Wynd Communications Visionary Honored for Service to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community; Judith Viera Recognized for a Lifetime Commitment to Expanding Access to Telecommunications Services.WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 1998--During a special 30th Anniversary Gala held at Gallaudet University Gallaudet University, at Washington, D.C.; coeducational; with federal support. It was founded (1856) as the Kendall School, a training school for deaf and blind students, by Edward Miner Gallaudet (see under Gallaudet, Thomas Hopkins). in Washington, D.C., Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc. (TDI TDI - Transport Driver Interface ) recognized 30 individuals whose efforts have made the greatest impact on telecommunications accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Judith Viera, Wynd n. 1. A narrow lane or alley. The narrow wynds, or alleys, on each side of the street. - Bryant. Communications' vice president of business development, was among the honorees acknowledged for her substantial contributions in national policy development and advocacy in telecommunications relay services. "This is well-deserved recognition for Judy. She has played a key role throughout her career to ensure that the 28 million people in the U.S. who are deaf or hard of hearing are fairly represented with functionally equivalent telecommunications services," said Dan Luis, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Wynd Communications. "We are proud to be working with Judy as we fulfill our vision of bringing wireless communication to this community." Viera joins the ranks of the other visionaries honored at the event, including Vinton Cerf, "Father of the Internet"; the late Robert Weichbrect, deaf physicist and inventor of the Text Typewriter (TTY (TeleTYpewriter) See teletypewriter and TDD/TTY. (hardware) tty - /tit'ee/ (ITS pronunciation, but some Unix people say it this way as well; this pronunciation is not considered to have sexual undertones), /T T Y/ 1. teletypewriter. 2. ) modem; the late Andrew Saks, a member of the family that founded Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue is a chain of upscale American department stores that is owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE), a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the elite luxury department store market with Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New , and financier of Weichbrect's TTY modem invention; Martin Block, instrumental in developing live captioning; and organizations such as the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. , the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Education. "I am honored to receive this award," said Viera. "Over the past 30 years, the efforts of all of these honorees have vastly improved the quality of life for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Each understood the balance between the political process and what is technically feasible, and each worked within this balance to push communications forward." A Lifetime of Service Brings Change After graduating from Gallaudet University in 1965, and receiving a master's degree in education of exceptional children from San Francisco State University • • [ , Viera dedicated her life to public service and creating a higher standard of products and services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Viera's career in both government and industry spans 30 years, during which she: -- Worked with Governors Brown and Deukmajian of California to establish California's policy on providing adequate telecommunications access for the deaf and hard of hearing. Most states, including Texas, Florida, Maryland and Washington, have since adopted these policies. -- Founded the NorCal Center on Deafness, dedicated to providing advocacy, communication services, independent living skills and social services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. -- Served as the program manager at the California Department of Rehabilitation where she focused on developing community resources for the clients of 34 Rehabilitation Counselors for the Deaf. While there, she successfully advocated legislation and contributed to regulations providing telecommunications equipment and services to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or late-deafened in California. -- Was instrumental in establishing the interpreter-training program at American River College American River College (ARC) is a two-year community college located in the southern edge of unincorporated Foothill Farms in Sacramento County, California. The college was opened in 1955 as American River Junior College, on the site of the old Grant Technical College. in 1976 which prepares students to work with deaf people at the paraprofessional paraprofessional 1. a person who is specially trained in a particular field or occupation to assist a veterinarian. 2. allied animal health professional. 3. pertaining to a paraprofessional. level. -- Appointed president of Teletec International Ltd., the leading provider of TTYs in the U.K. -- Was the director of international sales and marketing for Ultratec Inc., the nation's leading provider of TTY equipment. -- Was appointed as the first and only deaf member of the National Exchange Carriers Association (NECA NECA National Electrical Contractors Association NECA National Exchange Carrier Association NECA National Electrical and Communications Association (Australia) NECA National Electricity Code Administrator (Australia) ), Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services Advisory Board, which oversees a shared-funding mechanism to compensate telecommunications relay providers in every state for the cost of interstate relay services. Continuing the Commitment to Bring Cutting-Edge Technology to Market Joining Wynd Communications in 1997, Viera continued her life's work of making communication technology available to everyone. Viera was instrumental to the success of WyndTell, the leading wireless communication service for the Deaf Communication Service for the Deaf is a non-profit