CSDVRS | A Deaf Mom Shares Her World

Are You Chained to Your Videophone? Get a Z Life!

I sat in the airport yesterday and chatted with my mother-in-law. The two folks sitting on both sides of me sat and watched, trying not to look at the interpreter signing away as I talked about my bumpy flight to my mother-in-law. I’m used to it. When I finished my call, the guy next to me asked a bunch of questions. I explained that I was deaf and that I was talking to my mother-in-law but watching the interpreter so I could understand everything she was saying. “Wow, that is just amazing!” he said, shaking his head. The Z4 videophone always piques the curiousity of people when they see it in action for the first time. Sometimes I use the VCO Plus feature with a plugged-in headset and other times I use American Sign Language on my calls.

This video explains more about how you can use your voice with the Z: VCO Plus.

But the best feature of all with the Z videophones is simply this: I’m not chained to the house, I’m not stuck with one videophone option. ZVRS is the only company that offers choices when it comes to videophone options. Whenever I travel, I know who calls me on any of my videophones as I get a Z-Alert telling me that my videophone is ringing. I don’t have to run into another room to see who is calling me. If I’m taveling, people can leave a message and I can view it via email.

ZVRS is leading the way with mobile phone options and there’s a lot more to come! The iPhone4 app is out and the Samsung Epic is next.

Every single one of our ZVRS interpreters is certified. Sometimes people yawn when I tell them this but then I ask them if they’ve ever been stuck with an unskilled interpreter on their VRS/VCO call and I find out they have– and I wonder why they continue to deal with that. Why select a VRS company that allows inexperienced, non-certified interpreters on their staff? In my free time, I work as a writer, so I interview people from all over. The ZVRS interpreters are the key to my success, because they skillfully keep up with the conversation and allow me to focus on the interviewing. So if you’re experiencing frustration with your VRS calls perhaps it is time to explore your options. I invite you to try a ZVRS interpreter on your videophone today. Simply call 888-888-1116 and see for yourself.

And yes, here’s my big, bold disclaimer: I work for ZVRS and I’m proud of it. Nearly 70% of the company’s full-time employees are deaf and hard of hearing and we are one of the fastest growing VRS/VCO companies today.

So if you’re tired of being chained by your videophone, experience some freedom with ZVRS.

I can be reached at kputz (at) zvrs (dot) com or 630-405-6263.

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Putz Household Celebrates Clean Sink

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chicago– The Putz Household is celebrating tonight. For the first time since January 15, 2007, the Putz family has found the bottom of their sink again.

“It’s a miracle,” exclaimed Karen Putz, head of the household. “The last time I saw the bottom of the sink was several years ago. I forgot what it looked like!”

Putz credits an empty house and lack of travel for the successful accomplishment. “The kids are at camp all week and this was the first week in June that I didn’t have to fly somewhere,” said Putz. “I took one look at the mountain of dishes and said to myself, ‘I’m going to conquer that this week!’”

It took Putz nearly an hour to load up the dishwasher and start the automatic cleaning process with a push of a button. The large serving trays from Lauren’s graduation party were washed by hand and stored in the cabinet.

Over at Christie Lake in Lawrence, Michigan, Putz’s parents reacted with surprise and an excited cheer. “I’m so proud of my daughter!” said Marian Griffard. “This is such an amazing feat!”

Putz was amazed to discover a shiny sink after a few scrubs with a Scotch-Brite scrubber and some baking soda.

“I was just blinded by the find,” said Putz. “I had to dig out my sunglasses to finish the job.”

Putz plans to celebrate her thrilling achievement with a gathering of her closest friends tonight.

# # #

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ZVRS and Barefooting, Crammed in Two Days

I arrived at the World Barefoot Center on Sunday evening in time to have dinner with Swampy, Lauren Lindeman and a great group of younger skiers from all over the world, including A. J. Porreca, a 17-year-old barefooter from Willowbrook, Il who is featured on the cover of Water Skier magazine. After a great dinner, I headed back to the Z Team home that I was staying at.

