Sorenson Communications Announces St. Augustine Video Relay Service Interpreting Center

SALT LAKE CITY, March 15, 2018 -- Today, Sorenson Communications, LLC announced the opening of a new Sorenson Video Relay Service^® (SVRS^®) interpreting center in St. Augustine, Fla. As the leading provider of Video Relay Service (VRS), Sorenson operates more than 100 SVRS interpreting centers in major cities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“Opening the St. Augustine center provides increased access to professional interpreters who relay conversations between Deaf and hearing people, each in their preferred language – either American Sign Language (ASL) or spoken English or spoken Spanish,” notes Laura Hartness, SVRS vice president of interpreting. “Opening this center is another way Sorenson shows its commitment to the Deaf community.”  

Lance Pickett, SVRS marketing vice president, adds, “Sorenson Communications is dedicated to providing the best-possible SVRS experience for Deaf and hearing callers. Each SVRS interpreting center is staffed with the highest-quality interpreters —professionals who are dedicated to providing excellent interpreting for every call.”

SVRS empowers Deaf people who use ASL to place video relay calls with hearing people, 24/7, through a qualified ASL interpreter. To place a relay call, a Deaf caller uses a videophone, a mobile device or computer, a high-speed internet connection and a standard TV. When a Deaf caller calls a hearing person, an ASL interpreter, located in an interpreting center, appears on the screen. The Deaf caller signs to the interpreter, who is fluent in ASL and spoken English. The interpreter then speaks the message to the hearing recipient. The hearing caller responds and the interpreter signs the message back to the Deaf person, thus “relaying” the conversation between them.

SVRS, a service paid for by the U.S. government’s Telecommunications Relay Service fund, closely simulates a conversation between two hearing people, something the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) calls “functional equivalency.” Title IV of the ADA mandates access to functionally-equivalent communication for Deaf people. 

About Sorenson Communications
Sorenson Communications, LLC (www.sorenson.com) is a provider of industry-leading communication products and services for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing. The company’s offerings include Sorenson Video Relay Service^® (SVRS^®), the highest-quality video interpreting service; the Sorenson ntouch^® VP and the ntouch^® VP2 videophones, designed especially for use by Deaf individuals; ntouch^® PC, software that connects users to SVRS by using a PC and webcam; ntouch^® for Mac^®, software that connects users to SVRS by using an Apple^® computer; ntouch^® Tablet, which turns the Apple iPad^® with a front-facing camera into a larger-screen mobile VP; and ntouch^® Mobile, an application empowering SVRS communication via mobile devices.

Disclaimer
If you choose Sorenson as your default provider, you can port your existing 10-digit number to Sorenson from another provider or Sorenson can provide you with one for the geographic area where you live or work. If you later change your default provider, you can port your number to that provider. When selecting Sorenson, you must provide to Sorenson the physical address (i.e., the Registered Location) from which you are placing the call, so that Sorenson can properly route any 911 calls you may make. If you move or change your location, you must notify Sorenson immediately. You can update your Registered Location from your Sorenson videophone by calling 800-659-4810 or by visiting www.svrs.com/moving. Sorenson will confirm receipt of your Registered Location information. Emergency calls made via internet-based TRS may not function the same as traditional E911 service. For example, you may not be able to dial 911 if there is an internet-service failure or if you lose electrical power, and your 911 call may not be routed correctly if you have not updated your Registered Location. For more information on the process of obtaining 10-digit numbers and the limitations and risks associated with using Sorenson’s VRS to place a 911 call, please visit Sorenson’s website: www.sorenson.com/disclaimer. For information on toll-free numbering, please visit www.svrs.com/tollfree.

Press Contact
Ann Bardsley
Sorenson Communications
801-287-9400
[email protected]