CHAT WITH BRYEN

Video: ASL Thrives in NYC Theatre
CHAT WITH BRYEN Hey folks, I know I haven't been blogging for quite a while, but I've been quite busy this past year with lots of different projects going on.  Actually, I'm not even in my hometown of Chicago these days.  I'm spending two months in New York City working as a social media consultant for a play called [...]
Tue, Jan 26 2010

Has Sorenson gone Gestapo?
CHAT WITH BRYEN You all know that every once in a while, I get pissy about the way VRS (Video Relay Services) uses scare tactics and underhanded methodologies to increase their number of customers. It's a fiercely fought out war between VRS providers and Deaf consumers are often unwittingly caught in the crossfire. But this time, it seems [...]
Mon, Nov 16 2009

A blast from the past
CHAT WITH BRYEN With singer Michael Jackson's unexpected passing and constant news coverage and replayings of his most successful songs, it sparked a bit of a “blast from the past” moment for me. You see, in a former life, I was actually a performer.  A song-sign performerand I started performing and touring when I was 7.  There's a lot [...]
Tue, Jun 30 2009

MVP from Purple = Nothing New
CHAT WITH BRYEN It's the job of every business to creatively attract new business.  However, it isn't their job to use deceit and trickery by using false claims.  I don't know whether to be offended or amused by the continuous barrage of mail coming in from Purple (or HOVRS as some of you may still remember them.)  This [...]
Thu, Mar 12 2009

Vibrate with Fox Jaws!
CHAT WITH BRYEN My buddy and fellow GNOMEie in the openSUSE Community, JP,  passed along some cool information about an upcoming project his rocker brother, is doing in Toronto.  Man I wish I could make it to Toronto.  But if you're in the Toronto area, check out Fox Jaws's first ever concert for the Deaf using Emoti-Chairs. What's that [...]
Fri, Feb 20 2009

Free of Unneccessary Barriers…
CHAT WITH BRYEN “We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination.... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.” – Barack Obama, April 11,...
Sun, Feb 08 2009

Free of Unneccessary Barriers…
CHAT WITH BRYEN “We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination.... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.” – Barack Obama, April 11,...
Wed, Jan 21 2009

Interesting take on Deaflympics
CHAT WITH BRYEN So I was showing the Jackie Chan promotional video for Deaflympics-Taipei 2009 to Kim Weild who is hearing, but has a lot of interest in learning more about Deaf Culture.   Instead she surprised me with this great insight into the name ‘Deaflympics' “What's interesting about the word Deaflympics is if you break it down it has [...]
Sat, Jan 10 2009

Need help finding an article
CHAT WITH BRYEN Many months ago, I spotted on DeadRead a very touching story about an interpreter's experience as he accompanied a Deaf family through the loss of their son who was a U.S. soldier in Iraq. I very much want to read this article again, but cannot find it on Google nor on DeafRead search. [...]
Tue, Dec 09 2008

Deaf takes over Twitterville!
CHAT WITH BRYEN If you're Deaf and you Twitter, here's a great way to network with other Deaf folks and get your tweet going.  Join the new Deaf TwittGroup, its free, it's easy and its just a great way to find those long-lost friends to tweet and get your word out to more Deaf people.   Personally, I think [...]
Wed, Dec 03 2008

Don’t let VRS stomp on your rights!
CHAT WITH BRYEN I received this email from Certified Deaf Interpreter June Prusak and I have to say I agree completely with her about what is at stake.  Your right to expect and assume quality interpreters who can competently relay a conversation via videophone is a precious right and you need to exercise that right by speaking out. I, [...]
Fri, Nov 14 2008

Again with the VP tracking???
CHAT WITH BRYEN Some of you may recall a series of articles I wrote last spring regarding claims that calls on Sorenson's VP phones were being tracked by Sorenson.  It obviously touched a lot of nerves within the community and many comments were posted.  Sorenson also privately assured me that they were no longer following this practice. But this [...]
Mon, Nov 10 2008

SuperNanny–The Aftermath
CHAT WITH BRYEN SuperNanny just finished airing on television and I am so awash with emotions in my gut about the episode.  First, let me say the “good” part of the show, if we can even call it that... Today's episode centered on the life of two Deaf parents, an 18 year old daughter, and 3 younger daughters aged [...]
Sat, Oct 11 2008