At the ZVRS headquarters, we filmed a VCO Plus video all day. Because Ann Marie Mickelson and I are no actresses, we ended up with a lot of shots for the blooper file. Hollywood will not be calling us soon. Nonetheless, we had a blast and after the first half hour of filming, we kicked off our shoes. Roger Vass put me on a cardboard platform so that Ann Marie wouldn’t tower over me. I begged Roger to airbrush 30 pounds off of me but no amount of money could convince him.

Joined the Z Team for dinner:

Then I went for a walk on the beach at dusk and stayed out until it was pitch black. Just a sliver of the moon and a bright star shone in the sky. Turned off the hearing aids and walked in dead silence– every now and then it’s nice to tune out and just enjoy the visual stuff. The house I was staying at was a few steps from the beach.

Yesterday morning, we finished up some filming and I had this awful urge to go barefooting. I paged A. J. Albrecht, who also works for ZVRS as a Z Specialist and asked him if he was available for the afternoon. I’m working the HLAA conference the next four days and Texas the weekend after, so I figured I could play hooky for the afternoon. The only catch– he was two hours away. Did I really want to drive four hours in one afternoon?

Heck yeah.

And I’m glad I did. A. J. and I had an amazing afternoon on the water. I started off on the boom, back to the basics. Get up, sit back down on the water, get up again. Over and over. Here’s A. J. showing me what to do:

I asked A. J. to teach me how to barefoot on one foot — something that eluded me as a teen. Every time I would lift a foot, I’d end up face first in the water. Kicking off a ski was tough for me.

My first attempt ended in a face plant.

Here we go again, I thought.

My second attempt ended in success– I shifted my weight and lifted my foot up! Did a couple more of those and rode a little longer to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. That felt good! The last several weeks at the gym, I practiced balancing on one foot and I guess that paid off.

I switched places with A. J. and drove while he showed me his stuff. He jumped out of the boat on to the boom while I drove– take a look:

The next trick– a backwards deep water start and then he got up barefooting backwards, then flipped around from a back-to-front:

A. J. is a master on the chair ski/hydrofoil, I was in awe of all the flips he can do. Take a look:

I worked on the deep water start on the five-foot extension off the boom and had no problem getting up each time. I moved to the back of the boat on the long line and out of five attempts, I got up once for a short run and promptly landed face first again. The long line continues to be a battling beast for me. A. J. turned around to take a picture and of course, I crashed at that moment:

When we finished, a storm was brewing so I went back to the boom and practiced skiing in rough water back to the landing. We pulled the boat out and covered it just as it began to pour.

I hit the road back to Tampa and sat in the airport until ten p.m. Needless to say, I conked out on the plane. I sure hope my snoring didn’t bother anyone.

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Deaf Mom Heads to DC/VA for ZVRS VCO Plus Event

Want a Z Life? Want to learn about VCO Plus?

On Friday, May 21st, I will be at the Northern Virginia Resource Center located at 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, Virginia from 6 to 9 p.m. Manny Johnson, Video Solutions Manager for the DC/VA area, will be teaming up with me. Come out and learn about VCO Plus can transform your life! You’ll also learn how to obtain a videophone in your workplace– phone access on the job is a must! I will also be showing the various assistive devices and headsets that can be used with VCO Plus.

Take a look and see how my own life was changed when I discovered VCO Plus:

Why I Love My Z-150

Because Manny and I love to eat, we’re providing pizza and pop too!

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Join the Z-Team at the Chicago Z-Fest!

It’s been a busy year for the Z-Team– we’ve launched a new Z videophone: the Z4! Come and join the Z-Team at the Chicago Z-Fest on Saturday, March 20th from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Hinsdale South Cafeteria at 7401 S Clarendon Hills Rd, Darien IL. Pizza and pop will be provided. You’ll have a chance to meet folks from the Z-Team and learn about the four different videophones that Z provides.

