Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Rely on Sorenson VRS to Easily Communicate

From: Sorenson VRS - Jun 2, 2003

Deaf and hard-of-hearing employees at the State of Utah Division of
Community Development, Gallaudet University, SAFECO Insurance Company, and
LSI Logic Corporation are using Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS) to easily
communicate more effectively with family members and conduct business with
the hearing world (see press release below).

The Sorenson VRS online press room located at
http://www.sorensonvrs.com/company_news.php.

Please let me know if you have any question, need additional information, or
would like to schedule an interview with an executive from Sorenson Media.

Warm Regards,

David Parkinson
Sorenson Media Public Relations
801.287.9472
dparks@sorenson.com

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Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Rely on Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS) to
Easily Communicate with Family Members and Conduct Business

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, (June 3, 2003) - Deaf and hard-of-hearing are relying
on Sorenson Video Relay ServiceT (VRS) to easily communicate and conduct
business much more efficiently with the hearing world. Sorenson MediaT, in
partnership with Gallaudet University Interpreting Services, is breaking
down the communication barriers for the more than 28 million deaf and
hard-of-hearing Americans.

Both deaf and hard-of-hearing users can initiate free video relay calls to
family, friends, and business associates in a different location through a
certified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter and a broadband Internet
connection. Calls are placed through a Sorenson VP-100T videophone appliance
and a TV or through a personal computer with Sorenson EnVision® SL video
relay software and a Web camera. The ASL interpreter then contacts the
hearing user via a standard phone line and relays the conversation between
the two parties.

Prior to Sorenson VRS, deaf and hard-of-hearing relied on communication
methods such as pagers, instant messaging, e-mail, and an array of
text-based relay solutions. These methods are often slow and lack the
capability to convey emotion through visual cues and facial expressions.
Additionally, deaf and hard-of-hearing are not able to use ASL to converse
with the hearing world. However, with the release of Sorenson VRS, deaf and
hard-of-hearing are able to easily communicate fluidly with anyone. Sorenson
VRS captures the facial expressions, gestures, and emotions that are so
vital to visual communication as the interpreter relays the messages between
the two parties.

David Fleischer, a budget and accounting officer for the State of Utah
Division of Community Development uses Sorenson VRS to conduct business and
to converse with his hearing wife while at work. "My wife is now able to
understand me better than ever and we spend just a fraction of the time it
would normally take to communicate because of Sorenson VRS", said Fleischer.

Additionally, Fleischer feels that having the capability to quickly and
clearly communicate with his outside work associates and contacts has made
him much more competitive in the workforce. "If I didn't have Sorenson VRS,
I probably wouldn't have any opportunities to get any new promotions,"
Fleischer explained. "Sorenson VRS has made me a more attractive candidate
for future promotion opportunities."

Gallaudet University professors are also benefiting from their school's
interpreting services and Sorenson VRS. Jean Shickel, an assistant professor
at the university, finds Sorenson VRS helps her converse more efficiently
than older Text Telephone (TTY) solutions. "Our conversations flow more
naturally," said Shickel "We are able to get the emotion of the caller
through the interpreter instead of seeing typed words across a screen. I am
able to sit comfortably, without my computer glasses, while communicating
with friends and family." Shickel continues, "It has made our phone
conversations much easier and faster."

Barry Jensen, a senior programmer analyst at SAFECO Insurance Company
struggled with other solutions to convey the full meaning and intent of his
conversations. Oftentimes Jensen felt limited by how he could communicate.
"Sorenson VRS has changed my life," said Jensen. "I work in a field where
the technology is quickly advancing. Before Sorenson VRS, I was so limited
with who I could share my ideas with. People felt like, 'He's deaf and I can
't communicate with him'. Now they are so enthralled. They love to call me
and ask me about my ideas as well as their own. This has been so beneficial
and touching."

Jensen also explained that other video relay solutions lacked the capability
to capture quick-hand motions and facial expressions. "Other services I've
used always seemed so sketchy. I had to have the interpreters constantly
re-sign things and spell them slowly," said Jensen. "With Sorenson VRS, it
[the video quality] is very sharp. I can understand the interpreter, I can
see things clearly, and the [video] quality is so far more advanced and
personable than anything I've used."

Mark Call, a data warehouse analyst at LSI Logic Corporation in California,
noted that Sorenson VRS has eliminated some of the communication challenges
he faced. "Before Sorenson VRS a [hearing] coworker would have to type what
was being said in a conference call for me. The hearing person never quite
understood how to communicate with me until Sorenson VRS," said Call. "Now,
using Sorenson VRS, I have the ability to do my job. I can now place a
conference call with my boss who is located in another state and communicate
with him directly. It's broken down the communication barriers in my life."

Sorenson VRS has also enabled his own family, all of whom are deaf, to
communicate more effectively with their hearing family members. Call said,
"They [my children] use Sorenson VRS all the time to call their
grandparents. They love it too." Additionally, having Sorenson VRS available
in his home has added a new dimension to his relationship with his father.
Previously, Call and his father were never able to communicate much because
his father never learned ASL. Now he talks to his father all the time.
"Sorenson VRS has improved our relationship immensely," Call commented.
"Sorenson VRS allows me and my family to make a quick call and convey
information in minutes that once took hours whether it is to friends,
family, or coworkers."

About Sorenson VRS

As a service to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, Sorenson Media
developed the Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS), an exclusive integrated
solution of videophones and video relay software that offers the
highest-quality video relay service in the nation. In partnership with
Gallaudet University Interpreting Service, the deaf and hard-of-hearing are
able to conveniently place video relay calls to anyone through the Sorenson
VP-100 videophone, Sorenson EnVision SL video relay software, or Microsoft
NetMeeting. Hearing users who want to place a video relay call through a
standard telephone line to a deaf or hard-of-hearing user can access
Sorenson VRS by calling toll free (866) FAST-VRS or (866) 327-8877 and
giving the contact information (i.e. name, videophone number, or IP address)
to the video relay interpreter. Sorenson VRS takes care of the rest by
routing the call with the user's preferences through the Sorenson VRS Call
Center to a certified interpreting agent. For more details on Sorenson VRS,
please visit http://www.sorensonvrs.com.

About Sorenson Media

Sorenson Media (www.sorenson.com and www.sorensonvrs.com) is the recognized
technology leader in video services, video compression, and video
communication to improve the quality of communication over the Internet. The
company's products and services include the industry's highest-quality video
relay service, award winning video compression solutions, and the
market-leading broadband Internet videophone technology.

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