Subject: FYI: Instant messaging a tool for equality
From: Ginette Perkins (ginettep@seals.org)
Date: Mon Mar 26 2001 - 10:09:05 PST
Published Monday, March 19, 2001, in the Akron Beacon Journal.
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-- Instant messaging a tool for equality Hearing-impaired people embrace newest technology because it opens lines of communication across globe BY PAULA FELPS Dallas Morning NewsDALLAS: For much of the population, instant messaging has been a convenient way to expedite online conversations. To the hearing-impaired, however, IM has meant much more.
``It's as if the telephone or talking films had been invented all over again, but this time, instead of missing out on such a life-altering experience, deaf and hard-of-hearing people are able to reap the benefits,'' said Jamie Berke, who is the guide for About.com's deafness/hard of hearing site. ``Instant messaging has been a tool for equality.''
Many in the deaf community view modern technology as something that has leveled the playing field, opening up lines of communication that many never dreamed possible.
``Speaking for myself, the greatest advantage is that it has made me more equal to hearing people,'' Berke said. ``I can discuss important matters with co-workers, my editors at About.com, and others. In addition, it makes it possible for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to have friendly banter with co-workers.''
The Internet offers a number of online resources, meeting places and chat rooms for the hearing-impaired. Grant W. Laird Jr., founder, owner and CEO of the Dallas-based Deaf Network, said it has forever changed the lives of the people who are plugged into cyberspace. In particular, instant messaging has become one of the primary means of communication among members of the deaf community, as well as between the deaf and hearing population.
``Every deaf individual or family who has Internet access at work and/or at home has IM,'' Laird said. ``You can communicate with anyone, even hearing families, co-workers, friends and strangers, without any assistance.''
Since the formation of the Deaf Network in 1997, the membership has grown to include more than 1,000 e-mail addresses in the organization's database, Laird said.
He says the trend for using IM in the hearing-impaired community goes back to 1995, when AOL members began using buddy lists and instant messaging.
``A majority of the deaf community are AOL members. As time went by, it grew like crazy. Not just for the deaf community, but everywhere.''
The possibilities created by instant messaging tackle obstacles that the deaf community has had to work around for years -- such as scheduling meetings. No longer do the hearing-impaired require a signing interpreter or other meeting facilitator to participate.
``I've heard about people who set up an appointment on live chat, then get everyone from their group online together. They may be from all over the U.S.,'' Laird pointed out. ``For example, the Texas Association of the Deaf has officers from cities all over Texas, and we simply get together (online) and discuss important issues quickly and simply.''
He said tasks such as contacting customer service departments, which now have e-mail and IM capabilities, are not only less expensive for the companies, but less frustrating for the hearing-impaired.
The practical applications are beneficial, but the emotional rewards are much greater. Brenden Gilbert, chief in technology for the Deaf Network, said instant messaging has finally provided the hearing-impaired with a convenient way to do what most of the population already does every day -- talk to family, friends and co-workers whenever they want.
``Hearing people have the advantage of cellphones or telephones which can call anywhere, anytime. We don't,'' he explained. ``Instant messaging is the next best thing to a phone, and it's incredibly free. I consider AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Pager and ICQ my permanent message buddies 24 hours a day. I leave them on, 24 hours a day. I'm sure many other deaf people do that, too.''
He said he is particularly excited about the new AOL two-way pager, which is based on Research In Motion's Blackberry e-mail device. The pager, released late last year, allows for users to communicate ``on the go'' with AOL's e-mail and IM programs. The device costs $330 in addition to a monthly service fee of $19.95, which means those who find a desktop system too pricey still can reap the benefits of IM.
Before technology expanded to include the Internet, those with hearing impairments relied on TTY (a teletypewriter for the deaf) and TDD (a telecommunications device for the deaf) for communicating with the speaking world. For those with PCs, there's no comparison between the technologies.
TTY ``is completely separated from a PC and it has no color or size adjustment, one line of text, no printer on most machines and it is not free,'' Laird said. ``It costs an average of $300 a machine. They still sell them today, and, of course, we still use it when we have to. But with TTY, you have to call Texas Relay Service to make calls.
``With IM, you can communicate with anyone, even the hearing, without any assistance. You can talk to family, co-workers, friends and strangers. There's just less hassle and less frustration. You have the opportunity to stay closer to a deaf friend or family (member). There's no more feeling left out.''
In addition to the affordability issue, About.com's Berke said that IM is easier to use than a TTY and compares its advantages to having an online chat instead of a telephone conversation.
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