You can RSVP on the Zvrs Facebook page: Chicago Z-Fest

And guess what, we’ve got some new services coming up– join us to find out what they are!

Some photos from our visit with the folks from St. Louis Deaf Professional Happy Hour:

See you at the Z-Fest!

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Zvrs at DeafNation, The Z Sign, and Z4!

I was browsing through my camera and came across a few photos taken at the Zvrs booth at the recent Deafnation Expo. I first joined Zvrs during last year’s Expo, and this year, I ended up running the booth with the local Z team. We had fun, despite a hectic, very busy day!

After the clean up, the Z Team took a moment to pose for a picture:

After dinner, we were walking back to our cars when Mike Aubry spotted a “Z” high up on a building:

What a cool way to end the day with the Z Team!

Stay tuned to www.zvrs.com and watch for the release of the upcoming Z4 software! This software can be downloaded to a Mac or PC for FREE– and you can have a three-way conversation with the Z4. Check out the new video for more information on the Z4 (with captions):

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The Z Team in Vegas–What a Week!

I finally sat down to upload pictures from the last several weeks and came across photos from my trip to Vegas with the Z Team. I spent eight days in Vegas with my team– four days in team meetings and the other four days at the Deaf Seniors of America conference.

Lori shows the hubby Vegas via the Z

Here’s my buddy Lori– she joined the Z Team the same day that I did. We had our training together in Florida back in January. She’s talking to her hubby on the Z-340, showing him the view outside her room.

Sean talks about The Z

We started off our trip with a talk from our CEO, Sean Belanger and then we had an inspirational talk from Carl Gustin who worked for Kodak and Apple. Carl compared The Z to Apple in their early days, commenting on the amazing amount of passion we have as a team. We do have a lot of energy firing up a room when we all get together!

Each of the Sales Managers teamed up to give presentations– I had a blast being teamed up with U. S. Chung. Even though we didn’t win, we gave the audience some laughs with our presentation. In the photo below, Manny Johnson receives an award for “Salesperson of the Year.” Well deserved!

Manny Johnson receives award

Later that night we all wore our Z shirts and we gathered outside to chat. After a while, people started talking with us– they wanted to know where that “Z” place was in Vegas. “Where’s the Z Club?” “What’s the Z?” “Where do I find the Z?” Shannon joked that we should start sending people on a wild-goose-chase to find “The Z” in Vegas.

Joe Wiegers and Butch Zein

Tony, this way!

Shannon O'dneal--my other mentor

There’s nowhere to go, but UP!

Upward and onward!

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Greetings from Vegas

Where in the world is Karen? In Vegas. Not exactly my favorite place in the U.S. but I’m learning to like it this week because I’m with a great bunch of people from the Z team and the Deaf Seniors of America. I’m working the Z booth all week at the conference, so if you’re in Vegas, stop by Paris and say hi.

On Sunday, we had a free day to explore the strip so a few of us went to the roller coaster at New York. Later that night we went to the Stratosphere and tried the rides on the top. I discovered that I have a new fear of heights. There was one ride that throws you over the edge– ack! Poor Manny Johnson, I ended up squeezing the heck out of his hand when we went over the edge. Later that night, I woke up in the middle of a nightmare– the brakes on the ride failed and down we went.

Thank goodness it was only a dream.

Let's go on the roller coaster!

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Z, The Next-Best-Thing to Being There

“Impromptu gatherings are always the best,” said Karen Calvin on Saturday night. It was nearly two a.m. and the last of our friends were about to head out the door.

It started out as one of those weekends where we planned to work on the basement with our friend Mike. Mike had been coming over with his kids for several weekends and tackling the basement with Joe. Joe emailed another friend, John Sullivan. “We need a tall guy to hold up the drywall,” he said. Tempted with free beer, John said yes.

Another friend, Dennis O’Brien volunteered his labor and joined us after installing some Z’s all day. His wife Laura and son Shawn came over. Laura texted the Facebook Queen, Lori Krakora, and told her to come on over with her kids. Lori brought her kids, and three other friends of ours–Todd and Karen Calvin and Mark Riedel.

