the innovative advocate

22nd Biennial TDI Conference The Bethesda North Marriott Hotel

North Bethesda, MD

THE INNOVATIVE ADVOCATE:

STAYINGAHEAD OFCOMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGY

THE INNOVATIVE ADVOCATE:

July 27-29, 2017 N. Bethesda, MD

If you choose Sorenson as your default provider, you can port your existing 10-digit number to Sorenson from another provider or Sorenson can provide you with one for the geographic area where you live or work. If you later change your default provider, you can port your number to that provider. When selecting Sorenson, you must provide to Sorenson the physical address (i.e., the Registered Location) from which you are placing the call, so that Sorenson can properly route any 911 calls you may make. If you move or change your location, you must notify Sorenson immediately. You can update your Registered Location from your Sorenson videophone by calling 800-659-4810 or by visiting www.svrs.com/moving. Sorenson will confirm receipt of your Registered Location information. Emergency calls made via internet-based TRS may not function the same as traditional E911 service. For example, you may not be able to dial 911 if there is an internet-service failure or if you lose electrical power, and your 911 call may not be routed correctly if you have not updated your Registered Location. For more information on the process of obtaining 10-digit numbers and the limitations and risks associated with using Sorenson’s VRS to place a 911 call, please visit Sorenson’s website: www.sorenson.com/disclaimer. For more information on toll-free numbering, please visit www.svrs.com/tollfree.

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Table of Contents

Thanks to Sponsors .......................................................................................................................................................... 4

TDI Board, TDI Staff, and Conference Planning Committee .................................................................................... 6

Exhibitors & Product/Service Demonstrations ........................................................................................................... 7

Greetings from TDI Board President, Sheila Conlon-Mentkowski .......................................................................... 8

Greetings from TDI Executive Director, Claude Stout ............................................................................................... 9

Schedule of Events .............................................................................................................................................. 10 - 21

Schedule At A Glance ............................................................................................................................................ 22 - 23

2017 TDI Biennial Awards ............................................................................................................................................ 25

Biographies of Program Participants ................................................................................................................ 26 - 40

Advertisements ..................................................................................................................................... 2, 5, 24, 40 - 52

The Innovative Advocate: Staying Ahead of

Communication Technology

TDI 2017 BIENNIAL CONFERENCE

July 26-29, 2017The Bethesda North Marriott Hotel

North Bethesda, MD

4

TECHNOLOGYThanks to our Conference

Sponsors

POLICY

PROGRAM

PRACTICE

BELIEF

TDI thanks the following sponsors for

making the TDI 2017 Conference possible.

Theese sponsors believe in the

opportunity presented by this conference

for consumers, government, and

industry to exchange notes, brainstorm

and plan for a better future of access to

telecommunications, media, and information technology toward the empowerment of deaf,

hard of hearing, late-deafened and deaf-

blind Americans.

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The Blue Book began in 1968 with 145 listings. Forty-nine years later, TDI continues to grow, evolving to serve their community.

Verizon is proud to support TDI, and salutes their passionate pursuit of equal access in telecommunications and media.

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TDI Board of Directors

Sheila Conlon-MentkowskiWest Region

President

Rebecca RosenthalCentral Region

Secretary

Cassandra Boryslawskyj

Northeast Region

Stephanie BuellMidwest Region

Treasurer

Jan WithersSoutheast Region

Matt MyrickMember At-Large

Andy LangeMember At-Large

Vice President

Jarvis GrindstaffMember At-Large

TDI Staff

Claude StoutExecutive Director

Tayler MayerDirector of Public

Relations

Eric KaikaProduct Manager,

uCaption

John SkjevelandAccountant

Zainab AlmohsinSummer Intern

Gallaudet University

Claude StoutConference Chair

Matt MyrickConference

Program Chair

Sheila Conlon-Mentkowski

Conference Program Member

Zainab AlmohsinAssistant to

Director of Public Relations

Tayler MayerConference

Program Member

Jarvis GrindstaffConference

Program Member

TDI Conference Planning Committee

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Exhibitors & Product/Service Demos

EXHIBIT HALL

Exhibitor Name ................................................................................................ Booth NumberVRSCA .................................................................................................................................................... (2)InnoCaption ............................................................................................................................................ (3)Gallaudet................................................................................................................................................. (4)Sprint Accessibility ............................................................................................................................... (5)Yellow Leaf Yoga Studio, LLC ............................................................................................................ (6)TDI Raffle Desk...................................................................................................................................... (7)Maryland Relay ...................................................................................................................................... (8)Hamilton Relay ....................................................................................................................................... (9)Verizon ...................................................................................................................................................(10)WAVIO ..................................................................................................................................................(11)Sorenson VRS .....................................................................................................................................(12)CaptionCall...........................................................................................................................................(13)sComm ..................................................................................................................................................(14)Facebook ..............................................................................................................................................(15)Alternative Communication Services ..............................................................................................(16)KinTrans .................................................................................................................................................(20)HumanWare .........................................................................................................................................(21)SignAll ...................................................................................................................................................(22)Ultratec ..................................................................................................................................................(23)Ultratec ..................................................................................................................................................(24)

White Oak A

White Oak B

Product/Service Demonstrations White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level

Friday, July 28 Company Topic9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Yellow Leaf Yoga Studio Introduction to Yogalign!10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. HumanWare Accessible Communication Solutions for DeafBlind11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. InnoCaption InnoCaption2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. SignAll Automated Sign Language Translation Solution3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ultratec Latest Advancements on CapTel

Saturday, July 29 Company Topic9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. KinTrans Using KinTrans for Sign & Spoken Language Conversations: Advances in Sign Language Recognition10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. sComm The Medicare Process & UbiDuo 2 SGD11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Sprint Accessibility Sprint IP Relay Mobile App2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Hamilton CapTel Hamilton CapTel for Business3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CSD Changing the Disability Framework— A New Way to Perceive Accessibility

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8630 Fenton Street • Suite 121 • Silver Spring, MD • 20910-3803Phone/Video: 301-563-9112 • Fax: 301-589-3797

[email protected] • www.TDIforAccess.org

“Promoting Equal Access to Telecommunications and Media for People Who are Deaf, Late-Deafened, Hard-of-Hearing or Deaf-Blind.”

July 27, 2017

Hello everyone!

It is my distinct pleasure, on behalf of the TDI Board of Directors, and staff, to welcome you to the 2017 TDI Conference at the North Bethesda Marriott Conference Hotel on 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda, MD, across from the White Flint Metro Station.

We look forward to your joining us for various activities during the Conference, be they workshops, plenary sessions, exhibits, product/service demonstrations, the President’s Reception, the Professional/Motivational Luncheon, the Awards Luncheon, and or the Dinner/Entertainment Finale. Join us for a baseball game at Nationals Park on Friday night. Other attractions in and around the area are:

• Glen Echo Park• Clara Barton National Historic Site• Historic lock houses, trails, and Great Falls at the C & O Canal• The Strathmore • Broderick Gardens

These are just a few of the many attractions in the area.

We are deeply honored to have the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, as one of our keynote speakers. Another notable speaker is Haben Girma, the first deaf blind student to graduate from Harvard Law School. On Friday and Saturday, we will be trying something new, a Passport you can get stamped when you visit the exhibit area and when completed, be eligible for a raffle drawing in late afternoon on Saturday! We welcome you to North Bethesda and the TDI Conference! Enjoy!

And all for access,

Sheila Conlon-Mentkowski, PresidentTelecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI)

Greetings from TDI

Board President

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8630 Fenton Street • Suite 121 • Silver Spring, MD • 20910-3803Phone/Video: 301-563-9112 • Fax: 301-589-3797

[email protected] • www.TDIforAccess.org

“Promoting Equal Access to Telecommunications and Media for People Who are Deaf, Late-Deafened, Hard-of-Hearing or Deaf-Blind.”

July 27, 2017Dear Friends of TDI,

Welcome to the 22nd TDI Biennial Conference in North Bethesda, Maryland! The theme of the Conference is: “The Innovative Advocate: Staying Ahead of Communication Technology.” Individually or as a group, we have unlimited possibilities to contribute to this important multi-dimensional process via technology, policy, program, practice, and belief. As we have “the new sheriff in town” with U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Washington, DC, there is no more important time to engage in collaborative activities between consumer groups, industry, and government. We must strive to experience a prosperous future in which we get to stay a step ahead of communication technologies, rather than to play “catch up.” When this happens, everyone wins, not just us that are deaf or hard of hearing. We will then be more included in the general community, and find ourselves as more fully independent to participate in any life activity. We are affected the same as other Americans from events that happen daily in the political climate, and the emerging threats from the Internet, that affect one’s security and/or privacy. We are totally committed to join forces with industry and government to take advantage of today’s technologies, or to develop plans for future ones to maximize our full participation in society.

