Many of us have had our personal relay numbers switched or ported to Sprint IP Relay. Their procedure was more strict than Purple's was, in terms of our having to provide some forms of ID to prove who we are. Why couldn't Purple make more of an effort to reduce the fraud calls? It would have been a much more simpler effort to do.
When I mentioned the medical part of using my number in my previous post, this was a very serious use after a very serious major surgery. Suppose trouble happened to me post-surgery? Say something like a doctor needing to contact me and quickly about some health-related issue from the surgery and couldn't, thus possibly leading to more serious things happening? Or maybe I had another infection. I could easily have come down legally on Purple, with them being legally responsible for what happened to me due to their behavior and actions.
Sprint IP Relay is web-based as we all know. In most cases, that's not a problem. Calls can be made and received on it and the font size and colors can be changed, which is great for those with vision issues. But, there's another issue in terms of incoming calls. Unless you're actually watching the page, it's VERY EASY to miss a call.
In my case, I have missed EVERY SINGLE INCOMING CALL, except for one. There is no blinking window like many instant messengers have. Every web browser I've seen doesn't flash the page. All it does on that page is darken it and show an incoming call popup that's not very noticeable. Very easy to miss if you're in another window. That plus how many other calls were received before this one?
Yet it would be easy enough for them to create a popup window that would display as an alert in front of everything else displayed to the user. So why haven't they done this?
Jobsearchers and medical are possibly missing out on important calls. It gets worse if the caller just hangs up without leaving a message. I'm not the only one who may be missing calls. It may result in employers just calling the next person on their list, and that next person may get the job instead of me because I couldn't answer quickly enough! This is what hurts our jobsearch abilities.
It's not enough to be the "only game in town." It's too easy for that provider to just stop services. Fortunately, TDI and the FCC are working towards getting more text relay service providers.
Again, shame on you, Poople, for your actions.
FCC;s current list of Internet-based TRS Providers
Update 3-10-2014:
I had a recruiter call me earlier. He said
"I tried calling your phone but it directed me to a dispatch center."
Then a bit of time later, I got another call from someone else, saying that they weren't sure if they reached me. But of course, no wonder there's so much confusion due to Sprint's answering announcement.
"Sprint IP Relay operator XXXX one moment while I connect your call"
Poople had a customizable answering announcement which allowed you to put your name in there.
So, in short, Sprint Relay is screwing us over in two ways... The first is the difficult if not impossible to catch incoming calls and the answering announcement.
Showing posts with label employment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label employment. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Why IP-Relay is Important to Me Personally
The discontinuance of Purple's IP-Relay service on November 14, 2014, was difficult for everyone to deal with. It's affected many people in many ways, some more than others. In this post, I'm going to be writing how it's affected me.
I got my number sometime around 2004 or 2005. I started using it for job searches, calling medical people, and various other places.
Currently, my usage of IP-relay has two major uses. Job searches and medical. I'll cover the two in detail below.
Medical
November 3 had me enter the hospital for hip replacement surgery on the right hip. I needed to do this to make me more able to work. Before the surgery, I was in constant contact with the hospital and other medical people in preparation for the surgery and for other future appointments.
The day after surgery was when the news broke about Purple discontinuing IP-Relay. I was in my hospital room and was writing messages and other things on a laptop in between visits and communications with doctors, nurses, and physical therapy. That plus keeping in contact with people on my phone via IM. This was NOT how I wanted to spend my time in recovery from major surgery!
I was discharged from the hospital November 6th. Fortunately, I went with the same home health services as before, and the supervisor, nurse, and physical therapist had no problem with my using text.
But this is a critical time post-surgery. Anything can happen. As one can see after reading the previous Surgery and the Hips posts, I'm in zero mood to have an infection again, which required a lot of calls and making contacts with doctors.
Before graduating from Gallaudet University in May 2013, I was in contact with medical people in terms of dealing with a bad and painful left hip joint. All through the surgeries on the left hip joint in June, July (due to infection, replaced by antibiotic spacer), and November 2013 (spacer replaced by new joint), I was in contact and afterwards for post-surgical checkups.
Job Searches
I started my job searches in January 2014 after I was allowed medically to drive and do what I needed to do. Many employers require job seekers to have a phone number, and some won't even consider using email. I had some interviews in that period of time between January and when IP-Relay was discontinued. I had a few employers request that I call them. Many employer online applications require that a phone number be entered. There were 2-3 employers who had pre-screening using Skype.
