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Virginia Relay: Telecommunications services for people who are Deaf,Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind or have difficulty speakingFall 2018VRAC UpdateWe are pleased to welcome three new members to the Virginia Relay Advisory Council (VRAC)!L. Karen Darner, joining as a representative for the Speech-LanguageHearing Association of Virginia (SHAV), was a speech/languagepathologist and hearing clinician for Arlington Public Schools from1971-2008. She also served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 13years, focusing on education, social justice, the environment, andDreamers. During her more than 30 years of civic activism, she waspresident of the Arlington Education Association, chaired the League ofWomen Voters and the Arlington Committee of 100, and was a boardmember and volunteer of numerous civic and nonprofit organizations. In 2009, Karen was therecipient of the Arlington Community Foundation’s Spirit of Community Award and currentlysits on their Board of Trustees.Christine Ross, our new Video Relay Service representative, is a qualifiedrehabilitation counselor with the Virginia Department for Aging andRehabilitative Services (DARS). As a Deaf person, Christine is passionateabout the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities unique and variousemployment needs. With DARS, Christine provides a wide range ofprograms and services to assist clients who are Deaf and Hard of Hearingin preparing for, securing, retaining, or regaining employment.Teresa Ritzert, our new representative for Captioned Telephone Service users, had to adaptto a life with hearing loss after she began to lose her hearing in her mid-twenties. Now fullyDeaf, Teresa is an advocate for individuals who experience hearing loss later in life. She has anundergraduate degree in dramatic arts and a master’s degree in legal studies. Teresa beganher career as a high school drama teacher before becoming a paralegal in Washington, D.C. attop international law firms. When she moved to Virginia in 2006, she returned to her education roots as the director of education at Holy Comforter Church before she began workingin the archives at the University of Virginia Law Library. She is currently training her dog asa service animal and is passionate about sharing the life-changing effects of CaptionedTelephone Service with others.We are looking forward to gaining insight and experience from our new membersand thank them for joining VRAC! The Council still has an opening for an Internet/Wireless Relay user. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Eric Raff at804-404-9090 or eric.raff@vddhh.virginia.gov.Virginia Relay AdvisoryCouncil (VRAC)Consumer Members:Paige BerryRepresenting Hearing Relay usersKerry ByrneRepresenting Virginia Centersfor Independent LivingAlissa ConoverRepresenting Virginia Associationof the Deaf (VAD)L. Karen DarnerRepresenting SpeechLanguage-Hearing Associationof Virginia (SHAV)Lisa HarbourRepresenting Association ofLate-Deafened Adults (ALDA)William HessRepresenting Voice Carry-OverusersRebecca LadewRepresenting Speech-to-SpeechusersJenny McKenzieRepresenting Virginia Associationof the DeafBlind (VADB)Teresa A. RitzertRepresenting CaptionedTelephone Service usersChristine M. RossRepresenting Video RelayService usersBarclay ShepardRepresenting Hearing Relay usersLinda WallaceRepresenting Hearing LossAssociation of America (HLAA)Virginia ChaptersNon-Voting Members:Eric AlvillarHamilton RelayChrista CervantesHamilton RelayDiane DevaneyDevaney & Associates, Inc.Mary NunnallyDepartment for Aging andRehabilitative ServicesEric RaffVDDHH DirectorGary TalleyVDDHH Community ServicesProgram ManagerHamilton and Hamilton Relay areregistered trademarks of Nedelco, Inc.dba Hamilton Telecommunications.

Join the Hearing Loss Support Groupat Longwood UniversityLast year, Longwood University’s Speech, Hearing, andLearning Services (SHLS) introduced the Southside HearingLoss Support Group for individuals living with hearing lossand their families.The meetings are led by graduate students from theLongwood University Communication Science and Disordersgraduate program, with the support of Dr. Mani Aguilar,the SHLS audiologist, and Dr. Lissa Power-deFur, the SHLSProgram Director. At each meeting, the students and doctorspresent a topic chosen by the meeting participants.In previous meetings, the topics have included “Strategiesto Improve Communication with a Person Who Has HearingLoss,” “What to Expect from Your Hearing Aids,” and “NewHearing Aid Technologies and Solutions.”Participants are also offered hearing aid checks prior tothe meeting.Meetings will be held on the fourth Friday of each month,from August to October and January to April. Because of theholiday, the November meeting will be on the third Friday.Meetings are free to attend and are held at 315 West ThirdStreet in Farmville from 12:30-2:00 p.m.For more information, visit longwood.edu/shls or call434-395-2972.VADB Holds Annual MeetingThe Virginia Association of the DeafBlind (VADB) held its annual meeting on Saturday, October 27. In addition to servingas a town hall meeting for the Statewide Interagency Team (SIT), the meeting was also a Halloween party for VADB members,featuring party games and a costume contest! The Nelson Malbone Award was also presented to the 2018 winner.If you’d like to attend next year’s meeting, follow VADB on Facebook for updates.VDDHH Equipment Programs Ensure EqualTelecommunication AccessVirginia Relay and the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) have a mission to promote equaltelecommunication access for individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, or have difficulty speaking. To help ensureeveryone is able to make and receive telephone calls, the Commonwealth offers two programs that provide specializedtelecommunication equipment to qualified applicants.The Technology Assistance Program (TAP) is availableto Virginia residents who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or havedifficulty speaking, meet eligibility requirements, and/orare veterans of our military. The program provides specialized telecommunication equipment on a loan-to-own basis,including TTYs, Captioned Telephones, amplified telephones,signalers for the phone and door, and more.To learn more about how you can qualify for TAP, visitvarelay.org/tap.htm or call 1-800-552-7917.A service of the Federal Communication Commissionand administered by the Perkins School for the Blind, theiCanConnect program offers a variety of equipment optionsfor those who are living with both hearing and vision loss.Including tablets, large-button telephones, Braille keyboards,telephone signalers, and more, these equipment optionsare available to those who meet the eligibility requirements.To learn more about how you can qualify for theiCanConnect Program, visit iCanConnect.org/Virginia orcall 804-371-3140.