Over the next three days during the Conference, whether you are a consumer advocate, industry professional or a government policy maker, may you make the most out of this unique opportunity to network, share ideas for best practices, and contribute toward shaping an accessible world. Please give a round of applause to over twenty eight corporations and others for their sponsorship of the Conference. We value them as our partners! They actively collaborate with us in between Conferences. Please do stop by the exhibit hall, and learn more about the newest and the latest they have in accessible technology.

It has been great to work with members of the Conference Program Committee (Matt, Sheila, Jarvis, and Tayler) to make this event possible. We hope you will enjoy new features with the Conference such as prize drawings, and product/service demonstrations. When you see the members of the Committee during the Conference, give them a pat on their back for a job well done! Last, but not least, I am deeply grateful to be working with a great eight-member TDI Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers. This is your Conference, and we welcome input on how we can make the next Conference better. Thank you for joining us here in North Bethesda. May you have a wonderful time here and a safe trip back home!

Sincerely yours,

Claude L. Stout, Executive DirectorTelecommunications for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI)

Greetings from TDI Executive Director

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 26

PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

Registration - 12 noon to 5 p.m.

1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. TDI Board of Directors Meeting

Seneca Board Room, Lower Level - This meeting is open to the public.

THURSDAY, JULY 27 TDI CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES - DAY 1

Plenary sessions and breakout workshops at Bethesda North Marriott require registration.

Registration is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registration Desk, Lower Level

President’s Reception is open to the public at admission fee - no registration required.

Exhibits and product/service demonstrations will be open only on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.

Exhibitors set up their booths from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. White Oak, Lower Level

9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Opening Ceremony Salon D, Main Level

• Sheila Conlon-Mentkowski - Emcee

• Introduction of TDI Board of Directors & Executive Director

• Keynote Address: Mr. Ajit Pai, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Refreshment Break White Oak, Lower Level

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Town Hall with Key Officials with Disability Rights Office, and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, FCC Salon D, Main Level

Sheila Conlon-MentkowskiTDI Board President

Ajit PaiFCC Chairman

Stephanie Buell Suzy Rosen SingletonKaren Peltz-Strauss

Schedule of Events

11

• Moderator: Stephanie Buell

Participants

• Karen Peltz-Strauss, Deputy Chief – Policy, Consumer and Governmental Affairs, Federal Communications Commission

• Suzy Rosen Singleton, Chief, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs, Federal Communications Commission

• Eliot Greenwald, Deputy Chief, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs, Federal Communications Commission

• Robert McConnell, Telecommunications Accessibility Specialist, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs, Federal Communications Commission

• Dr. Christian Vogler, Director, Technology Access Program, Gallaudet University

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break (on your own, if time left, go visit the exhibits!)

1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Plenary Session: Salon D, Main Level

• Keynote Address: “Accessibility at Apple: Innovating for All”

Sarah Herrlinger, Director of Accessibility, Apple Corporation


Presentation on “Holograms Delivering Sign Language”

• David Rose, Chief Executive Officer, Prsonas, Inc.

David Rose

Sarah Herrlinger

Robert McConnellEliot Greenwald Dr. Christian Vogler

Schedule of Events

12

2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Refreshment Break White Oak, Lower Level

3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Breakout Workshops:

“An Update on Emergency Communications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” Glen Echo, Lower Level)

• Matthew Gerst, Director of State Regulatory & External Affairs, CTIA;

• Richard Ray, ADA Compliance Officer, City of Los Angeles Department of Disability;

• Donna Platt, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

“The App Ecosystem: Revolutionizing Accessibility” (Forest Glen, Lower Level)

• Moderator: Brian Scarpelli, Senior Policy Counsel, ACT/The App Association

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. President’s Reception (Admission: $50.00)

Salon A, Main Level

• Sheila Conlon-Mentkowski, President, TDI Board of Directors

(short program on TDI’s 2015-2017 accomplishments commences around eight p.m.)

Matthew Gerst

Brian Scarpelli

Sheila Conlon-MentkowskiTDI Board President

Richard Ray Donna Platt

Schedule of Events

13

TDI CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES - DAY 2

FRIDAY, JULY 28

Plenary sessions and breakout workshops at Bethesda North Marriott require registration.


Exhibitors set up their booths from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. White Oak, Lower Level

Exhibits and product/service demonstrations are open to the public (admission, free of charge), from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. White Oak, Lower Level

Professional/Motivational Luncheon is open to the public at admission fee - no registration required.

Major League Baseball Game Nationals Park, Washington, DC Colorado Rockies versus Washington

Nationals (optional, admission tickets are on sale from TDI. We will have seats in Section 136 at Nationals Park, right next to first base side of field.)

7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Yoga Class, with instructor Barbara Eger-Klatt Glen Echo, Lower Level

(sign-up is requested with TDI’s office prior to taking class, and class is limited to 15 students)

9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Plenary Session: Salon D, Main Level

Keynote Address: “One World: Community Ownership as a Catalyst for Innovation”

• Christopher Soukup, Chief Executive Officer, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD)

Barbara Eger-Klatt

Christopher Soukup

Schedule of Events

14

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Product/Service Demonstration White Flint Amphitheater, Lower Level

Yellow Leaf Yoga Studio, LLC - “Introduction to Yogalign”


10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Breakout Workshops:

“Caption Access In The Air” Glen Echo, Lower Level

• Co-Presenters: Zainab Alkebsi, Policy Counsel, National Association of the Deaf

• Lise Hamlin, Director of Public Policy, Hearing Loss Association of America

“HINTS-ASL Survey Results on On-Site, VRI, and VRS interpreting Services in Medicine, and VRI With Certified Deaf Interpreters” Forest Glen, Lower Level

• Presenters: Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar, Director, Deaf Health Communication and Quality of Life Research Lab and Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Gallaudet University

• Jessica Moseley, Chief Executive Officer, TCS Interpreting Services

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Product/Service Demonstration White Flint Amphitheater, Lower Level

HumanWare – “Accessible Communication Solutions for DeafBlind”

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Product/Service Demonstration White Flint Amphitheater, Lower Level

InnoCaption - “InnoCaption”

Zainab Alkebsi

Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar

Lise Hamlin

Jessica Moseley

Schedule of Events

15

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Professional/Motivational Luncheon: (Admission: $50.00)

Salons B&C, Main Level

Luncheon Address: “The Universal Benefits of Accessible Design”

• Haben Girma, First Deaf-Blind Graduate, Harvard Law School

1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Breakout Workshops

“Enhancing the VRS Calling Experience” Glen Echo, Lower Level

Panelists:

• Zainab Alkebsi, Policy Counsel, National Association of the Deaf,

• Chris Wagner, Chief Operating Officer, ZVRS,

• Lance Pickett, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Sorenson Communications,

• David Bahar, Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs, CSD

• Mark Hill, President, Cerebral Palsy and Deaf Organization,

• Neal Tucker, Policy/Compliance Coordinator, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

• Bryen Yunashko, President, Chicagoland DeafBlind Alliance, and

• Alfred Sonnenstrahl, Vice President, Deaf Seniors of America

Zainab Alkebsi

Mark Hill

Lance Pickett

Bryen Yunashko

Haben Girma

Chris Wagner

Neal Tucker

David Bahar

Alfred Sonnenstrahl

Schedule of Events

16

“Enhancing the IP-CTS Calling Experience” Forest Glen, Lower Level

Panelists:

• Lise Hamlin, Director of Public Policy, Hearing Loss Association of America,

• Dixie Ziegler, Vice President, Hamilton Relay,

• Michael Ellis, National Director, Sprint Accessibility,

• Ron Bibler, Consumer, State of Montana,

• Cameron Tingey, Vice President of Outreach, CaptionCall,

• Pam Holmes, Executive Director, Customer Service/Regulatory Affairs, Ultratec, Inc., and

• Mike Strecker, Vice President of Regulatory and Strategic Policy, Clear Captions

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Product/Service Demonstration White Flint Amphitheater, Lower Level

SignAll – “Automated Sign Language Translation Solution”

2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Refreshment Break White Oak, Lower Level

Lise Hamlin

Cameron Tingey

Michael Ellis

Mike Strecker

Dixie Ziegler

Pam Holmes

Ron Bibler

Schedule of Events

17

2:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Breakout Workshops:

