Starbucks and Deaf Customers

There's a technology story in Foxnews that discusses several different communication technologies that can help deaf and hard of hearing people bridge the communication gap with hearing people. Not only with hearing people but with other deaf people who knows sign language as well.

In the article it discusses the one technology that many deaf people are waiting for in the United States would be the cell phone technology that uses real time video to communicate with other deaf people. But the infrastructure in the United States isn't quite ready to handle this kind of technology but it is now being used in Japan and Europe.

Despite the telecommunication infracture being not mature enough (a matter of bandwidth speed to handle large flow of data) in the United States, University of Washington began an intensive research a few years ago on video compression with the goal of making wireless cell phone communication through sign language a reality in the U.S. It's called MobileASL. You can watch a video explanation and presentation here (just wait shortly and an ASL interpreter will show up in the video). But let me add that this is a one hour video presentation. And if you're up to it and you like to read heady and complex research papers like I do, there are several papers on the subject of sign language over cell phone video camera where it discusses video intelligibility (understanding the person signing) with variable frame rates (e.g. the faster/smoother the video the higher frame rates which means many more times bandwith data). Got you itching? Go here and pick one.

Ok. About Starbucks and Deaf customers? In the Foxnews technology section it discusses a new communication deivce called the UbiDuo and how Jason Curry, founder of the company that makes the UbiDuo communication device, is in talks with Starbucks Corporation on getting UbiDuos into coffee shops to help communicate with their deaf, hard of hearing and Deaf customers.

Curry has already sold hundreds since starting sales at the beginning of the year, and expects to sell several thousand next year. He said he's talking with Starbucks Corp. about getting UbiDuos installed in coffee shops.

Curry, who is deaf, said that he was able to directly communicate with his wife's family for the first time last Christmas by using one of the devices. Not having his wife interpret was a "life-changing experience" for him, he said.

"Deaf people have a lack of power to sit down across from a hearing person and have a conversation without a third party interpreting for them," Curry said through a sign language interpreter.

And just how many Starbucks coffee shops are there in the United States? Over 6000 stores!

So, who knows where technology will take deaf and hearing people in the very near future. Technology moves fast, especially to the benefit of those with hearing loss. Pretty soon you may find yourself sitting down at one of the Starbucks store after you ordered your favorite cappuccino and call up your friend over your cell phone and chat in real time ASL instead of texting.

Just hold your horses, folks. It's coming. The possibilities are endless with technology and communication.