Be a part of the solution!
CHAT WITH BRYEN Something really cool is going on in Chicago! A group of Deaf-Blind people have formed a team to join VisionWalk. This team will help raise funds for Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) and help find a cure for Usher Syndrome. Here's why it is soooo cool! This group of ambitious and dedicated people [...]
Wed, Jun 04 2008

CNN just gets stupider and stupider…
CHAT WITH BRYEN As is my daily morning routine, I get up in the morning and go to CNN.com to read the latest headlines of the day.  One headline catches my eye.  Deaf Couple Wants Only Deaf Embryo.  Cool, a Deaf story, let's click on it.  Ahh, it's a video story.  Great.  Video stories can be so much [...]
Tue, May 20 2008

Hotels, Videophones and the ADA
CHAT WITH BRYEN I was on another business trip for a couple of days last week and couldn't help but feel a longing for my videophone.  Yes, I guess like the rest of us, I've become somewhat dependent on it.  And I wondered about those of us who take frequent business trips.  How do we deal with this [...]
Tue, May 13 2008

Is the 10-Digit Numbering System enough?
CHAT WITH BRYEN I was just reading NAD's article about participating in the FCC's 10-Digit Numbering System and couldn't help but wonder if we're not looking at this issue in a more global way.  Videophones have not only enabled us to use a better form of relay interpreting service, but also to better connect with loved ones who [...]
Sun, May 11 2008

Is Viable discriminating against Deaf-Blind?
CHAT WITH BRYEN Reading the recent press release about Viable VPAD now being available, I'm sad to say, it looks like the answer to my question “Is Viable discriminating against Deaf-Blind?” is “Yes.”
Wed, Apr 09 2008

OMG! I’ve been hijacked!
CHAT WITH BRYEN Living in the Deaf Blogosphere in recent months has been a rewarding experience for me.  There's the exchange of ideas, the thrill of debate, the satisfaction of comments to your articles.  It is a great way to catch up on events going on in our Deaf Community and a way for people outside our Community [...]
Sat, Mar 15 2008

This Cold Case is….HOT!
CHAT WITH BRYEN Imagine a Cold Case so hot, it's jam-packed with Deaf acting luminaries.
Tue, Mar 11 2008

Ojo Network is back up and running!
CHAT WITH BRYEN How thrilling!  Jeff Rosen announced the restoration of the Ojo Network.  Now, everyone can call each other on their Ojo phones.   Okay, maybe not.  Still one important detail left...  Where's my Ojo? I know Snap!VRS says they are distributing Ojo Phones in a measured pace.  But it's fast becoming a distant reality for many of us.  [...]
Tue, Mar 11 2008

Invitation to Sorenson
CHAT WITH BRYEN The last two posts relating to Sorenson have been an eye-opener for me.  I really started out innocently just talking about two strange experiences I have had dealing with Sorenson technicians.  This led to a flood of comments, mostly negative against Sorenson. One comment even spawned a second post from me about the question of monitored [...]
Mon, Mar 03 2008

Is this true about Sorenson???
CHAT WITH BRYEN As we all saw from my last post about strange Sorenson experiences that I have, the comments were surprisingly negative against Sorenson's quality of service. Some of my friends have said “No that's not surprising.” Really sad state of affairs we're living in. Reading through the comments, it seems pretty obvious that Sorenson's t...
Sun, Mar 02 2008

Strange Sorensen VP Technician Experiences
CHAT WITH BRYEN When I had my VP installed a few years ago, a Sorensen VP Technician came out to do the work. Now, I happen to be a network engineer consultant so I have a pretty nice network in my house including a Cisco 24-port Gigabit switch hooked up to multiple machines. Can't get much [...]
Tue, Feb 26 2008

Disillusioned with Obama
CHAT WITH BRYEN The recent debacle where Obama staffers prevented the visibility of Deaf interpreters by putting them and Deaf attendees backstage instead of allowing them to be equal participants on the floor with fellow rally-ers certainly left a bad taste in my mouth.
Tue, Feb 19 2008