Panel Discussion: “The Internet of Things” Glen Echo, Lower Level

Three Brief Presentations in A Workshop: Forest Glen, Lower Level

“Captions On Now;”

“Who Are The Consumers?;” and

“Federal Relay: Total Telecommunication Access for Federal Government”

Presenters:

• Jim House, Communication Specialist, Hearing, Speech & Deaf Center, Seattle, WA

• Sharon Hayes, Director, Video Relay Services Consumer Association, and

• Chanel Gleicher, Outreach and Marketing Manager, Federal Relay, Sprint Accessibility

Andrew LaHart

Jim House

David Bahar

Zachary Bastian

Chanel Gleicher

Linda Vandeloop

Sharon Hayes

Greyson Watkins

Panelists:

• Andrew LaHart, Head of Accessibility Competency, Accessibility Research, IBM

• Linda Vandeloop, Assistant Vice President, Federal Regulatory, AT&T,

• Zachary Bastian, Manager, Strategic Alliances, Verizon,

• David Bahar, Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs, CSD and

• Greyson Watkins, Chief Executive Officer, Hz Innovations

Schedule of Events

18


Ultratec – “Latest Advancements on CapTel”

4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Prepare/leave for trip to Nationals Park for the baseball game

7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Major League Baseball Game at Nationals Park - Colorado Rockies versus Washington Nationals

SATURDAY, JULY 29 (CONSUMERS DAY)TDI CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES - DAY 3

- Plenary sessions, breakout workshops, exhibits, and product/service demonstrations are open to consumers – no registration required. - Awards Luncheon and Dinner/Entertainment Finale are open to the public, separately at admission fee – no registration required.


Exhibits are open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. White Oak, Lower Level

7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Yoga Class, with instructor Barbara Eger-Klatt

Glen Echo, Lower Level

(sign-up is requested with TDI’s office prior to taking class, and class is limited to 15 students)

Barbara Eger-Klatt

Schedule of Events

19

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 am. Plenary Session: Salon D, Main Level

“Facebook’s Impact on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community”

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Product/Service Demonstration

White Flint Amphitheater, Lower Level

Using KinTrans for Sign & Spoken Language Conversations: Advances in Sign Language Recognition


10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Product/Service Demonstration

White Flint Amphitheater, Lower Level

sComm – “The Medicare Process & UbiDuo 2 SGD”

10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Youth Forum: Salons B&C, Main Level

Tayler MayerChris Langston

Ann Cassell Melissa Locklear

Tyrone Giordano

Jack Cassell

Neil McDevitt

Panelists

• Neil McDevitt, Executive Director, Deaf and Hearing Communication Centre, Swarthmore, PA

• Tyrone Giordano, Community Engagement Strategist, CSD

• Tayler Mayer, Director of Public Relations, TDI,

• Jack and Ann Cassell, consumers from State of North Carolina, and

• Melissa Locklear, consumer from District of Columbia

Matt Myrick

• Moderator: Matt Myrick, Member-At Large, TDI Board of Directors, and Lead Accessibility Solutions at Chief Compliance Office, Corporate Accessibility Technology Office, AT&T

• Presenter: Chris Langston, User Experience Researcher for Accessibility, Facebook

Schedule of Events

20

Participants:

• Dr. Raja Kushalnagar, Director, Information Technology Program, Gallaudet University, and Greyson Watkins, Chief Executive Officer, Hz Innovations

• Gary Behm, Director, Center for Access Technology, NTID, Rochester Institute of Technology

• Dr. Christian Vogler, Director, Technology Access Program, Gallaudet University

• Greyson Watkins, Chief Executive Officer, Hz Innovations.

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Product/Service Demonstration White Flint Amphitheater, Lower Level

Sprint Accessibility - “Sprint IP Relay Mobile App”

12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. TDI Awards Luncheon (Admission $50.00)

Salons B&C, Main Level

• Emcee: Rebecca Rosenthal, Chair of TDI Awards Committee Presentation of six TDI Biennial Awards


Panel Discussion: “The Future with Autonomous Driving & Its Benefits to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community”

Panelists:

• Jeffrey Gerlach, Senior Policy Analyst, Securing America’s Future Energy

• Gina O’Connell, Director of Labs & General Mgr. – Las Vegas, Local Motors

Gary Behm

Linda Vandeloop

Rebecca Rosenthal

Jeffrey Gerlach

Dr. Christian Vogler Greyson Watkins

Zachary Bastian

Dr. Raja Kushalnagar

Gina O’Connell

Schedule of Events

21

• Linda Vandeloop, Assistant Vice President, Federal Regulatory, AT&T, and

• Zachary Bastian, Manager, Strategic Alliances, Verizon


Hamilton CapTel - Hamilton CapTel for Business

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Product/Service Demonstration

White Flint Amphitheater, Lower LevelCSD – “Changing the Disability Framework— A New Way to Perceive Accessibility”

3:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Refreshment Break: White Oak, Lower Level


Product Announcement from TDI: “uCaption Speech-to-Text & Correcting Technology”

Presenters:

• Eric Kaika, Product Manager, uCaption Project, TDI

• Steve Jacobs, President, IDEAL Group, Inc.

4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Prize Drawings: Salon D, Main Level (immediately after the uCaption product announcement)

Emcees

• Andy Lange, Vice President, TDI

• Tayler Mayer, Director of Public Relations, TDI

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Exhibitors dismantle their booths. White Oak, Lower Level

7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.: Dinner/Entertainment Finale (Admission - $50.00)

White Oak, Lower Level

Entertainers:

• Rosa Lee Timm

• Doug Ridloff

Eric Kaika

Andy Lange

Rosa Lee Timm

Steve Jacobs

Tayler Mayer

Doug Ridloff

Schedule of Events

THURSDAY JULY 27Program, Registration, and tEXPO Hours:

9:00am-5:00pm Attendee/Speaker Registration and Information Desk (Lower Level)

3:00pm-6:00pm tEXPO Exhibitor Set Up (White Oak/Lower Level)

Schedule:

9:00am-9:45am Opening Ceremony and Keynote Address (Salon D/Main Level)

9:45am-10:00am Refreshments/Health Break

10:00am-11:30am Town Hall - Key Officials with FCC - Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (Salon D/Main Level)

11:30am-1:00pm Lunch on your own.

1:00pm-1:45pm Plenary Session: “Accessibility at Apple: Innovating for All” (Salon D/Main Level)

2:00pm-2:45pm Plenary Session: “Holograms Delivering Sign Language” (Salon D/Main Level)

2:45pm-3:00pm Refreshments/Health Break (White Oak/Lower Level)

3:00pm-4:30pm Two Breakout Sessions: Session 1: “An Update on Emergency Communications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” (Glen Echo/Lower Level)

Session 2: “The App Ecosystem: Revolutionizing Accessibility” (Forest Glen/Lower Level)

7:00pm-9:00pm President’s Reception (Salon D)

FRIDAY JULY 28 Program, Registration, & tEXPO Hours:

9:00am-5:00pm Attendee/Speaker Registration and Information Desk (Lower Level)

8:00am-9:00am tEXPO Exhibitor set up (White Oak/Lower Level)

9:00am-4:00pm tEXPO Exhibits (White Oak/LowerLevel)

Schedule:

7:00am-8:00am Yellow Leaf Yoga Studio Class (Limited to 15 participants) (Glen Echo/Lower Level)

9:00am-9:45pm Plenary Session: “One World: Community Ownership as a Catalyst for Innovation” (Salon D/Main Level)

9:00am-10:00am

tEXPO Demo 1: Yellow Leaf Yoga Studio – “Introduction to Yogalign” (White FlintAmphitheatre/Lower Level)

9:45am-10:00am Refreshments/Health Break (White Oak, Lower Level)

10:00am-11:15am Two Breakout Sessions:

Session 1: “Caption Access In The Air” (Glen Echo/Lower Level) Session 2: “HINTS-ASL Survey Results on On-Site, VRI, and VRS interpreting Services in Medicine, and VRI With Certified Deaf Interpreters” (Forest Glen/Lower Level) 10:00am-11:00am

tEXPO Demo 2: HumanWare – “Accessible Communication Solutions for DeafBlind” (White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level)

11:00 a.m. to 12 noon

tEXPO Demo 3: InnoCaption - “InnoCaption” (White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level)

11:30am-1:00pm Professional/Motivational Luncheon: “The Universal Benefits of Accessible Design” (Salon B & C/Main Level)

1:00pm-1:15pm Health Break

1:15pm-2:20pm Two Breakout Panel Sessions:

Session 1: “Enhancing the VRS Calling Experience” (Glen Echo/Lower Level) Session 2: “Enhancing the IP-CTS Calling Experience” (Forest Glen/Lower Level)

2:00pm-2:45pm

tEXPO Demo 4: SignAll - “Automated Sign Language Translation Solution” ” (White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level)

2:30pm-2:45pm Refreshments/Health Break

2:45pm-4:00pm Two Breakout Sessions

Session 1: Panel Discussion: “The Internet of Things” (Glen Echo/Lower Level)Session 2: Three Brief Presentations in A Workshop: Workshop 1: “Captions On Now” Workshop 2: “Who Are The Consumers?”Workshop 3: “Federal Relay: Total Telecommunication Access for Federal Government”

22

SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

Thank you from TDI for attending and we hope you have learned a lot!