Diners Experience LifeWithout SightThe Virginia Association of the DeafBlind (VADB) gavepeople a taste of life without sight when it held its firstDining in the Dark event on August 28. Taking place atApplebee’s in the Virginia Center Commons, the event wasa great success. A total of nearly 100 diners wore blindfoldsas they ate lunch or dinner and participated in interactivegames at the table. Some attendees attempted tactile signing to get a true feel of how individuals who are DeafBlindcommunicate.This event was held to raise awareness for those livingwith both vision and hearing loss, as well as raise money forVADB workshops and activities.Update Your CapTel CapTel has released a software update for its CapTel 840Plus. This software update has many benefits, including:Welcome Rhonda Jeterto VDDHHRhonda Jeter is joining the Virginia Department for theDeaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) as business manager.She previously worked for the Department for Aging andRehabilitation Services (DARs) as the director of independent living and has a master’s degree in rehabilitationscience from Virginia Commonwealth University.We are excited to have her on the team! Conversations, call history, and redial numbers are all savedeven if the CapTel phone loses power. Changes to the built-in answering machine, includingadding a Remote Message Retrieval feature and a newindicator that shows when the answering machine memoryis full. Maximum amplification is now available during both callswith captions and without captions. The ability to erase individual conversations in memoryinstead of all at once.To find steps on how to update your CapTel 840 Plus,visit captel.com/knowledgebase.Updates for the following CapTel models will also bereleased in the coming weeks: CapTel 2400i CapTel 2400iBT CapTel 840i CapTel 880i CapTel 800iCapTel is a registered trademark of Ultratec, Inc.

Here2Hear Annual Gala Supports Hearing Healthin our CommunityVirginia Relay and the Virginia Department for the Deafand Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) were proud sponsors ofHere2Hear’s 2018 Gala and Art Show. The event featureda silent auction, community awards, music, and entertainment. Local artists also brought their original works to beseen and purchased.This benefit event was held to support the efforts ofHere2Hear in preventing poor hearing health in our community. The organization offers programs for people of allages, including “Lower It or Lose It,” which teaches preteensand teenagers about the importance of protecting theirhearing, and a hearing aid program, which provides free andlow-cost hearing aids to low-income individuals with hearingloss.In addition, Here2Hear provides educational resources,advocacy, and support for the community. Proceeds fromthe event help to continue the organization’s efforts, andfor every ticket purchased someone in the Deaf and Hard ofHearing community received a free effective communicationemergency kit!Didn’t make it to the event? Look out for next year’s galaby following Virginia Relay and Here2HearVA on Facebookor visiting www.Here2Hear.org.¡Se Habla Español!Did you know that all of our great Virginia Relay servicesare also available in Spanish? Spanish-to-Spanish andSpanish-to-English options are available for in-state calls sothat native Spanish speakers who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing,or have difficulty speaking can communicate with theirfriends, families, and local businesses.To make a call using Spanish-to-Spanish or Spanish-toEnglish Relay, dial 7-1-1.If you’d like to schedule a presentation on SpanishRelay during an event or for a group, contact Eric Alvillarat eric.alvillar@hamiltonrelay.com.Virginia Relay Sponsors VAD Mini ConferenceThe 2018 Virginia Association of the Deaf (VAD) held its mini conference at the Fairfax CountyGovernment Center on September 7 and 8. Virginia Relay was a proud sponsor of the event andprovided two interpreters for the conference.VAD members discussed relevant issues and heard from speakers from different organizationsincluding Virginia Relay. Our outreach coordinator Eric Alvillar spoke to attendees about the excitingdirection Virginia Relay will be taking in the future and our increasing involvement within the Deafcommunity.This was a great event and we look forward to the next biennial conference in 2019!