I have one pending interview, fortunately, for an entry level position. When I told the employer that I could not make the interview due to surgery (this was a week after surgery), they said
"No problem. Just email me when you are ready."
How many employers would be willing to do this?
That plus a government interview that was just two weeks after surgery when I was more physically prepared.
A Critical Time
Thus, as I've said before, this is a critical and important time for me under these two particular categories.
For those who wish to read comments submitted to the FCC related to IP-Relay, they can be found here:
http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/
Go into Full Text Search and search using keyword ip-relay.
Related links:
The End of Text IP-Relay Services? Say It Ain't So.
Here's Why Purple's in Deep DooDoo!
The Case for AIM Relay
I got my number sometime around 2004 or 2005. I started using it for job searches, calling medical people, and various other places.
Currently, my usage of IP-relay has two major uses. Job searches and medical. I'll cover the two in detail below.
Medical
November 3 had me enter the hospital for hip replacement surgery on the right hip. I needed to do this to make me more able to work. Before the surgery, I was in constant contact with the hospital and other medical people in preparation for the surgery and for other future appointments.
The day after surgery was when the news broke about Purple discontinuing IP-Relay. I was in my hospital room and was writing messages and other things on a laptop in between visits and communications with doctors, nurses, and physical therapy. That plus keeping in contact with people on my phone via IM. This was NOT how I wanted to spend my time in recovery from major surgery!
I was discharged from the hospital November 6th. Fortunately, I went with the same home health services as before, and the supervisor, nurse, and physical therapist had no problem with my using text.
But this is a critical time post-surgery. Anything can happen. As one can see after reading the previous Surgery and the Hips posts, I'm in zero mood to have an infection again, which required a lot of calls and making contacts with doctors.
Before graduating from Gallaudet University in May 2013, I was in contact with medical people in terms of dealing with a bad and painful left hip joint. All through the surgeries on the left hip joint in June, July (due to infection, replaced by antibiotic spacer), and November 2013 (spacer replaced by new joint), I was in contact and afterwards for post-surgical checkups.
Job Searches
I started my job searches in January 2014 after I was allowed medically to drive and do what I needed to do. Many employers require job seekers to have a phone number, and some won't even consider using email. I had some interviews in that period of time between January and when IP-Relay was discontinued. I had a few employers request that I call them. Many employer online applications require that a phone number be entered. There were 2-3 employers who had pre-screening using Skype.
I have one pending interview, fortunately, for an entry level position. When I told the employer that I could not make the interview due to surgery (this was a week after surgery), they said
"No problem. Just email me when you are ready."
How many employers would be willing to do this?
That plus a government interview that was just two weeks after surgery when I was more physically prepared.
A Critical Time
Thus, as I've said before, this is a critical and important time for me under these two particular categories.
For those who wish to read comments submitted to the FCC related to IP-Relay, they can be found here:
http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/
Go into Full Text Search and search using keyword ip-relay.
Related links:
The End of Text IP-Relay Services? Say It Ain't So.
Here's Why Purple's in Deep DooDoo!
The Case for AIM Relay
Monday, January 7, 2008
Oops! I did a Faux Pas Again!
I had to laugh when I read this blog entry back in October and it reminded me of some other things.
Mind Your P’s and Q’s, Or in This Case: D’s and H’s
Those of us who tend to alternate between the hearing and the deaf worlds usually know what they shouldn't do, but now and then a foulup will happen.
Sure, we've all had to make relay calls. The post comments about how some hearing people are so rude to the point of voicing that they have a deaf person on the phone or something. I was job searching awhile ago, there was this receptionist who said "This is a place of business." I told them why I was calling, and then she sighed and directed my call to the right person. Heck, maybe I should have said "...and I'm a job seeker, so what's your point?" Another friend's dad said the relay calls were slow, and that's pretty much the truth. Hearing people can have 5 minute calls. A relay call like this could last as long as 30 minutes. "S" *pause* "L" *pause* "O" *long pause* "W" he said.
Another call I made before IPRelay and the 800 numbers, though each state had their own 800 number. I called this craft store not once, but twice, each time getting a hangup after they say something like "I'm with a customer!" or something quite rude. I had to type to the operator that I was seriously considering going out there and straightening them out. The operator's response? "GO FOR IT!"
But of course squeaky hearing aids are as equally irritating. At one point in high school, I had a crack in the tubing leading to my earmold. During the *ENTIRE* history class, it whistled. It wasn't til the end of class when the interpreter told me about it. Then there's the other funny moments I mentioned in my Growing Up Deaf posts.