Please provide photos/comments/feedback via our conference “Guidebook” app.

Thank you!23

3:00pm-4:00pm

tEXPO Demo 5: Ultratec - “Latest Advancements on CapTel” (White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level)

4:00pm-7:00pm Prepare/Leave for those attending the Nationals Park - Washington Nationals baseball game.

7:00pm-10:00pm Major League Baseball Game at Nationals Park - Colorado Rockies versus Washington Nationals.

SATURDAY JULY 29 (CONSUMER DAY)Program, Registration, & tEXPO Hours:

9:00am-5:00pm Attendee/Speaker/Demonstrations, No registration required and Information Desk - (Lower Level)

9:00am-6:00pm tEXPO Exhibits (White Oak/Lower Level)

Schedule:

7:00am-8:00am Yellow Leaf Yoga Studio Class (Limited to 15 participants) (Glen Echo/Lower Level)

9:00am-10:00am Plenary Session: “Facebook’s Impact on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community” (Salon D)

9:00am-10:00am

tEXPO Demo 6: Using KinTrans for Sign & Spoken Language Conversations: Advances in Sign Language Recognition (White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level)

10:00am-10:15am Refreshments/Health Break

10:00am-11:00am

tEXPO Demo 7: sComm - “The Medicare Process & UbiDuo 2 SGD” (White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level)

10:15am-12:00pm Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Youth Forum (Salon D/Main Level)

11:00am-12:00pm

tEXPO Demo 8: Sprint Accessibility – “Sprint IP Relay Mobile App” (White Flint Amphitheatre/Lower Level)

12:30pm-1:45pm TDI Awards Luncheon (Salon B&C)

1:45pm-2:00pm Health Break

2:00pm-3:00pm Plenary Session: Panel - “The Future with Autonomous Driving & Its Benefits to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community” (Salon D)

2:00pm-3:00pm

tEXPO Demo 9: Hamilton CapTel - “Hamilton CapTel for Business”

3:00pm-3:15pm Refreshments/Health Break

3:00pm-4:00pm Product/Service Demonstrations at White Flint Amphitheater (Lower Level)

tEXPO Demo 10: CSD - “Changing the Disability Framework — A New Way to Perceive Accessibility”

3:15pm-4:30pm Plenary Session: Product Announcement from TDI: “uCaption Speech-to-Text & Correcting Technology” (Salon D)

4:30pm-5:00pm TDI Prize Drawings (Salon D)

4:00pm-5:30pm Exhibitors dismantle and clean-up.

7:00pm-10:00pm TDI Dinner/Entertainment Finale (Salon D)

10:00pm End of TDI 22nd Biennial Conference

SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

CBS is proud to support the important work of TDI.

Changing Attitudes.Changing Lives.

17-A059 TDI Conference Ad.indd 1 6/30/17 12:03 PM

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7 p.m. at Nationals Park, Washington, DC

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2017 TDI Biennial AwardsH. Latham Breunig Humanitarian Award

DREW SIMSHAWIn recognition of his unique expertise and persistence fighting barriers in captioning on TV and the Internet, advanced communication services, and user interfaces covered under the CVAA, and the deployment of Real-Time Text. His foresight in advocacy that sets an example for the next generation of attorneys to carry the torch of full accessibility for all Americans.

James C. Marsters Promotion Award

CTIA – THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATIONIn recognition of CTIA’s many years of collaboration with TDI and other consumer groups on developing a one-stop website dedicated to mobile accessibility, its leader-ship in developing an online database, and its extensive collaboration with consum-ers in areas of accessible emergency communication such as Text-to-911, Real-Time Text, indoor wireless location accuracy, and hearing aid compatibility

Andrew Saks Engineering Award

DR. CHRISTIAN VOGLER & NORMAN WILLIAMSIn recognition of his impressive contributions to accessibility engineering, his instrumental role in the FCC’s implementation of Real-Time Text as the text-based communication technology in the digital environment, his wisdom and passion for immediate solutions - led to increased options for deaf and hard of hearing people to summon help in emergencies, and set a working foundation for Next Generation 911 services.

In recognition of his numerous contributions in accessibility engineering in text and video telecommunications by people who are deaf and hard of hearing based on your innovative spirit since the DOS era and consistent efforts to in-tegrate TTY technology with digital cellular phones including solutions for text and video communications have shaped the foundation for an accessible world.

Robert H. Weitbrecht Telecommunications Access Award

GUNNAR HELLSTRÖMIn recognition of his dedication in implementing Total Conversation, now an integral part of tomorrow’s telecommunication technologies that allow for free exchange of audio, video, and real-time text by callers worldwide, and adopted for emergency calling appli-cations. His contributions open up new possibilities for everyone to stay in touch.

Karen Peltz Strauss Public Policy AwardDR. GREGG VANDERHEIDEN

In recognition of his visionary contribution in the fields of technology and disability, including coining the term, “augmentative communications”, his incredible grasp of human engineering enhancing the accessibility and usability of personal computers, web content accessibility standards, and interactive kiosks, your imprint as codified in Congressional legislation, and in the worldwide adoption of a Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure

I. Lee Brody Lifetime Achievement AwardROBERT MATHER, ESQ.

In recognition of his lifetime of dedicated service to deaf and hard of hearing people as trial attorney in the US Department of Justice, responsible for developing regulations and enforcement of Titles II and III of the ADA, his outstanding leadership in crafting acces-sible solutions for state and local agencies and private entities to ensure compliance with the ADA, your service for the US Commission on Education of the Deaf, the US Architec-tural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, and at the National Center for Law and the Deaf

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ZAINAB ALKEBSI is Policy Counsel at the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). She is responsible for providing analysis, recommendations, and advice to the NAD on policy issues affecting people who are deaf and hard of hearing. She regularly interfaces with government agencies, Congress, coalitions, and businesses on all issues affecting deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Before joining the NAD, Ms. Alkebsi served as Deputy Director at the Maryland Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, where she coordinated the office’s legislative and policy efforts. Ms. Alkebsi has a B.A.

in political science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and she received her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

DAVID BAHAR ‎is Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at CSD. He works with Congress, the White House, Federal agencies, and other advocacy organizations to ensure we can achieve our goals. He has over 14 years of experience in public policy and government affairs. Between 2003 and 2010, he was a staffer for U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington State, working to improve communication access for deaf people. He convinced the FCC to give VPs phone numbers, replacing IP addresses. He also was involved with developing a law requiring captions for many online videos. He

helped Convo Communications secure certification from the FCC and developed the industry’s first computer software videophone. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Lexington School and Center for the Deaf. He received his Masters degree in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University.

ZACHARY BASTIAN is Manager of Public Policy and Strategic Alliances for Verizon. He is responsible for the company’s relationships in the disability, senior, LGBT, and consumer communities. He serves as a company repre-sentative on the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee. Zachary received his Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin.

GARY BEHM is the interim associate vice president for academic affairs at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Behm oversees NTID’s academic departments, curriculum, course scheduling, degree certification, communication services and assessment, and faculty/staff professional development. Behm, an associate professor, also serves as director of RIT/NTID’s Center on Access Technology Innova-tion Laboratory, and serves as an engineering lead for the faculty, researchers and students in the conceptualization, design, development, building and

testing of engineering solutions that address the need of accessibility of deaf and hard-of-hear-ing individuals primarily in the postsecondary educational environment. He earned an associate degree in electromechanical technology and bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology at RIT/NTID, and a master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Prior to teaching, Behm worked for IBM in various locations throughout the country, serving as an engineer, project leader and project manager.

