CSDVRS |

Working at ZVRS

Before I begin, let me give full, complete disclosure– I work for ZVRS and this post is about my job and what I’ve encountered lately.

Some could say that I “sell videophones” for a living. My job at ZVRS goes way beyond that. The most enjoyable aspect of my job is the ability to open up a world of communication for someone who previously encountered obstacles with the phone. One of the reasons I love ZVRS is because it is a company with options– twenty six different products and services that provides communication access between deaf, hard of hearing and hearing folks. I don’t like “selling.” That’s the aspect of my job that I do not like at all. So what I do is match customers with a Z service or product that changes their life.

ZVRS has a “My First Videophone” program where we supply a Z-OJO for people who have never used a videophone before. I installed one of those phones not too long ago with a customer who had lost her hearing later in life. She wasn’t quite fluent in sign language, but she was an excellent lipreader. I explained the videophone and the services and then I suggested that we make a call to her daughter. She was quite nervous at first but she gamely pushed forward. I sat back as I watched her connect with her daughter in a new, amazing way: she was able to talk directly to her daughter and watch the interpreter on the screen.

The best part of my job is watching the eyes light up on customer’s faces when they establish those new communication channels for the first time in their life.

I recently had a customer who switched their phone number from another company and shortly after the switch, the person received some pressure to switch back– and when the person declined, there was pressure to give the phone number back to that company. Years ago, when I switched cell phone companies, the process of moving my phone number from one company to another was a seamless, smooth process and it should be the same thing for deaf and hard of hearing consumers. The days of having multiple numbers for multiple services are over with– deaf and hard of hearing customers can move their videophone number from one company to another.

ZVRS is constantly coming up with new videophone solutions and services and I’m always in awe of what our engineering team dreams up. For a long time now, I begged our team for a voice solution on a mobile phone and now we have VCO Plus on the Samsung Epic and the Galaxy Tab. There’s more to come, as our engineering team never stops– they never rest– they keep delivering new, innovative services!

I am so thankful for ZVRS and the excellent interpreters on the Z Team. When I hang up my Z hat for the day, I put on my writing hat. One of the books that I’m working on involves intensive interviews with people from all over, and the Z Team interpreters handle every call with professionalism and high-level skills. Every single one of the Z interpreters is certified and experienced in the relay industry. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to all the interpreters who bridge the communication for me on a daily basis– you all rock!!!

Finally, take a look at our latest (captioned, of course!) video with a hint of what’s coming up (that’s my friend DOB with his famous expression!):

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS by DeafMom
3 Comments »

The Last IEP Meeting

It hit me like a ton of bricks this week when the school counselor remarked, “This is the last IEP meeting for David.” I looked at my son sitting next to me. How did the time fly by so fast? He was a little toddler when Joe and I sat in on his first IEP meeting. David had just turned three and was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss just a short time before that. I had attended many other IEP meetings as an advocate for other families, but it was a whole new ballgame to sit in the IEP meeting as a parent.

One of the hardest things for me to do was to put him on the bus for a 45-minute ride to school. It was hard to trust someone else to drive my child, hard to trust someone else to care for him and protect him. I didn’t like the bus driver, a young man who seemed distracted. My gut feeling kept telling me that something was wrong. A few days later, I went to get David off the bus and spied a half-smoked cigarette on the floor. That was the last time that bus driver picked up my kid and I requested an aide on the bus after that.

David attended a school with a deaf program for three years. In kindergarten, the supervisor came up to me and told me that they felt the best placement for David would be in his home school district. I struggled with that view, because I grew up solo in the mainstream– I was the only kid with hearing loss all the way up until I met Shawn Haines in high school. Then it was solo and a friend. I didn’t want that for my kid. I wanted to make sure he grew up with deaf and hard of hearing peers. So at first, I balked at the suggestion. Joe and I had days and days of discussion, wrestling with the decision. Should we fight to keep him in the deaf program or should we try the mainstream option?

Finally, we came to the conclusion that we would give the mainstream option a try, with the intention of putting him back in the deaf program if it didn’t work out. From day one, I was determined to make sure he had a different experience than what I went through growing up. Our subdivision had built a brand new elementary school right across the street from our house and it was just about to open up. I went in and introduced myself to the principal, Randy Vanwaning. That turned out to be one of the best moves, because Mrs. Vanwaning stayed on our side throughout the whole elementary school experience.

There’s a saying that I learned at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) conference years ago: “Bloom where you are planted.” Once we decided that we were going to mainstream the kids, we kept that philosophy with us. We made the best out of it. I volunteered at the school and in the school library so that I could get to know the staff and the teachers. I went into class and read books to the students using sign and voice. I became involved with local playgroups and neighbors. The school hired an interpreter whose parents are deaf. Mrs. Mac is still interpreting today for Steven. Mrs. Mac started an ASL club at the school. The music teacher embraced sign in every single concert that the school put on and Mrs. Mac volunteered her time to teach the students one song per concert. Many of the students signed the school song at assemblies.

