So, how valuable is communication among deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing people? Is it social value? Business value? Personal value? If you're a business entrepreneur or a deaf/hh worker who deal with hearing people on a daily basis how valuable would communication be? If you had a product that ensures a free and open communication with anybody who knows how to type would you use one?
We already saw a glimpse on just how valuable communication is when YouTube (owned by Google) announced their first ever voice to text recognition service on their website enabling greater communication access to potentially millions of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. This is a smart and savvy marketing move. Exactly how valuable is automatic voice-to-text communication when it comes to voice or speech recognition technology? What about voice messages on your phone into text like Google voice as seen in this captioned video? How valuable would it be between two different languages over the phone? Voice recognition technology isn't perfect yet as you can see here in this latest video which is already shown to be extremely error prone (and something I think could in fact turn out to be a PR nightmare for Google/YouTube if it's really that bad).
For deaf and hard of hearing people communication is obviously quite valuable and that technology will be the answer in helping level the playing field. There is already one device that allows face-to-face communication called "UbiDuo" which enabled one Sam's Club employee who is deaf to communicate among his peers, supervisors, and customers and because of that he was able to get himself promoted 3 times.
How valuable is communication when it comes to business? In Sam's Club case the UbiDuo was worth more than its weight in gold because it helped increase productivity and efficiency. The Sam's Club manager as seen in the video realized that it was "Communication, communication, communication!" that made the difference and recommended that a face-to-face communication device ought to be in all retail outlets.
It would definitely help every retail establishment. Any retail establishment that wants to connect with anyone hearing impaired needs something like this product. Because it's very impersonal without it. But with it you can talk to them, you can get their needs, you don't have to guess. You know exactly what they want. And it makes the member or customer feel better because they feel like they have some power now versus before they were kind of hoping they found what they needed and if they didn't, oh weel, they probably didn't ask.Sometimes it takes a communication product for somebody to realize the importance of just how valuable communication is in the world of people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and doing business with them is all about communication, communication, communication!!
4 comments:
Oh man, this would so cool. But this idea has been around in the longest time. In fact, Sanford tried to get something together for the last summer Olympics (I can't find the link). It was to make two people from two different countries to be able to communicate with each other. But it didn't pan out cuz there was was like 40% error margin. I was really following this cuz I wanted this for my job. The fact that Google is pouring their money into this will help it a lot, I think.
Anyway, communication is key to everything, really. To life and all.
I was thinking you were going to dip into the dark arts of communication. With all the crap that was going on among the deaf. There is very few vloggers/bloggers that let communication be a 2-way street. It is mostly one way, with all the comments praising the poster and all the other comments that want to discuss the issue getting deleted which I totally despise. Carl S. does it to me all the time. There is no communicating with him. Barry Sewell talks to everyone and keeps an open dialog. This is something that needs to be worked on as it will just widen the divide. Whatever, my words mostly go to "deaf" ears anyway.
Another good post, looking forward to more.
Mike,
You know any info about how much a Ubiduo unit costs? Just wondering.
I remember years back when a deaf co-worker and his boss were both using their own laptops which was placed in front of both of them side by side, they communicated that way. I thought it was neat then and well, I'm sure Ubiduo is better. But, the idea is the same. Not something I'd use but a great tool.
Communication is best when it's an open two way conversation flowing back and forth. The art of communicating is a skill and then they say men and women understand or practice communication differently which I will agree most definitely. Then again, online communication tend to create a lot of misunderstandings and what nots.
uh oh, am I on the topic still?
Ann,
See here:
https://secure.scommonline.com/catalog
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