Nesmuth
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Interesting story!
Richard
========================================
From: weekly@thetactilemind.com
Subject: The Tactile Mind Weekly #83
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 00:07:32 -0500 (EST)
THE TACTILE MIND WEEKLY #83
15 December 2004
Sorenson's Bid for Global Dominance: Adrean Clark
*****
SORENSON'S BID FOR GLOBAL DOMINANCE
Adrean Clark
Sorenson Media has made a splash in the signing community with their
videoconferencing technology, but their arrival has not been without
its issues.
To the company's credit, care has been taken with reputation. Strategetic
donations were given to Gallaudet University along with other
community-focused organizations, in addition to assorted paid
advertisements supporting various deaf-related publications. In press
releases, the company follows marketing formula, going as far as to
recruit community celebrities like Ronda Jo Miller, Christy Smith, and Dr.
Bernard Bragg to endorse Sorenson products. Branded equipment is free
to Deaf people, and Deaf installers are hired. Sorenson uses signers to
sell to signers. While hearing signers are not eligible for the free
videophones, by virtue of its popularity within the signing community,
they are sure to buy one.
But Sorenson Media is not a non-profit organization. It is part of a
parent company, Sorenson Development, Inc., which owns at least eight
other companies, mostly related to medical fields. (
http://www.sorensoncompanies.com ) James LeVoy Sorenson, chairman, has
an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion. He is tied for 51st on the 400
richest Americans list in Forbes magazine. According to company estimates,
Sorenson Media stands to gain $45 million in 2004 revenues, a big gain
compared to $6 million in 2003.
On Sorenson's web page, there is no culturally Deaf, native ASL vice
president of community relations. All the figureheads are white and male,
with the closest person to our community being the Vice President of
Interpreters.
Sorenson has set up new, directly competing call centers in cities with
existing centers owned by non-profit organizations. The explanation, a
"large pool of interpreters available." What the press releases don't
mention are the subsequent dire shortages of qualified interpreters
available for community interpreting. In the Twin Cities, unfilled
requests for interpreters skyrocketed after the new Sorenson call center
opened, and consumers still have yet to recover from the hit.
If we compare VRS with Relay, one could say it's unfair to be so harsh
when telecom giants MCI and Sprint have their hands in the cookie jar
too. The difference is that far more people qualify for simple spoken
English/typed English translation, while it takes four years of college in
addition to decades of practice and community interaction to reach a
near-native level of fluency in ASL. Resources dry up quickly with two VRS
centers in town.
Especially when it comes to the Twin Cities, it's not unusual to see an
interpreter say that they feel they have to choose between better
benefits, better pay, and better technology (Sorenson) or supporting Deaf
people (like through CSD, a non-profit BRS provider). According to a press
release, Sorenson's new call center was recruited by a "group of Twin
Cities interpreters." There was no mention of input from Deaf consumers,
no publicly stated method for measuring the long-term impact other than
the "several [local] training programs for future interpreting needs"
safety net. Organizations have scrambled to set up a mentoring program,
but it's four to eight years before we see some nationwide improvement.
Perhaps a more constructive way to work cooperatively would be through
co-branding and city-exclusive contracts.
But, small wonder the signing community's worried! Let's see what James
LeVoy Sorenson thinks of ASL:
"James LeVoy Sorenson, 83, has even bigger plans. He said he hopes the
gift will help boost the use of American Sign Language worldwide. 'We
would like to see a language that is universal, and sign language just
might be [it],' Sorenson said." --from an article detailing Sorenson's
$5 million gift to Gallaudet University in the Washington Post, 5
November.
What is behind this mask of benevolence?
Richard
========================================
From: weekly@thetactilemind.com
Subject: The Tactile Mind Weekly #83
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 00:07:32 -0500 (EST)
THE TACTILE MIND WEEKLY #83
15 December 2004
Sorenson's Bid for Global Dominance: Adrean Clark
*****
SORENSON'S BID FOR GLOBAL DOMINANCE
Adrean Clark
Sorenson Media has made a splash in the signing community with their
videoconferencing technology, but their arrival has not been without
its issues.
To the company's credit, care has been taken with reputation. Strategetic
donations were given to Gallaudet University along with other
community-focused organizations, in addition to assorted paid
advertisements supporting various deaf-related publications. In press
releases, the company follows marketing formula, going as far as to
recruit community celebrities like Ronda Jo Miller, Christy Smith, and Dr.
Bernard Bragg to endorse Sorenson products. Branded equipment is free
to Deaf people, and Deaf installers are hired. Sorenson uses signers to
sell to signers. While hearing signers are not eligible for the free
videophones, by virtue of its popularity within the signing community,
they are sure to buy one.
But Sorenson Media is not a non-profit organization. It is part of a
parent company, Sorenson Development, Inc., which owns at least eight
other companies, mostly related to medical fields. (
http://www.sorensoncompanies.com ) James LeVoy Sorenson, chairman, has
an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion. He is tied for 51st on the 400
richest Americans list in Forbes magazine. According to company estimates,
Sorenson Media stands to gain $45 million in 2004 revenues, a big gain
compared to $6 million in 2003.
On Sorenson's web page, there is no culturally Deaf, native ASL vice
president of community relations. All the figureheads are white and male,
with the closest person to our community being the Vice President of
Interpreters.
Sorenson has set up new, directly competing call centers in cities with
existing centers owned by non-profit organizations. The explanation, a
"large pool of interpreters available." What the press releases don't
mention are the subsequent dire shortages of qualified interpreters
available for community interpreting. In the Twin Cities, unfilled
requests for interpreters skyrocketed after the new Sorenson call center
opened, and consumers still have yet to recover from the hit.
If we compare VRS with Relay, one could say it's unfair to be so harsh
when telecom giants MCI and Sprint have their hands in the cookie jar
too. The difference is that far more people qualify for simple spoken
English/typed English translation, while it takes four years of college in
addition to decades of practice and community interaction to reach a
near-native level of fluency in ASL. Resources dry up quickly with two VRS
centers in town.
Especially when it comes to the Twin Cities, it's not unusual to see an
interpreter say that they feel they have to choose between better
benefits, better pay, and better technology (Sorenson) or supporting Deaf
people (like through CSD, a non-profit BRS provider). According to a press
release, Sorenson's new call center was recruited by a "group of Twin
Cities interpreters." There was no mention of input from Deaf consumers,
no publicly stated method for measuring the long-term impact other than
the "several [local] training programs for future interpreting needs"
safety net. Organizations have scrambled to set up a mentoring program,
but it's four to eight years before we see some nationwide improvement.
Perhaps a more constructive way to work cooperatively would be through
co-branding and city-exclusive contracts.
But, small wonder the signing community's worried! Let's see what James
LeVoy Sorenson thinks of ASL:
"James LeVoy Sorenson, 83, has even bigger plans. He said he hopes the
gift will help boost the use of American Sign Language worldwide. 'We
would like to see a language that is universal, and sign language just
might be [it],' Sorenson said." --from an article detailing Sorenson's
$5 million gift to Gallaudet University in the Washington Post, 5
November.
What is behind this mask of benevolence?
Ya got that right, buddy!