities for members of our Deaf Nation?

Look at HOVRS. This company keeps growing and growing. Ever since they brought on a major investor and a new President of the company, I have seen their employment position postings pop up like a ground hog, recruiting for Deaf people to join their company. And to think--"Oh, how we would LOVE to work for a Deaf-Friendly company where we can use ASL everyday!" Sprint, when they open up an Account Manager position, experiences a flurry of applicants fighting for that position like a madhouse of piranhas. The corporate experience as well as attractive salaries is really enticing. How nice it would feel to know that you work for a corporate company and you have a expense account as you walk through the airport on your way to the next Deaf Expo. And to tell the naysayers who have always said "Deaf people can't do it--they're handicapped and not capable of working" or whatever else. I recalled once reading somewhere in a blog somewhere sometime ages ago, a Deaf gentlemen wrote something like, "At Burger King I went in to place my order, and the lady at the cashier saw that I was Deaf, and she proceeded to say 'Oh I'm so sorry you're deaf!'. I was appalled. I wrote back on the paper "I have two Master degrees and make $70,000 a year, and you're sorry? Especially that you're working in Burger King and you look like you're 65 years old with no retirement money?"

This past year I had the opportunity to participate in the DeafNation Expo at least twice--once in Portland and again in Pleasanton, California. The neatest thing that I witnessed is that there are more and more Deaf-owned and run businesses showing their presence in these Expos. The display and exhibits for the major VRS players are becoming impressive--a reflection of the true potential of the Deaf company. I see many Network Marketing businesses coming up--such as Quixtar, USANA, Arbonne, etc. I see proprietors, such as Pah! Printing in California. I know there's more that would love mention but I can't think of them. But you get the idea. Own your own business, hire Deaf folks. And, you can bring on interns, and give them opportunities to hone their skills, so that when they leave they'll start their business! My friends, commerce out there is OURS TO RULE!

And c'mon, the Internet!! How many people are making money off of the Internet?? Millions! Capitalize on the Internet!! If you have this much time to be sitting at your computer scanning DeafRead everyday looking for interesting blogs and vlogs, then I'm sure you could be redirecting your energy into starting something profitable on the Internet! (No offense to Mayer and company!) Seriously, you could be making loads of cash selling stuff on the 'net. Or start a subscription site of some sort. A mere 3,000 membership base paying $10 a month for something that you can offer, can gross you $30,000 a month in income, or $360,000 per year. Sick, isn't it? And how many millions of people are connected to the Internet around the world??
Do the math. Find a way to capitalize on this. You'd be driving a Bentley GT in no time.

Again, why struggle? Why not create your own destiny?

But ah! The caveat is--in order to create your business, you have to use the resources that the Hearing people have! Develop a business plan, go to banks to get a business loan, go to other businesses to acquire stuff you need for your business and etc. It's inescapable. This is where we have to learn how to appropriately and professionally communicate with Hearing people to get what we need. Here is where we need to learn the law of symbiosis--"Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours". You have to give if you want to get. There's always an equilibrium that must be maintained--it's the law of the universe. Once you get the hang of communicating with Hearing people and making them comfortable with you, they will be more than happy to have your business.

Take it a bit further. Remember the word Symbiosis. Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Deaf businesses supporting other Deaf businesses. Keep the money within the Deaf Nation. Create our own little economy.

So when I hear people complaining about discrimination, oppression and audism in their workplaces, I often think "If only they could go out and start their own business." You each are responsible for yourselves and how you behave in these instances. You are Masters of your own destiny and you can choose whatever path you want to take. Easy for me to say, not easy to do but it's not impossible.

Remember my previous post about "Forward Thinking"?? This is a good example. This is how we can start to take control over our destiny and start shifting over to be proactive people than reactive. We have got to stop being lazy and complacent and whining about oppression and audism and take control of our lives. If you have something you have to offer to all the rest of us, then by all means, share it with us in one way or another.

And this is how I share what I have to offer. My wisdom and insight.

Anyways, to wrap it up, one thing is for sure, you are in charge of your own ship, your own businesses. You are the Captain.

BF