Sorenson Communications' Annual Deaf Awareness Month Celebration Begins

Winners of Storytelling Contest Announced


SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwired - Sep 8, 2015) - Today, Sorenson Communications, the leading provider of Video Relay Service for deaf people who use sign language to communicate, launched its online "Deaf Awareness Month" celebration at www.svrs.com/aware2015. The theme of this year's celebration is folklore and storytelling in American Sign Language (ASL) -- and its importance in Deaf culture. To honor and further this tradition, this year, Sorenson sponsored a Storytelling Contest calling for video entries presented in ASL. The first-place winner was Leon Curtis, who was awarded $500 for his entry titled "The Blind Driver." Conrad Baer, with his "Mario Kart ASL Story," and Chris Joseph, with his "Purple Gorilla," were the two runners-up. They each won $250.

New information and ASL videos will be added to the Deaf Awareness Month site throughout September. The online information and entertainment is available at no cost to anyone who has access to a computer.

Sorenson's Deaf Awareness Month celebration will continue through the last week of September, which coincides with the World Federation of the Deaf's "International Week of the Deaf."

Sorenson's 2015 online celebration of Deaf Awareness Month will include:

  • Interviews with renowned deaf leaders and academics Ben Bahan and MJ Bienvenu
  • Sorenson's 2015 Storytelling Contest winners signing their winning videos
  • A special Deaf Awareness Month issue of the SVRS Messenger newsletter, which will announce Sorenson's 2015 Teacher of the Year
  • Video portrayals of beloved Deaf jokes and traditional stories, which will include, among others, "The Deaf Tree," "The Hitchhiker" and "Deaf King Kong"

Sorenson Vice President of Community Relations Ron Burdett notes, "Sorenson is pleased to present various interpretations of traditional Deaf stories, some of which have been passed down through generations of deaf families. We think viewers will find the stories fun and heart-warming."

Earlier this year, Sorenson presented a similar website to celebrate Deaf History Month. To view that website, visit www.svrs.com/history.

The 2014 Sorenson Deaf Awareness Month website, www.svrs.com/aware2014, included information about ASL poetry and idioms, the Great Plains Schools for the Deaf ASL Bowl and the Marra Museum and Deaf Cultural Center, located in Olathe, Kan.

The 2013 Sorenson Deaf Awareness Month website, www.svrs.com/aware2013, included information about deaf schools and education, sign language and spotlighted accomplished deaf athletes.

The 2012 Sorenson Deaf Awareness Month website, www.svrs.com/aware2012, presented information about preserving ASL, the deaf tradition of storytelling and profiles of people and deaf-related organizations that have changed -- or are changing -- the world for the better.

In 2010, Sorenson launched its first online celebration of Deaf Awareness Month by presenting a variety of videos that featured deaf leaders who promoted causes and whose contributions were significant in the arts, athletics and communication. The 2010 Sorenson Communications Deaf Awareness Month celebration can be viewed by visiting www.svrs.com/aware2010

About Sorenson Communications
 
Sorenson Communications® (www.sorenson.com) is a provider of industry-leading communications 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 videophone, 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.