RON BIBLER is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) from Great Falls, Mon-tana, with his own advisory business. He is a daily user of Captioned Tele-phone Relay. He is currently utilizing the sixth generation of CTS having progressed from VCO in 1991 to 2LVCO-CTS-2LCTS-IPCTS and currently uses his iPhone apps as his wireless captioning device. Like everyone else in Montana, he can now legally speed down the highway at 80 mph and make phone calls. He is a member of the Interstate TRS (iTRS) Advisory Board representing TRS users and is a member of the FCC’s Disability Advisory

Committee (DAC) representing consumers. Totally deaf since the age of 3, Ron is known for

Participant Biographies

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his sense of humor. He considers himself a foot soldier ducking bullets at the battlefield frontline in his continuous quest to improve accessibility.

CASSANDRA M. “CM” BORYSLAWSKYJ is an entrepreneur and consul-tant in Internet Technologies. She also works as a part-time Deaf interpreter. She was a co-founder along with other three others to establish a nonprofit service agency, Communication Advocacy Network Corporation which currently provides support services to the deaf blind, and deaf senior citizens since 2005. In the insurance sector, she was a former underwriter consultant for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield for more than 15 years and still does several part time jobs as well as volunteering at the Travelers Championship

with Aramark, Amazon, and other businesses. In the early years as a college student, she was a part of a student club with a community college with the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) to offer open-caption films. She has served on the Connecticut Association of the Deaf, Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf, and Deaf Women United – as Secretary, Treasurer, then Vice President and lastly, President, respectively. She had been appointed by the Connecticut Governor to serve on the Board of Regents for Higher Educa-tion and the State Rehabilitation Council for four years. She also has served on the Connecti-cut Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, Inc. as well as the Connecticut Union of Disability Action Groups Inc. She is a MBA graduate from University of New Haven in Business Adminis-tration with specialization in Telecommunications Management.

STEPHANIE BUELL is a member of the TDI Board of Directors, represent-ing the Midwest Region and is completing her second, four year term. Prior to her recent move to Tennessee, she was President of Wisconsin Association of the Deaf and has been actively involved in the Deaf community for many years. In Mississippi, she coordinated statewide Deaf services and co-found-ed the MS Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, a statewide advocacy organization. In 1992, she moved to Wisconsin to become the first director of the Wisconsin Relay System and has since been very involved in shaping

the FCC’s TRS regulations. After holding several executive positions including President of the National Association of State Relay Administrators, she obtained her Realtors license in both WI and TN where she specializes in serving the Deaf and hard of hearing community.

ANN CASSELL has been Deaf since birth. Speech and lip-reading were her way to communicate until she learned ASL at Gallaudet, which opened a new world for her. She realized how much “knowledge” she missed growing up. Her long life mission was to be able to access any information and not “be the last to know”. She started her career as an ASL teacher/interpreter trainer for 38 years in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She volunteered extensively for various organizations such as National Association of the Deaf, Minnesota Association for the Deaf Citizens (MADC), Wisconsin for the Deaf, and

served on the Board for Deaf Unity in Wisconsin. Her list of accomplishments included winning the first Miss Deaf America crown in 1972 as well as the Woman of the Year Award by MADC.

JACK CASSELL has recently retired as the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Contract Administrator from Wisconsin. He conducted this role for two states, Oregon and Wisconsin for more than 25 years. He has served on the Board of Directors with National Association State Relay Administration for several years. He has received a number of awards in recognition of his professional and community activities, including the “Man of the Year” awards from two different State Associations of the Deaf – Oregon and Wisconsin. He has been using Facebook since January 2009 and he

looks forward to share his thoughts of how Facebook has proven to be an effective communi-cation tool, empowering us to experience the best in American life.


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SHEILA CONLON-MENTKOWSKI is President of Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI). She serves as an elected member of the TDI Board of Directors, representing the Western Region. She is an attorney by training and has worked at the National Center for Law and the Deaf, Washington, DC before moving to Sacramento, CA, where she was employed by NorCal Center on Deafness, Sacramento, CA, in various executive positions. She recently retired as Administrator of the Assistive Technology Program with the CA Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). She is

also the Chair of the National Association of the Deaf Technology Committee, a Yahoo Group composed of 80 deaf consumers whose focus is on technology that enables and enhances deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing individuals’ lives. (Matt and Lauren, use the picture of her from the TDI World magazine, thanks to both of you!)

BARBARA EGER-KLATT is certified as E-RYT 200 with Yoga Alliance and she is the owner of Yellow Leaf Yoga Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is the only deaf friendly yoga studio in Washington, DC metro area.

MICHAEL ELLIS is Sprint’s Global Vice President for Sprint Accessibility. Mike has been a part of the world’s largest provider of accessible telecommu-nication services for 25 years. Currently, under Mr. Ellis’ leadership, Sprint delivers nationwide domestic and international telecommunication services that are accessible for customers with disabilities, such as the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Speech disabled, Low vision, Blind, Deaf-Blind, Cognitive and those with Mobility challenges. As a subject matter expert on accessibility, disability and inclusion in the workplace and society, Mr. Ellis has testified before

various government officials, including political members and committees of respective U.S. Senate, State government agencies and Public Utility and/or Commerce Commissions across the country and in New Zealand. Mr. Ellis is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) as sanctioned by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. He earned his B.A. from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas and an M.A. from Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. He currently serves on the Foundation Board for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Gallaudet University’s Board of Associates.

JEFFREY GERLACH is a Senior Policy Analyst at Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), where he conducts research, writing, and content develop-ment for SAFE’s policy team. Mr. Gerlach serves as the lead analyst focused on trends in the transportation sector, including autonomous vehicles, urban mobility, and other industry dynamics. He previously worked at a manage-ment consulting firm, where he supported the Department of Energy. Addi-tionally, he worked on multiple political campaigns in his home state of Minnesota. He received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of St.

Thomas and his Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

MATTHEW GERST is Assistant Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at CTIA - The Wireless Association. Matt leads the association’s efforts before state regulators and other state public policymakers and officials on a variety of policy matters, including universal service, wireless network deployment and resiliency and consumer protection. He also manages CTIA’s outreach to the accessibility and disability, public safety and online safety communities. He represents CTIA on the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee, the Emergency Access Advisory Committee and the North American Numbering Council.


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HABEN GIRMA has earned recognition as a White House Champion of Change, Forbes 30 under 30, and BBC Women of Africa Hero. The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, she advocates for equal access to information for people with disabilities. She also holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Lewis & Clark College. Based in San Francisco, she travels the world working as a disability and inclusion consul-tant. She combines her knowledge of law, sociology, and technology to teach clients the benefits of fully accessible products and services. Her

insights help to expand our thinking, creating lasting, positive change among people and communities. Because of her disability rights advocacy she has been honored by President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, and many others.

TYRONE GIORDANO is the Community Engagement Strategist at Commu-nication Service for the Deaf, Inc., where he covers social media, marketing, strategic, and public relations functions. He is also known for his work on stage and screen, both as an actor and ASL translator. He led the 2004 Tony-honored Deaf West Theatre musical, Big River, to Broadway and an international tour as Huckleberry Finn, earning a nomination for the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

CHANEL GLEICHER, a Maryland native, is the Outreach and Marketing Specialist for the Federal Relay Service, a program provided by Sprint. Cha-nel graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication Studies at Gallaudet Univer-sity in 2013 and has recently received her Master’s in Project Management from Northeastern University. Since 2015, she has reached out to deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, blind and low vision, or speech-disabled Federal employ-ees to educate them on the benefits of using the Federal Relay Service. She aims to educate the world that deaf, hard of hearing, and people with disabili-

ties are functionally equivalent in the workplace.

ELIOT GREENWALD is Deputy Chief, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission. Prior to his current duties at FCC, he was Of Counsel with Bingham-Mc-Cutchen for over ten years, and conducted extensive pro-bono legal services in relay services and emergency communications for one of his clients, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI).

JARVIS GRINDSTAFF is a native of Frederick, MD and currently living in Washington, DC. Jarvis was born deaf and uses American Sign Language to communicate with his family and friends. Jarvis received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and completed two years in the Master of Public Administration graduate school, both at Gallaudet University. Now Jarvis is currently enrolled first year in International Development graduate school at Gallaudet. Jarvis is serving for a term of two years on the D.C. Mayor’s DC Commission on Persons with Disabilities. The Commission is

focused on advocating for the rights and quality of life for all souls who are in DC — for resi-dents, employees, and visitors. On the Commission, Jarvis informs and advises the city on things that impact DC residents with disabilities. Also, Jarvis serves as a member of the Board of Directors for District of Columbia Association of the Deaf (DCAD). Jarvis used to work at the US Small Business Administration as an economic development specialist in the Office of Field Operations, working to expand SBA’s accessibility and outreach to the deaf and hard of hearing community.