I worked at this now-gone candy bar manufacturer in the office as part of coop years ago. Since I couldn't hear the monitor beeping which indicated a program just started running, someone made a poster with "beepbeepbeepbeep" on it. Then every time it beeped, they'd knock on the glass walls and show me the poster and I'd go from there. I think I still have it somewhere. Another thing I'd occasionally do is make like a speakerphone call to that person on the other side of the window, so all they had to do was nod or shake their head for yes or no.
I've probably forgotten a few things... I'll remember them.
Mind Your P’s and Q’s, Or in This Case: D’s and H’s
Those of us who tend to alternate between the hearing and the deaf worlds usually know what they shouldn't do, but now and then a foulup will happen.
Sure, we've all had to make relay calls. The post comments about how some hearing people are so rude to the point of voicing that they have a deaf person on the phone or something. I was job searching awhile ago, there was this receptionist who said "This is a place of business." I told them why I was calling, and then she sighed and directed my call to the right person. Heck, maybe I should have said "...and I'm a job seeker, so what's your point?" Another friend's dad said the relay calls were slow, and that's pretty much the truth. Hearing people can have 5 minute calls. A relay call like this could last as long as 30 minutes. "S" *pause* "L" *pause* "O" *long pause* "W" he said.
Another call I made before IPRelay and the 800 numbers, though each state had their own 800 number. I called this craft store not once, but twice, each time getting a hangup after they say something like "I'm with a customer!" or something quite rude. I had to type to the operator that I was seriously considering going out there and straightening them out. The operator's response? "GO FOR IT!"
But of course squeaky hearing aids are as equally irritating. At one point in high school, I had a crack in the tubing leading to my earmold. During the *ENTIRE* history class, it whistled. It wasn't til the end of class when the interpreter told me about it. Then there's the other funny moments I mentioned in my Growing Up Deaf posts.
I worked at this now-gone candy bar manufacturer in the office as part of coop years ago. Since I couldn't hear the monitor beeping which indicated a program just started running, someone made a poster with "beepbeepbeepbeep" on it. Then every time it beeped, they'd knock on the glass walls and show me the poster and I'd go from there. I think I still have it somewhere. Another thing I'd occasionally do is make like a speakerphone call to that person on the other side of the window, so all they had to do was nod or shake their head for yes or no.
I've probably forgotten a few things... I'll remember them.
Monday, July 30, 2007
ADA Updates? Should I Hold My Breath?
I was reading the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 post by Roblog, Jamie Berke, and a couple other places. True, we can use today's technologies and devices to keep in touch with people, but we're still missing things in vocal/spoken communications, especially in some critical places like airports and other loudspeaker-using locations that don't use visual alerts as well. Is there anything out there that can turn the spoken word into the written readable word? Sure, there's plenty of them out there, but some have to be 'trained' to the voice(s) that will use it while others don't need that. Observe the many accents out there that people have and the various ways people will pronounce and/or sign a single sentence.
But what's troubled me is the erosion of the original ADA in the courts. We're quibbling over the legal definition of the words 'disabled' and 'functional' at the expense of those who need and want to have good employment, housing, and other things. Read the background section on this;
http://www.aapd-dc.org/News/legislature/070720aapd.htm
Sometimes I'm wondering if the courts and employers understand that for most of those with hearing losses out there, that hearing and understanding can be two different things. Just because something is heard, if at all, doesn't mean that it will be understood and known, if identified. Just because someone has hearing aids doesn't mean they can use the phone effectively.
Will this finally assist those who have been trying to find a good job despite a good college education? Will it help those on SSI to actually get off and stay off, even with that education? Will a job be guaranteed after college graduation?
Personally, I'm not holding my breath. Congress, employers, and the courts will be making that important first step, the step that will decide the direction of things.
But what's troubled me is the erosion of the original ADA in the courts. We're quibbling over the legal definition of the words 'disabled' and 'functional' at the expense of those who need and want to have good employment, housing, and other things. Read the background section on this;
http://www.aapd-dc.org/News/legislature/070720aapd.htm
Sometimes I'm wondering if the courts and employers understand that for most of those with hearing losses out there, that hearing and understanding can be two different things. Just because something is heard, if at all, doesn't mean that it will be understood and known, if identified. Just because someone has hearing aids doesn't mean they can use the phone effectively.
Will this finally assist those who have been trying to find a good job despite a good college education? Will it help those on SSI to actually get off and stay off, even with that education? Will a job be guaranteed after college graduation?
Personally, I'm not holding my breath. Congress, employers, and the courts will be making that important first step, the step that will decide the direction of things.
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