Observations of MEDIUM on NBC
CHAT WITH BRYEN I'm writing this as I'm watching MEDIUM on NBC.   The episode is called “Do You Hear What I Hear” and the show's leading character, Allison, mysteriously loses her hearing when a deaf girl simultaneously is kidnapped.  I'll write my impressions in real-time here.  Who knows, maybe I'll regret doing this tomorrow...
Tue, Feb 19 2008

Deafies: How do you stay on call 24/7?
CHAT WITH BRYEN I'm curious.  Maybe others of you know?   I work as a technical consultant and must be available on call 24/7.  Problem is, once I go to bed, I can't really stay connected to my pager for emergency calls. I have looked for years for something to connect like some kind of “plate” to put my vibrating [...]
Sat, Feb 16 2008

FYI: This site is written by a Deaf-Blind Guy
CHAT WITH BRYEN Visitors to my site will notice several things. I use white text against a black background, have very little graphics and don't use vlogs. Why? I want to make sure my site is as accessible as possible to the world, including my brothers and sisters in the Deaf-Blind community. Quick Fact: [...]
Wed, Feb 13 2008

AgBell’s Namesake doesn’t make sense…
CHAT WITH BRYEN I'm not going to get into the whole controversy between AgBell and the Deaf Community. While I disagree with AgBell's perspectives, they certainly have a right to their opinions. However, one thing has always puzzled me about AgBell and that is their namesake. It's named for Alexander Graham Bell, an important [...]
Wed, Feb 13 2008

Response to Obama Staffer’s comments
CHAT WITH BRYEN Obama staffer, Jeff Rosen, has responded to Ben Vess's recent blog about Obama rallies not being accessible to Deaf attendees. You can read his comments to me as well, here. Let's take a moment to dissect his comments:
Tue, Feb 12 2008

Obama for Change: Words or Action?
CHAT WITH BRYEN The apparent results of Obama's call for Change is action rather than just words. But for Deaf people, this change apparently isn't a good thing. It seems that Obama is all about change, including changing the visibility of Deaf people in America.
Tue, Feb 12 2008

Delta Airlines and Deaf Customers
CHAT WITH BRYEN Funny thing happened this morning when I was getting ready for a flight to New York City. I had a scheduled 7 a.m. flight and I was just getting out of the shower at 5 a.m. when my cell phone rang. Who the heck could be calling me at 5 a.m. from an [...]
Wed, Feb 06 2008

Steak ‘N Shake… A Resolution Proposal
CHAT WITH BRYEN By now, many of you have heard about the unfortunate incident where Steak ‘N Shake denied access to a Deaf customer.    Fortunately, it appears Steak ‘N Shake is working to come to a positive resolution.  Here's a proposal from me:
Fri, Jan 25 2008

Steak ‘N Shake denies Deaf Access
CHAT WITH BRYEN Fellow blogger Karen Putz reported on her site an incident in which she was denied access to Steak ‘N Shake via their drive-thru window, because the employees couldn't accept the fact that she was a Deaf customer. Worse yet, they threatened to have her arrested. This reminds me of a similar incident in 1993 [...]
Thu, Jan 24 2008

Deaf-ify your iPod
CHAT WITH BRYEN Whenever people see me with my iPod, they ask me... How did you do that? So let me tell you the two things that help me to enjoy my iPod as a Deaf person. SHARETHIS.addEntry( { title: "Deaf-ify your iPod", url: " [link] } , { embeds: true } );
Mon, Jan 14 2008

The State of Rear-Window Captioning
CHAT WITH BRYEN Rear-Window Captioning is a technology introduced approximately 10 years ago to allow mainstream access to movie theatres for Deaf/HOH people without requiring a separate screening with open subtitles. I've been a big supporter of Rear-Window Captioning (RWC), sometimes even getting into heated discussions with my Deaf friends about it. But after 10 years [.....
Fri, Jan 11 2008

DB Panelist at Columbia College
CHAT WITH BRYEN I had the honor of being invited as a guest panelist for a Deaf-Blind Workshop for students studying to be interpreters and SSP's at Chicago's Columbia College.
Fri, Jan 11 2008