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LISE HAMLIN joined the Hearing Loss Association of America’s (HLAA) national staff as director of public policy in April 2008. Ms. Hamlin, who has a hearing loss herself, has worked as an advocate for people with hearing loss for some 20 years. She currently represents HLAA on federal advisory committees, industry advisory groups, and consumer coalitions, including her current positions as the co-chair of the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance. She has also taken part in developing, maintaining and presenting training programs on hearing assistive

technology and on emergency preparedness. Ms. Hamlin fields emails and calls daily from consumers with hearing loss who experience barriers to employment, technology, access to public places and telecommunications access and works directly with them to help overcome those barriers. Ms. Hamlin has been recognized with a national Oticon Focus on People award, a Spirit of SHHH award and the F. Michael Taff award from the Human Rights Commis-sion of Rockville, Maryland.

SHARON HAYES is Director of Video Relay Services Consumer Association (VRSCA). She sees an enormous need for advocating consumer education. By educating the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population, VRSCA was able to empower individuals. VRS consumers have the right to be aware of current issues and to speak out for themselves. The VRSCA also ensures that the FCC puts in regulations that meets the needs of all Deaf and Hard of Hearing VRS consumers. Sharon has been an advocate for the past 11 years. She holds a Master of Science degree from Gallaudet University.

SARAH HERRLINGER is Director of Accessibility, Apple. Sarah leads Accessibility for Apple — including Apple’s award winning VoiceOver screen-reader software for people who are blind, Made for iPhone Hearing Aids, and other initiatives we create that support Apple’s culture of inclusion. At Apple, Accessibility is championed as a basic human right and influences all Apple platforms. Since joining Apple in 2003, Sarah has served in several key Accessibility roles, including in Apple’s Education organization, focusing on the use of Apple technology to support all learners, as well as defining the

Accessibility product strategy across the Apple ecosystem.

MARK HILL is President of Cerebral Palsy and Deaf Organization (CPADO). He makes home in Portland, Oregon. In this voluntary role, he has been actively advocating for the rights of the Deaf people that have a mobility disability at the national/international level as well as with other national organizations of, for, and by the deaf and hard of hearing on many issues, especially with the Federal Communications Commission. He has been involved in many leading positions at the local, state, and federal levels, including as Secretary, Vice President, and President of North Dakota Asso-

ciation of the Deaf, and a lobbyist with the state legislatures in a few states. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Gallaudet University. His previous employment experience include stints as a Community Specialist for five years, and a Unit Director for three years with the North Dakota Branch Office, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), and a part-time ASL Instructor at Moorhead High School, Moorhead, MN for a year.

PAM HOLMES is the Executive Director of the CapTel Customer Service Department, and oversees Consumer & Regulatory Affairs for Ultratec, Inc. Pam recently completed a term as a Council Member on the National Council on Disability (NCD). She also served a term as a disability representative on the U.S. Access Board. She has considerable experience with communica-tion access matters and an expertise in the Americans with Disabilities (ADA).


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JIM HOUSE is a Communication Specialist at Hearing, Speech, and Deaf Center (HSDC – Seattle) focusing on communications technologies and acquisition of critical information needed to preserve or improve the quality of life. He is also involved in several consumer/civic/industry forums and coalitions covering access issues with captioning, emergency communica-tions and in mobile, text and video telecommunications. As a result of his ongoing leadership and community involvement, Portland, Oregon passed a captioning activation ordinance requiring all television sets in public places to

display captions during business hours. Prior to HSDC, Jim has been an innovative advocate of various disability rights issues for more than 25 years on the national, local, and state levels. Some of Jim’s far-reaching achievements were during his tenure at Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDI), which include witnessing the enactment of the Communica-tions and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) at the White House, and giving numerous presentations on consumer advocacy, and television and Internet captioning issues. He also wrote successful grant proposals, some resulting in nearly $3M in federal funding to develop emergency preparedness training programs and other projects. He has been involved in planning for publications, conferences and workshops. In 1987, he was a key player in the establishment of the first real-time local news captioning service in Washington, DC on its ABC affiliate, WJLA TV-7.

STEVE JACOBS has been in the computer industry since the mid ‘70s. Steve is President of IDEAL Group, Inc. IDEAL Group is a 2002 spin-off from IDEAL at NCR Corporation http://ncr.com/ where Steve served as President until his retirement at the end of 2002. IDEAL Group and its subsidiary companies are Not Just for Profit corporations where value is determined, not only by profitability and self-sustainability, but by their level of success in driving cost-reductions into the hands of individuals with disabilities. IDEAL Group serves as the parent company to several information and communica-

tions technology companies, including InftyReader Group, Inc., Apps4Android, Inc., and Knowl-edge Discovery Solutions, Inc. Steve is a 1973 graduate of Ohio State University. Steve and wife, Pauline, have been married for 42 years. Pauline and Steve have two daughters, Shana and Jessica, and a granddaughter Brooke.

ERIC KAIKA is a solution creator. He believes in strengthening the commu-nity, which is why his career has always been about nonprofits and the environ-ment. After studying government at Gallaudet University along with a minor in Communication Studies, he proceeded to work in a reputed company that provides communication and access solutions. Later moving to an established outdoor organization dedicated to teaching young deaf & hard of hearing children. He continued his work with a state county commission responsible for parks and community planning before moving to TDI where he’s currently

the Product Manager for the company’s new accessible technology. In addition to his service, Eric volunteered as President / Vice President of his alumni philanthropic fraternal organization for 7 years. Along with improving the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed and by helping various organizations, such as MNCPPC and Friends of Quincy Run Watershed. He currently lives in Cheverly, MD with his wife and daughter. When not busy with family, volunteerism and career duties, you can find him landscaping their home and reading leadership books.

DR. POORNA KUSHALNAGAR, Ph.D is an associate professor in psychol-ogy and directs the Deaf Health Communication and Quality of Life Research Lab at Gallaudet University. She is the principal investigator of grants funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) that total over $2 million dollars. These grants support studies aligned with her primary research interests in: (1) generic- and deaf/hh-specific quality of life outcomes; (2) adaptation and standardization of PROMIS-Deaf profile for deaf/hh adults; (3) trends of Internet usage for cancer health-related purposes; theand (4) applied inter-

ventions to improve patient reported outcomes among deaf/hh people across the lifespan. In addition to directing Deaf Health Communication and Quality of Life research lab, Dr. Kushal-


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nagar serves as a research mentor for undergraduate and graduate students in biobehavioral and social science fields. Dr. Kushalnagar received her B.A. in Psychology at Gallaudet Univer-sity; M.A. in Psychology at the University of Houston; and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at the University of Houston. She completed a NIH diversity postdoctoral training in patient reported outcomes research at the Seattle Quality of Life Center at University of Washington and a NIH T32 postdoctoral fellowship in preventive medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

DR. RAJA KUSHALNAGAR is the Director of the Information Technology program in the Department of Science, Technology and Mathematics at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. His research interests encompass the fields of accessible computing and accessibility/intellectual property law, with the goal of improving access to multimedia information and apps for deaf and hard of hearing (deaf) individuals. He investigates multimedia access disparities between hearing and deaf consumers, and develops accessible computing solutions to address these disparities. He also writes papers on

how to incorporate accessible computing advances such as captioning/subtitling into policy or law. He has a J.D. and LL.M. in disability law, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science. He has published several peer-reviewed publications and received grants in the fields of acces-sible computing, accessible law and intellectual property law.

ANDREW LAHART is the Head of Accessibility Competency for IBM Accessibility Research where he works to create solutions that are inclusive people with disabilities and the aging population. He leads IBM’s global accessibility enablement, coordinates the development and implementation of IBM’s accessibility strategy, standards efforts, education, and technical solutions to ensure IBM products and solutions are accessible to people with disabilities. He also manages brand identity and strategy through ongoing eminence and marketing activities, advocacy support and communications.

Andrew’s projects include the creation and implementation of assistive technology, develop-ment of accessible autonomous transportation using IBM Watson IoT, and automated testing in the continuous delivery environment. Andrew is a founding member of the Board of Direc-tors of The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), and a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Annapolis Makerspace. When not at work, Andrew can normally be found coaching youth sports or hiking/backpacking the Appalachian Trail. Andrew and his wife live in Annapolis, MD with their three children.