company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is a subsidiary of South Dakota Association of the Deaf. CSD provides services nationwide, and is a major provider of Telecommunications Relay Service and Video Relay Service in and Hard of Hearing Community. As vice president of business development, Viera is responsible for identifying and developing new service opportunities and building strategic business partnerships. With her knowledge and expertise in the government arena, Viera represents Wynd and its customers' interests in regulatory, legislative, advocacy and consumer-related affairs. About Wynd Communications Founded in 1994, Wynd Communications is the first company to deliver life-changing wireless communications services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. WyndTell, the first truly interactive communication service, is available through dealers nationwide and is currently being used by customers in 42 states. WyndTell is the only wireless communications service that provides customers with a complete choice of mobile communications options and devices. For more information about Wynd Communications and WyndTell, visit the Wynd Web site at http://www.wynd.com, or contact Wynd directly at TTY 800/549-2800, voice 805/781-6000 ext/ 600, or e-mail: wyndtell@wynd.com. (c) 1998 Wynd Communications Corp. All rights reserved. Wynd is a registered trademark and WyndTell is a trademark of Wynd Communications Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. Editor's Note: Photograph available upon request from NMC NMC Nursing & Midwifery Council (UK) NMC NSSDC Master Catalog (NASA) NMC Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City, Michigan) NMC National Meteorological Center Partners. Wynd Executive Recognized Other Honorees: Fred Banks -- a leader in the Missouri-Kansas Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc. Stephen Brenner -- a consultant and policy advocate for telecommunications access. Martin Block -- president of the National Shorthand Reporters Association, he was instrumental in developing captioning for live events. Ed Bosson -- respected for his work with TRS See traffic engineering methods. TRS - term rewriting system (Telecommunications Relay Services) in Texas. Dr. Frank Bowe -- Hofstra University professor, advocate for universal design for telecommunications equipment. H. Latham Breunig -- founded Teletypwriters for the Deaf Distribution Committee, which took discarded AT&T teletype machines and built a TTY network. Lee Brody (deceased) -- visionary and pioneer of TTY distribution. Dr. Vinton G. Cerf -- "father of the Internet." Rob Engelke -- CEO of Ultratec, created innovations for TTY. Toni Dunne -- crusader for 9-1-1 access for the nation's deaf and hard of hearing. Dr. Patricia Hughes -- relay service advocate whose efforts influenced the FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. . Dr. Judith Harkins -- director of Gallaudet Technology Assessment Program (TAP), facilitates research in area of access. Larry Goldberg -- promoted innovations in news captioning. Cheryl Heppner -- promoted CART (Computer Assisted Real-time Transcription) for business and education. Pam Holmes -- co-chair of the NAD NAD: see coenzyme. Telecommunications Advocacy Network. Jeff Hutchins -- developed specifications to promise more captioning options and display of information. Dr. James C. Marsters -- founder of Applied Communications Corp. (APCOM) the first company in the United States to manufacture acoustic couplers for TTY. Dr. Malcom J. Norwood (deceased) -- founded the Captioned Media Program. David Myers -- helped expand the TDI board to ensure cross representation among different deaf and hard of hearing consumers. Karen Peltz-Strauss -- as an attorney with the National Center for Law and Deafness at Gallaudet University, and now with the National Association of the Deaf National Associations of the Deaf are national bodies that represent Deaf people and the Deaf community in their respective countries. They are usually members of the World Federation of the Deaf and advocate for sign language. , much of her work has served as the basis of Federal policy regarding telecommunications issues. Alfred Sonnenstrahl -- lifelong advocate for telecommunications access who served nine years as TDI's executive director. Andrew Saks (deceased) -- provided funds for APCOM to manufacture coupler Refers to a myriad of different types of sockets for plugging in electric or electronic cables or devices. See network coupler. modems. Other Honorees: Andrea Saks -- set up first TTY system for deaf people in Great Britain and arranged first transatlantic call. David Saks -- brought together the telephone industry and hearing aid industry to ensure compatibility through the Hearing Aid Compatibility Background The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (HAC Act) requires that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ensure that all telephones manufactured or imported for use in the United States after August 1989, and all “essential” telephones, are Act, which helped to eliminate background noise. Jess Smith -- one of the founders of what became TDI. Barry Strassler -- TDI's second director and publisher of newsletters that focused on deaf issues advocate for captioning in 1970s and 1980s. Howard Stone -- founded SHHH SHHH Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc (Bethesda, MD, USA) (Self Help for Hard of Hearing) and led efforts to advance use of assistive technology Hardware and software that help people who are physically impaired. Often called "accessibility options" when referring to enhancements for using the computer, the entire field of assistive technology is quite vast and even includes ramp and doorway construction in buildings to support . Paul Taylor -- an advocate for a nationwide telecommunications relay service, and while with the FCC he worked to promote regulations adhered to by all relay service providers. Robert Weitbrecht (deceased) -- deaf physicist who created with Marsters and Saks the TTY coupler capability still in use today. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion