With over 5,000 views in just two days, here’s what some of you had to say!

This just might be a tradition with us, although we’re never matching Google’s zeal for April Fool jokes. Last year we announced that we were dropping ASL for international signs:

But this year’s announcement had roots that you may not expect: We had wanted to do it for real. For months we thought of working with a small town in either Oklahoma or Maine and renaming it to Deaf, OK or Deaf, ME.

However, we figured it wasn’t going to happen by our doing. But we need to recognize that this idea has had a long history in the Deaf Community’s discourse, which often begins with the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard, where in the 1700’s nearly everyone signed.

Deaf Life - April 2002 issue

However, our video announcement is probably closer to Deaf Smith County, where we don’t know of a “deaf” presence other than its name. This Texan county was named for Civil War hero Erastus “Deaf” Smith, and there’s even a brand of peanut butter named after it.

The example of Martha’s Vineyard has often been the basis of our vision of a deaf-friendly town, where all citizens are equal and sign language is the key that unlocks civic participation. Another is annexation; this concept appeared in Islay, a now out-of-print 1986 novel by deaf author Douglas Bullard.

Most recently, Marvin Miller has talked about founding a signing town named Laurent (amazingly, Google Maps shows it). You can watch his 2010 presentation at the aptly named TEDxIslay:

We hope to see a signing town someday, and you can bet we’d open an office there! We’re glad many of you enjoyed our April Fool video. Deaf, thumbs up! :)

Right now the status is Green. This means service is running smoothly. You will see this 99.9% of the time.

We’re practically like a traffic light stuck on green. Anytime, just check our website and click on the status to see a log of our updates.

As always, feel free to get in touch with us via Facebook or Twitter.

See below for a message from our CEO Robin Horwitz:

Our customers and employees choose us because of who and what Convo stands for. You all are cake and icing and today we celebrate you.

It is our honor to have served you for three years and we look forward to many more anniversaries! :)

We take everyone’s feedback seriously and are looking into ways to ensure that our monthly comic — which is intended to spotlight diverse artists within our community — achieves its purpose. If this is the first comic from Convo that you have seen, please check out past ones at this blog.

We asked Maureen “Moe” Klusza, the cartoonist, to explain her interpretation and her source of inspiration. Here goes, as posted by Maureen on Facebook:

this is what i had in mind and i wanted to present the story in a deaf culture way. being racist or homophobic was never my intention. if you want me to fix it, i’d be happy to take suggestions. meanwhile, convo is taking down the post.”

The Convo comic is Maureen’s “deaf” interpretation of the original Smurfs cartoon seen here:

We take full responsibility for posting the comic. We took it down along with its blog post. Convo is opposed against racism, sexism, homophobia, violence and any form of oppression.

We need to point out that not only is Maureen an incredibly talented artist, she is also a wonderful human being who would never disrespect anyone of any color, orientation or belief. It is our humble request that every one of you do not hasten to judge her character and continue to support Maureen in her artistic endeavors.

We are currently contacting potential consultants and exploring several courses of action so that this does not happen again. This is a teachable moment for us and we look forward to creating positive changes within the company.

Once again, we take full responsibility for posting it. We thank everyone for understanding that we make mistakes and for giving us this opportunity to apologize.

Recently the FCC posted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM), which is a standard part of any change to any government program.

The purpose of this FNPRM is to give you an opportunity to tell the FCC what you think about the possible changes. Good? Bad? Agree? Disagree?

However, this FNPRM is 109 pages long. To help everyone, the FCC created ASL videos. This way we easily get the “big picture” by getting general information on the FNPRM.

SO, WHAT IS CONVO DOING ABOUT THIS?

Because some of the proposed changes would greatly impact your VRS experience, we did a vlog to help spread awareness:

In our vlog, our CEO Robin Horwitz, who is deaf, discussed three proposed changes that Convo feels all VRS users should be aware of:

1. A program may be established that would make high-speed Internet access free or more affordable for deaf people who need it
2. All video hardware & software may be required to be able to connect to each other
3. All VRS users may be required to sign a contract with just one VRS company

We also hosted two video chats in Google+ using its Hangout feature. The first one was on Thursday, February 16 with Robin:

The second one was on Friday, February 17 with David Bahar, who is deaf and our VP of regulatory affairs:

We’ve also been answering questions from many of you on Facebook and Twitter.

Lastly, we will submit Convo’s response to the FNPRM before the March 2, 2012 deadline. When the FCC receives and posts it, we will link to it from here.

WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?

There are several things you can do… and we’re here anytime you need help.

• Learn as much as you can. Read the FNPRM, watch the FCC’s ASL videos, watch our vlog, whatever works best for you.
• Tell others about it. Not everyone has Internet access. Not everyone subscribes to email updates from Convo. The FCC wants their comments too!
• Submit your comments. It doesn’t matter who you are… deaf or hard of hearing; tech whiz or not, white collar, blue collar or retired; VRS is for all of us.

Go here and type in 10-51 for Proceeding Number

Remember, the deadline is March 2, 2012.

VRS was established so we could have a life of civic and economic participation. By sharing your thoughts with the FCC, we all become their partners in defining the future of VRS.