ANDREW LANGE is a professional travel agent, having founded Lange Travel in 2012. He specializes in cruising travel. He is certified by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) as Accredited Cruise Counselor. Prior to becoming a Travel Professional, Andy was involved in the Telecommunica-tions Relay Service Industry for 22 years. Andy is currently a TDI Board Vice President and DSA Law Committee Chairperson. Andy is a former President of the National Association of the Deaf (2003-2006), and also a former President of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association. Andy is a 1983

Gallaudet University graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administra-tion. In 1995, he received a Master’s degree in Organizational Management from the Univer-sity of Phoenix. Now living in St. Augustine, Florida, he is happily married to Kelly and they have two children, Eric and Katie.

CHRIS LANGSTON is a UX Researcher who has spent the last decade focused on accessible design for the web. He began in the field working on federally funded research for the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and state of Georgia to enable students with disabilities to succeed in higher education. After a long career in academics at the Center for Assistive Technology & Environmental Access at Georgia Tech, he made the leap into industry in 2015. In 2017, Chris joined Facebook’s Interfaces


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team to broaden understanding of how people with disabilities use today’s digital media. He is a passionate advocate for accessibility who believes that all people, regardless of age or ability, should be able to connect and share on Facebook.

MELISSA LOCKLEAR is president of Deaf Women of Color. She is a proud Lumbee Native American woman. She is originally from Pembroke, North Carolina and resides in Washington, D.C. She obtained her double Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Information Technology, and a Master of Science degree in Accounting and Financial Management. She is cur-rently working for Department of Treasury as IT Specialist for 6 years. She volunteers for VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) every year.

TAYLER MAYER is TDI’s Director of Public Relations, responsible for TDI’s two publications: the yearly Blue Book and quarterly TDI World magazine, as well as TDI’s website and TDI’s mass mailings via e-mail and social media, known as eNotes. He also handles TDI’s membership system. Working in information technology for over two decades, he can be found where he’s most happy — in front of an Apple Mac. Tayler and his wife, a staff attorney at the National Association for the Deaf (NAD), work in the same building. They have two children, aged 8 and 6 who enjoy camping and biking with the family.

ROBERT MCCONNELL is a Telecommunications Accessibility Specialist with the Disability Rights Office of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he works on solving complex consumer issues and helps develop innovative strategies to achieve functional equivalency in telecommu-nications for people of all abilities – including the first implementation of Direct Video Calling in the Federal government to serve individuals using American Sign Language. In addition to these responsibilities, he coordi-nates IT process improvements for the Disability Rights Office and is the

Alternate Facilitator for the Relay / Equipment Distribution Program Subcommittee of the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee. Before joining the Commission, he worked in a variety of advocacy roles to further telecommunications accessibility for people with disabilities in the United States and Europe.

NEIL MCDEVITT is Executive Director for the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre in Swarthmore, PA. DHCC is the largest provider of interpreting services in the Philadelphia region and is also a key provider of advocacy services for communication access for the deaf community. Neil joins DHCC after assignments at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Telecom-munications for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Inc (TDI), and The Leadership Foundry. He graduated from Gallaudet University in 1996 with a degree in Government. As a former volunteer firefighter in suburban Philadelphia,

McDevitt was one of a handful of emergency responders in the country who are also profound-ly deaf. In addition to hands-on fire and rescue experience with the Fire Department of Mont-gomery Township, he has provided fire safety presentations to deaf children and adults and given non-verbal communication classes to firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). He is currently a Democratic candidate for the position of Mayor with the City of North Wales, PA.

JESSICA MOSELEY, M.A., SHRM-CP, NIC, a CODA, has been a profes-sional interpreter since 2002. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at TCS Interpreting, a premier provider of sign language interpreting services nationwide. Monthly, TCS Interpreting coordinates and provides approximately 10,000 hours of interpreting services nationwide. Additionally, TCS Interpreting is proud to provide services nationwide to include the nation’s largest federal contracts for the provision of on-site and


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VRI services. Mrs. Moseley received her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

MATTHEW MYRICK is the Lead Accessibility Solutions Engineer - Corpo-rate Accessibility Technology Office (CATO) with AT&T. He is responsible for supporting AT&T internal compliance requirement throughout the company to consult with business units to ensure accessibility is met while providing a viable accessibility solution for products and services. In addition to his role, he has collaborated with the development teams on implementation of Real-Time Text (RTT) and demonstration on the compatibility of RTT-to-TTY to the FCC. Matthew has held this role since April 2013 and has 14 years of

experience with the company. Prior to being with the CATO team, Matthew served as a Channel Manager for AT&T Relay services for 10 years. In his role, he managed and supported AT&T Relay Services (TRS/iTRS) in marketing and outreach. In addition to his experiences, Matthew worked at Gallaudet University his alma mater for 2 years as a recruiter. He takes pride in learning the growing trends of technology and considers himself a life-long learner. He also served on the Board of Hearing Aid Specialists in the State of Virginia and currently is a board member-at-large for TDI. A native Rhode Islander, Matthew holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. He and his wife, Ana Paula, have one son, Lucas.

GINA O’CONNELL Gina O’Connell is Director of Labs and General Manager-Las Vegas with Local Motors, Inc. O’Connell is a community builder with a passion for empowering STEAM-related offerings within our local and global communities. Currently she is expanding the Labs program within Local Motors to encompass a physical and virtual destination where our public community of engineers, fabricators, designers and technology enthusiasts meets our partners, vendors and Local Motors team members to co-create “shared moments of open innovation.” Gina is an avid volunteer and

has served on a variety of engineering and advanced manufacturing committees, including: The Nevada Governor’s Manufacturing Sector Council, the UNLV Technology Assessment Commit-tee, and the executive board of FIRST Robotics Nevada.

AJIT PAI has been Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) since January 2017. He served as a Commissioner from 2012 to 2016. Prior to joining the FCC as Commissioner, he was a partner of Jenner & Block from 2011 to 2012. His past employment experience include stints at the Commission as Deputy General Counsel, Associate General Counsel, and Special Advisor to the General Counsel from 2007 to 2011. He was Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights under the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee from 2005 to

2007. He was Senior Counsel, Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2004 to 2005. He was Deputy Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Court from 2003 to 2004. He was Associate General Counsel for Verizon Communications Inc. from 2001 to 2003. He was Trial Attorney (Attorney General’s Honors Program) for Telecommunications Task Force, AntiTrust Division with U.S. Department of Justice from 1998 to 2001. He clerked for the Honorable Martin L.C. Feldman, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1997 to 1998. Chairman Pai graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1994 and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1997, where he was an editor of the University of Chicago Law Review. The son of immigrants from India, Chairman Pai grew up in Parsons, Kansas. He now lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife, Janine; son, Alexander; and daughter, Annabelle.


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KAREN PELTZ-STRAUSS is the Deputy Chief, Policy of the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, where she oversees the Commission’s disability policies. For the past 30 years, she has been at the forefront of telecommunications access issues, having spearheaded federal legislation on telecommunications relay services, closed captioning, and hearing aid compatibility. She previously served as an attorney at the Gallaudet University National Center for Law and Deafness and at the National Association of the Deaf. In 2006, she published A New

Civil Right: Telecommunications Equality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans, an in-depth account of the history and scope of the telecommunications access movement by Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing.

LANCE PICKETT was born and raised near Silicon Slopes, Utah. Lance always had a passion for technology and communication. Lance holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Multimedia Communications Technology from Utah Valley University. In 2003, while studying, Lance joined Sorenson Communications as an Installer and worked his way through the ranks to where he now serves as the Vice President of Corporate Marketing. Many of Sorenson’s products, such as the ntouch VP2, has Lance’s fingerprints all over the support services, design and quality of what the community enjoys

today. Lance founded R.E.M. Films in 2007 where he continues to produce commercials, short films, interviews, presentation, and corporate videos. With his wife and three children, Lance enjoys the outdoors, gardening, and woodworking.

DONNA PLATT is Emergency Preparedness Coordinator with North Carolina Division of Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She has 15 year-experience providing training, consultation, technical assistance, and resources to 9-1-1 dispatchers and first responders on effective communica-tion access to Deaf, Deaf-Blind, Hard of Hearing, and speech disabled individuals in North Carolina and Washington State. She is Accessibility Committee Co-Chair with National Emergency Number Association. She was a member of FCC Emergency Access Advisory Committee which

initiated preliminary work for the Next Generation 9-1-1 project to meet communication and information needs of people with disabilities.

