Other European countries, such as Germany and Nordic countries, started offering VRS services in the mid-2000s.Ĭommunication Service for the Deaf (CSD) played a significant role in the development of Video Relay Service (VRS) and relay services for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) community. Sweden established the first state-run VRS service in 1997, led by engineer Gunnar Hellstrom who was inspired by the VRS trial in Texas after meeting with Ed Bosson in 1995. Bosson's contributions to the development of VRS technology have significantly impacted the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, allowing them to communicate more easily and naturally with the hearing world. Technology has advanced significantly, and individuals can now use video relay services from their smartphones, tablets, and laptops, making communication more accessible than ever before. Today, video relay services are essential for communication access for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The success of the Texas trials led to subsequent VRS trials in other states. The trial was a success, and a second trial was conducted in 1996 in 10 public locations throughout Texas. The Texas Universal Services Fund started the "Relay Texas" service in 1990, and this became a funding model for other states, inspiring a video-based relay service.īosson secured funding for the first video relay interpreting trial and worked with Mark Seeger of Sprint to establish the trial in 1995 in three locations in Austin, Texas. This service required customers to type text on older TTYs to an operator who relayed the calls to the hearing party. The Texas legislature adopted House Bill 174 in 1989, establishing a statewide telecommunications relay service to provide telephone network access for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, Deafblind, or speech-impaired individuals. His dedication to improving communication access for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community paved the way for developing video relay services and advancing videophone technology.īosson was a Deaf employee who worked for the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and envisioned Deaf people communicating with videophones more than ten years before the FCC mandated it nationally. Ed Bosson is the "father of the video relay service." Bosson's role in the videophone technology industry is significant, as he envisioned the technology and worked tirelessly to secure funding and establish the first video relay interpreting trial. Many thanks to Scot Atkins, NTID Business professor, for his contributions to this section.ĭr.
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