The guys put up just two pieces of drywall and called it quits.

So we spent the night gathered around the kitchen table yakking and laughing. The kids were off playing somewhere in the house– we didn’t hear a peep from them. We talked about everything under the sun: the stinking economy, the difficulty of keeping a business going during hard times, our kids, our future– and our childhoods.

Connecting with Kent from Colorado

It was getting late, probably near midnight, when we decided to call our friend Kent from Colorado. Kent was part of our deaf investment club which disbanded not too long ago. So Kent joined the party virtually through the Z videophone.

“Damn, I wish I was there!” he said.

“Dude, you are here!” I said. We passed the Z-340 around and yakked some more. After Kent hung up, Julie and Jim Chavez called at one a.m. So we planted the Z in front of us and chatted away with the Chavez’s while munching on potato chips. There were grease marks all over the Z-340 from being passed around. Earlier in the day, the Z survived an encounter with spilled milk. I sat back and watched the conversations around me– marveling how neat it was that friends from far away could join us and be involved.

I think we’ve got a new slogan for Z: The next-best-thing to being there.

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The Midwest Academic Bowl, Z-party and Gallaudet Alumni event

I’m up in Delavan, Wisconsin with my friend Sue. We’re watching our sons compete in the Midwest Academic Bowl hosted by Gallaudet and the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. This is David’s second year competing for Hinsdale South and Alex’s first year with the Illinois School for the Deaf. The two boys have known each other since they were babies, born just a week apart. Today is the second day of the competition which begins at eight this morning.

While my kiddo is competing, I’m up here working for CSDVRS at the same time. Last night, we hosted a gathering of local deaf and hard of hearing families for a pizza night. The Z-340 was hooked up to a large TV and people took turns trying it out, making calls and ordering extra pizza as more families arrived later in the evening. Hope Turpin, who specializes in VCO (voice carry over), showed how to make calls using voice to talk directly to the hearing caller. Two of our Wisconsin outreach specialists, Scotty Franz and Gina Sutton joined us too.

Earlier in the day, I accidently dropped my Z-340 on the wooden floor when I had it on my lap during a break in the competition. I was in the middle of answering a call from Hope, who was setting things up at another location. My heart was beating when I picked it up, thinking that I broke it. Thank goodness for that durable cover which kept it intact.

After our event, we headed over to the Delavan Deaf Club to join the Gallaudet Alumni party. We met up with Dean, Susie and Ryan Kelly who also work as Outreach Specialists. Dr. Davila was there and he talked about the students who were competing in the Academic Bowl (”they’re smarter than I was at that age!”) and the long range plan for Gallaudet. I was really impressed to see the amount of giving that the alumnis put forth each year, between $200,000 to $400,000 each year. The club auctioned a few items, including a Gallaudet blanket that was part of a fierce bidding war between an older couple and a younger alumni. Dr. Davila was caught up in the auction fever and he whipped off his tie to auction that off. Susie Kelly suggested that everyone contribute toward the tie to keep it on display at the club. Everyone agreed and the money flowed. Dr. Davila signed his tie and handed it over to the club.

I’m heading back to WSD to watch my son and then heading to Milwaukee for another CSDVRS event tonight at Kozzies. It has been fun getting to know the people from Wisconsin. I’ve discovered that not everyone is a Packers fan and some admit to supporting the Chicago Bears!

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Are You Chained to Your Videophone? Get a Z Life!

Putz Household Celebrates Clean Sink

ZVRS and Barefooting, Crammed in Two Days

Deaf Mom Heads to DC/VA for ZVRS VCO Plus Event

Join the Z-Team at the Chicago Z-Fest!

Zvrs at DeafNation, The Z Sign, and Z4!

The Z Team in Vegas–What a Week!

Greetings from Vegas

Z, The Next-Best-Thing to Being There

The Midwest Academic Bowl, Z-party and Gallaudet Alumni event

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