Power of Communication at a Table.

Are you deaf? Ever had a long conversation with a hearing person who does not know how to sign? If you did, did you bluff your way through? Nodding your head pretending to understand everything he's is saying?  Or were you really more frustrated than you cared to show? Or perhaps you have the secret fear of meeting with hearing people? Ever wished you could find a better way to communicate than to bluff and get 100% communication gain instead?  It's pretty easy if you know how.

Watch this video.

Video of Announcement of the Next Generation UbiDuo

If you missed the announcement you can still go and watch the recording of the announcement of the next generation UbiDuo by Jason Curry, CEO of sComm.  And you can also watch the YouTube recording (Part 1, 2, 3, and 4) with captioning provided by a CART typist. Videos uploaded to YouTube were done a blogger, Mike McConnell, who attended the widely anticipated and celebrated event.

Out with the Old, In with the New

The old sComm website is now in the history book. The newly revamped and totally reconfigured sComm website with new themes introduces the next generation UbiDuo, the world's most ubiquitous communication device. The next generation UbiDuo face to face communication device is now lighter, sleeker, with touch sensitive screens to navigate functions better and easier. The new UbiDuo automatically turns on for you the moment you open up the 2 in 1 communication device without the need to go through steps in turning it on like the older UbiDuo.  The UbiDuo makes it more enjoyable and easier to communicate face to face between deaf and hearing people. It is 100% one-on-one communication equality with zero bluffing, zero frustration and zero communiphobia.  And the best thing of all? The new generation UbiDuo is engineered and manufactured in the U.S.A. as exclaimed by the CEO of sComm to his audience.

Now, this is what I'm very, very passionate about. The UbiDuo 2 is engineered and manufactured in the USA! That is what I'm fired up about. It's important to my heart. I wanted the UbiDuo 2 to be made in the USA! It's time to give all of the manufacturing business back to America! That is what's important to all of us. 

Can you spot the difference? Win $15 gift card

Can you find 8 things that are different in these two pictures? The first person to answer all 8 correctly will win a $15.00 Gift Card to Outback Steakhouse. Go to sComm Facebook page to see the two different pictures. Can you spot the differences?

The winner will be announced today after 5pm CST.

Chance to win $10 Outback Steakhouse Gift Card

Check out sComm's Facebook page and see if you can give out the right answer to their question about communiphobia. The winner with the best answer will be revealed on January 25, 2013 at 10 A.M CST and the winner will receive a $10 Outback Steakhouse gift card. Yum. One of my favorite restaurant! Love those ribs!

Don't miss out on the contest! Click on the "Like" button on sComm's Facebook page to receive future contest announcements.

Is having an interpreter 24/7 really that important?

Having a sign language interpreter available 24/7 is nice and necessary in some instances but not necessarily in all instances. There comes a time when a deaf person relishes his/her own independence and freedom on communicating with other deaf and hearing people on a more individual and personal basis.  Although sometimes I get the feeling that some deaf people purposely use an interpreter as a way to create this "wall" between  themselves and hearing people rather than finding a way to deal directly with hearing people. Or it could be the simple fact that they are overly reliant on such interpreters and do not really know how to break away from that kind of mindset. The same can be said from the hearing person side as well when it comes to using an interpeter. Eye contacts between a deaf and hearing persons get reduced when interpreters are used. Ironically, interpreters become the focus during the communication process between deaf and hearing people.  I believe this type of interactive dynamics provides a limiting personal relationship and understanding to develop.

There is a common occurrence depending on a particular situation where deaf and hearing people would experience a common fear called, "communiphobia" - the terrifying fear that sets in when deaf/hard of hearing individuals and hearing individuals attempt to communicate with each other.  And as a result of that fear many deaf people rely exclusively on sign language interpreters which helps with the communication process but still can act as a barrier between deaf and hearing persons where bonding and better understanding become limited. Bonding and understanding are done better when individuals share the same language while communicating in real time such as ASL to ASL, or speaking English to English, or, in this case with the UbiDuo, writing English to English. 

If you watch Noah Bucholtz's Part 2 Series on how he communicates with hearing people you will see how personal bonding on creating friends occurs on a much more personal level using the UbiDuo to communicate in real time rather than be dependent on using an interpreter. More eye contacts mean more "human-like" connections that have more meanings during real time, interactive conversations. The importance of having personal, interactive, real time conversations without a third person creates a welcoming atmosphere. The realization of unlimited potential when a communication barrier is removed. This potential was realized for Peter Downey who was promoted 3 times because he was able to use the UbiDuo on a daily basis where he works at Sam's Club. Using the UbiDuo allowed him to increase his interaction with his Sam's Club customers, co-workers, and supervisor. Peter now supervises his group of employees. All without the need of having an interpreter 24/7.  So, ask yourself this question, is having an interpreter 24/7 really necessary in every instances?  Maybe ask these people that question the next time?

Fear of communicating??

Who is really afraid of communicating to who? Is it a deaf person who fear communicating to a hearing person? Hard of hearing person who fear communicating to a deaf person? Or a hearing person who has a fear of communicating to a deaf person? Where does this fear lie? Why does this happen? Who exhibits this terrifying fear of communicating? Scared to strike up some real conversations when there is no real communication access? Why wait for an interpreter if there's an alternative way to communicate? Is it a fear of communication or a lack of understanding? How do you categorize yourself as? Are you an extrovert? Introvert? Shy? Weak?  Is it "communiphobia" (fear of communicating) you have? Is this something you notice in other people? Tell me your thoughts!