We received a full page! Click on below for a close-up of the print edition:

The photo is of (L-to-R) VP of Creative Marketing Wayne Betts, Jr. and CEO Robin Horwitz, both of whom have been with Convo since its founding.

The article is also available online but only paid subscribers can read the full article.

Of course we’re excited about this. Not only did they give Convo some exposure in the backyard of giants such as Apple, Facebook and Google, they did a pretty good summary of our recent history:

– Our Board chair Ed Bosson is recognized as the Father of VRS

– Our popular Facebook album of Deaf business owners and nonprofit leaders is mentioned

– Our recent expansion to Indiana is mentioned

If you’ve been following us all along, you’re no longer the only ones who know all this. :)

We believe that there are many more stories of deaf people in business that deserve to be told, and we only hope this adds to the readers’ interest. More people need to be aware of stories like ours that are out there.

Our pending FCC certification gives us expectations for great growth. For that reason, we find Indiana to be both ideal and integral; the state has vibrant Deaf and Interpreter communities that can further shape the culture at Convo.

Fort Wayne joins Mobile, AL; Roseville, CA; and San Ramon, CA; as our call center locations and will help us scale 24/7 service for your VRS calls. On a personal level, we’re excited to forge a stronger connection with a state that has ties to so many of us.

• Our CEO Robin Horwitz’s father Bernard graduated from ISD in the 1960s
• Jarrod Musano, who is a partner at Convo, has deaf in-laws who are active in the Indianapolis Deaf Community
• Joshua Shaffner, who leads technology development at Convo, was a standout student-athlete at ISD and graduated in 1992

We’re ready to call Indiana home and to welcome Hoosiers everywhere to the Convo family. Please help us welcome the new faces you’ll be seeing, and us to Indiana!

But many of us may not realize that there is a Mayan Sign Language. How great would it be to chat with the Mayan king? :) Enjoy this comic by deaf artist Jena Floyd (click to expand).

Jena grew up on a farm and went to Kentucky School for the Deaf then Gallaudet University. Currently she works as an anti-violence advocate at ADWAS in Seattle, her adopted hometown of seven years, and is involved with Deaf Spotlight, a new non-profit organization.

“The biggest influence in my creative life is my mom, who’s an oil paint artist,” Jena told us. “I consider drawing as one of my several meditation methods. I ‘m more fascinated with the creative process than the finished product.”

So, what was her creative process for this comic?! (Click on CC to display captions.)

We like how the comic has a recurring theme with the eye. The Mayan king talks about seeing/prediction, the deaf woman quotes George Veditz on his famous “People of the Eye” saying, and the DLink i2Eye even makes an appearance but… it’s ancient technology. :)

This is a pretty deep comic and the more you think about it, the different you might interpret the comic. For more insight, here’s other artwork from Jena!

We have only one thing to say: Keep your eye on Jena! :)

This was a special experience for us. Scripting, directing, editing… the deaf perspective dominated the entire process.

How fun was it on the set? We’ll let these photos from Sweetwater Media tell you. :)

We’d like to thank all the actors — they added so much to the production. We also especially thank Michael MacAulay and Chris Hamilton, the talented multimedia guys who run Sweetwater Media, for their fabulous work… they took care of auditions, locations and props, and helped with light design. Read their blog for their perspective on the video shoot!

This video could never have happened with a hearing crew. We deaf people experience communication differently… and at the end of the day the entire cast could easily jump to understanding why a deaf-owned company would approach VRS differently.

So… “Mr. Hearing CEO”? We’re happy to balance this with the most deaf-affirming thing we’ve ever done: Our “Deaf CEO” showcase on Facebook!

Click to see 125+ deaf business owners and executive directors of agencies and non-profit organizations:

That’s right… deaf leaders in business and advocacy in nearly all 50 states!

If you’re a deaf CEO or know someone who is, we want to include you! Send your photo and information to hello @ convorelay.com and we’ll add you.

Of all the reactions the Deaf CEOs album received, this is our absolute favorite:

Here’s some more. Enjoy and thanks for your support. :)

Deaf artist Paia Schroeder has a futuristic twist on this classic deaf joke. (Click on comic for a closer view):

We’re awestruck by the artistry of Paia. Born deaf to hearing parents and drawing since the age of 2, he’s a breakout talent. See his captioned vlog for his views from the drawing board:

Through his art, Paia hopes to both earn a living and to help advocate for ASL and all signed languages. Below is a recent drawing of George Veditz, well-known for his preservation efforts of ASL:

Born in Los Angeles, CA, Paia grew up in Kansas City, MO and had an interpreter throughout high school. “I wore a hearing aid until an IEP meeting with my parents, Deaf Ed teacher, interpreter and VR. I was 13 years old. VR mentioned it was my decision to wear it or not. It was wonderful without it after all .”

He picked up ASL during the New Signer Program (NSP) at Gallaudet University in summer 1999. He has never been formally trained as an artist.

“Just at home, all by myself. Some members in my family taught me a few basic “tools” drawing. Mixed up with ASL makes it double CHAMP!”

Now living in Columbus, OH, he’s been experimenting with new stuff and hopes to draw full-time. “I love drawing people, including signing.” He could draw turtles swimming and we’d love it just as much.