There were many experiences along the way that were challenging and it wasn’t always easy. I teamed up with Janet Des Georges to write The Myth of the Perfect IEP as a result of those challenges. I often reminded myself that it would have been the same in any environment– it’s the nature of the journey and of life. There were times when we questioned our decisions and explored options and considered changes. One of the most difficult IEP meetings we ever had was David’s transition to high school. A staff member felt strongly that we should keep him in the home district. We felt differently– we wanted David at Hinsdale South, where he would have deaf and hard of hearing peers as well as a mainstreamed education. We couldn’t come to an agreement at that meeting. That was a meeting where tears were shed– I’ve had a few of them over the years with the three kids for different reasons. We worked out that agreement and it paved the way for a smooth transition for Lauren as well.

At David’s last IEP meeting, I sat and thought about all of this as I watched him talk about his experience at the “Explore Your Future” camp to the VR counselor and the district representative. I sat in awe as I watched him share his views of what he wanted for his future– this little boy of mine has turned into a young man– when did that happen? I thought back to preschool, and how he cried during the Christmas show that the teachers put on. The teachers tried to encourage him to say his lines, but all he did was sit in his chair and cry while the other kids took turns saying and signing their lines. I look back at that time and laugh, because I have a son who can get up on stage and put on a show now. Go figure.

For a long time, I was the parent teaching the child–guiding David through life and sharing what I wanted him to know. Lately, I’ve been aware of how much the roles have shifted, I’m learning things from my son. When we head to the gym together, he teaches me things about muscle development and he becomes my coach as he runs me through drills. “Come on Mom, you have to do one more set”– which sounds a lot like the stuff I tell him at home: “Clean the bathroom and sweep the living room.” Just yesterday, he made a stir-fry dinner while I was glued to the computer and I was surprised at how delicious it was. There he was, sharing his newly-made recipe with me and teaching me how to make a better stir-fry.

I mentor families who are just starting out on the journey of raising deaf and hard of hearing kids and the beginning of the journey always seems so overwhelming, so impossible, so challenging. “Hang on to every bit of time that you have with your child,” I tell them.

Because before you know it, in the blink of an eye, all of a sudden, the last IEP meeting arrives and you wonder how it went by so fast.

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: Advocacy efforts, CSDVRS, Raising Deaf/HH Kids by DeafMom
13 Comments »

Barefooting with Karen Putz, by Judy Myers

Judy Myers, my mentor and inspiration who got me back on the water, asked me if she could do a guest post for the blog. This post made me cry. Thank you, Judy. You’re awesome and you ROCK!
Karen Putz first contacted me last spring when she saw a video of me barefoot waterskiing on MSNBC’s Fit To Boom series.She explained that she had barefoot waterskied years before and had taken a fall, which caused her to lose her hearing. This is not the usual result of a barefoot fall, but rather the result of a deaf gene that runs in her family and causes deafness from a hard hit.On her 44^th birthday, she was feeling very down about the fact she had given up barefooting after becoming deaf and felt just maybe she could try it again.She told me that I was somewhat of an inspiration if I could barefoot at 67 then she certainly could try again.

I convinced Karen to come down to the World Barefoot Center, in Winter Haven, Florida to ski with me and be instructed by Keith St. Onge, the current barefoot waterski World Champion at that time.She agreed and we arranged for her to come down in March.I must admit that Keith and I were a bit apprehensive about trying to teach a deaf woman how to barefoot.How would we communicate? What if she could not understand us?What if she fell and hurt herself what were we to do?

Karen arrived, and what a positive, delightful person she was to work with.She made us feel completely at ease and “listened” well with her skill at lip reading.

From this first moment, we developed a relationship that has turned into a great friendship. After skiing together with some other “older” barefooting gals, we decided to all head to the World Barefoot Center and hold a Women’s Week for “older” female barefooters.This past week we had fifteen women skiers—twelve of them were over the age of 40,and four of us over the age of 60.What fun we had!

My purpose for asking Karen to let me write this for her blog was to tell you what Karen has taught me.

She always holds me up as a mentor, but let me tell you, this fantastic woman is my mentor.She has taught me more about overcoming obstacles and facing life head on than anyone I know.Her ability to laugh at herself and make light of her deafness puts everyone around her at ease. She is straightforward and explains to us what we need to do to help her. She has taught me not only how to converse with others while looking at her so she can be included in the conversations (and trust me she does not miss much) but more than that, she has taught me that I was the “handicapped” one. In the begining I saw her as a person with a disability, rather than a person who can’t hear, but she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. She is driven to succeed and she does.She has a great outlook on life and brings so much to those she comes in contact with.What an inspiration and role model she is.This is a lesson I can and have brought into my own life.

What a remarkable woman, friend and barefooter!!

Karen you are AWESOME and you ROCK.Thank you for all that you have given me!!

Judy Myers, aka “Old Lady”
67-year-old Barefooter

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS, Inspirational Stuff by DeafMom
3 Comments »

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.

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS by DeafMom
1 Comment »

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.

# # #

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS, Inspirational Stuff, Uncategorized by DeafMom
6 Comments »

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.

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS by DeafMom
2 Comments »

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!

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS by DeafMom
No Comments »

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!

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS by DeafMom
No Comments »

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):

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: CSDVRS by DeafMom
1 Comment »

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!

Bookmark me!