RICHARD RAY is an ADA Compliance Coordinator for the City of Los Ange-les Department on Disability. Richard provides technical assistance to the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments. He has facilitated the implementa-tion of the 9-1-1 TTY system for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), California State Highway Patrol (CHP), City of Glendale, City of Carson and other municipalities throughout the State of California. He is involved in several projects such as Emergency Notification Systems for People with Disabilities, Personal Caller Information, VRS/IP Relay Service PSAP Interac-

tion, Messaging to E9-1-1 & Next Generation 9-1-1, and TTY Update. He also gives consulta-tion on different aspects of communication access for the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

DOUGLAS RIDLOFF is a proud resident of Brooklyn, USA. He likes black coffee, street art and denim. He does poetry, storytelling, emceeing and freestyl-ing, all in Sign Language. He is a fearless visual artist, a poet, a performer, the owner and executive director of ASL SLAM, a monthly open mic event that is much more than just open mic, and isn’t just happening in NYC but also in D.C. and Chicago. Lately he has been curating performances at museums such as the Whitney Museum, the Jewish Museum, SITE Santa Fe and 9/11 Memorial Museum. He believes that Sign Language is something that can be done

straight or way out there—doesn’t matter, as long there’s a stage and the freedom of language.


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DAVID ROSE has more than 20 years of leadership experience with Fortune 500, high-growth and start-up companies in the technology, Internet and media industries. Mr. Rose is the Chief Executive Officer at PRSONAS. Through mixed reality technology that scales the 1:1 human experience PRSONAS revolutionizes how brands serve their customers. David holds a degree in Economics from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School.

SUZY ROSEN-SINGLETON is Chief of the Disability Rights Office under the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She has 22 years of experience in disability law, previ-ously with California Center for Law and the Deaf, National Association of the Deaf, United States Department of Education, and Gallaudet University.

REBECCA “BECKY” ROSENTHAL is completing her second term as the Central Region Representative on the Board of Directors with Telecommuni-cations for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Becky now resides in Cary, North Carolina. Becky is the Telecommunications Resources Program Manag-er with the State of North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She recently graduated with a Masters in Science in Rehabilita-tion and Addictions Counseling. Prior to graduate school, she was the Program Manager of a start-up non-profit, ASLBlend providing services that

are not required by the ADA such as interpreting referrals, ASL classes for families, and Deaf Awareness training classes for employers. During her spare time she enjoys reading, walking, hiking and riding her bike with her husband, David.

BRIAN SCARPELLI is Senior Policy Counsel at ACT | The App Association, where he works on a diversity of legal and policy issues impacting mobile app development companies, including intellectual property (patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets), privacy, cybersecurity, accessibility, and connected health. Previous to joining ACT, Brian worked for over five years at the Telecommunications Industry Association, a trade association represent-ing telecommunications equipment manufacturers and vendors that is also an ANSI-accredited standards developer. He has also spent time with the

Federal Communications Commission, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission, and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions.

ALFRED SONNENSTRAHL attended Lexington School for the Deaf and JHS 47 of NYC. He received B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from NYU in 1958 and M.A. in Administration and Supervision from CSUN in 1969. He co-founded nationwide postal services program that led to the employment of about 5,000 deaf people, Massachusetts Office of Deafness which is now MCDHH, Massachusetts State Association for the Deaf, and Comprehensive Evaluation and Training Center which is now DEAF Inc. of Boston. Adminis-tered the 1981 NAD 504 training program. As the executive director for the

TDI, assisted in writing title 4 of the ADA that created telecommunications relay services and direct access to emergency services in title 2. Served as the regional marketing director for CSDVRS which is now ZVRS.Board member of the State Associations of the Deaf in Mary-land, Michigan, Massachusetts and Minnesota. Currently Vice President of Deaf Seniors of America, Vice Chair of MD Governor’s Advisory Board for Telecommunications Relay and a deaf consumer representative of Telecommunications Relay Service Advisory Council.


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CHRISTOPHER SOUKUP is CSD’s visionary chief executive officer who has successfully modernized a 40-year agency by enacting virtualization of all its operations. He has brought in some of the best Deaf talent from around the world, reinvesting in technologies grounded in universal design principles to leverage Deaf people’s lives towards sustainability. He first came to CSD as a community-based employee during the 1990s, and then earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Gallaudet University. He returned to work at CSD in various capacities, including as the senior vice

president of CSD’s contact centers and then CSD Business. Shortly after, he became presi-dent for three years before being appointed CEO of the $30 million agency. Bringing this experience along with his firsthand knowledge and experiences in the Deaf community, Sou-kup’s goal is to redirect modern-day conversations that focus on prevailing misconceptions and attitudes about people with disabilities into a focus on business initiatives, reframing para-digms, and ensuring Deaf people are the decision-makers of their own lives. Soukup, who is Deaf, often presents at domestic and international conferences, community-based public forums, panels, and other public venues. He also has served on numerous boards and commit-tees, such as the Federal Communication Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee. Currently, he is part of the U.S. Business Leadership Network Disability Equality Index advisory committee and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Development Foundation Board, among others.

MICHAEL STRECKER is Vice President of Regulatory and Strategic Policy with ClearCaptions. With over 18 years of telecommunications experience, more than 14 of which were in Relay services, Mike Strecker leads the compliance and government affairs at ClearCaptions. Prior to joining ClearCaptions, he was the Vice President of Telesales and Logistics, as well as the compliance officer and the compliance committee chairman at CSD-VRS, LLC. He has also held various finance and accounting positions at Sprint, Communication Services for the Deaf, Inc., and CSDVRS, LLC

rounding out what provides a broad base of experiences and skills. Strecker earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Webster University.

CLAUDE STOUT has served as Executive Director with Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) since January 1997. He is Chair of Deaf & Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network, a national consum-er coalition of twelve organizations representing deaf and hard of hearing citizens. He was previously a Co-Chair. and now a member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Disability Advisory Committee. He is a former member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee. Prior to joining TDI, Mr. Stout was Assistant Director for

Community Affairs with North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing, Executive Director with Missouri Commission for the Deaf, Assistant Executive Director for Business Services with National Association of the Deaf, and Instructor in the Department of Business Administration at Gallaudet University. Mr. Stout holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, and a Masters of Business Administration in Management, both from Gallaudet University.

ROSA LEE TIMM is a woman of many talents. She is an actress, director, sign language model, as well as workshop presenter. Rosa Lee attended Indiana School for the Deaf and then went on to graduate from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with a B.S. in Social Work. It was RIT where she discovered her love for acting. Rosa Lee founded and acted in an acting troupe named Dangerous Signs. Later on, Rosa Lee became recognized nation-wide for her ASL music videos featured on YouTube. Rosa Lee also worked as managing editor of the digital magazine, KISSFIST Magazine. For

23 years now, Rosa Lee has been in several stage productions, performance troupes, televi-sion shows, and countless videos. Rosa Lee also hosts her own website, www.rosaleeshow.com featuring all her music videos, fitness vlogs and blogs. She travels all across the country


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giving workshops/instruction on the art of ASL music, storytelling, and rhythm. Currently, Rosa Lee can be seen performing her one-woman variety show, “The Rosa Lee Show” where she plays different characters sharing stories, poetry while celebrating the beauty of American Sign Language. Rosa Lee also works as an ASL Translator and Performer for Deaf Film Camp at Camp Mark Seven, helping make music videos that have gone viral nationwide. Rosa Lee just relocated to the Bay Area and now works at California School for the Deaf, Fremont, as a toddler class teacher. She continues to travel for her performances and during her spare time, she enjoys being a mother to her two children, Jace and Nuria.

CAMERON TINGEY is Vice President of Sales and Outreach for Caption-Call. Since 2003 Mr. Tingey has been involved in telephone communication services for the deaf and hard of hearing. Beginning in 2003 Mr. Tingey helped launch Sorenson Communication’s Video Relay Service working closely with educational institutions such as Gallaudet University, NTID, and Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf. He also worked with K-12 schools such as Texas School for the Deaf, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, and Rochester School for the Deaf, among many others, to deploy

video phones for deaf faculty, students and staff. In 2009 Mr. Tingey began working on the launch of CaptionCall which officially rolled out to the hard of hearing community in 2011.

NEAL TUCKER was born and raised in Boston, MA, (Go Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, & Bruins). While studying at Towson University, he obtained an internship with the Maryland Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Deaf Studies, he was offered an opportunity to continue his work during legislative session. He joins RID as the Policy and Compliance Coordinator from the Maryland State Department of Education- Division of Rehabilitation Services, where he was the Regional Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Deaf, Deaf-

Blind, and Hard of Hearing in Baltimore City, MD. In his free time he enjoys volunteering for various organizations, running, playing tennis, reading, trying new restaurants, and traveling.

LINDA VANDELOOP is Assistant Vice President External Affairs/Regula-tory, AT&T Services, Inc. Linda has 30 years of experience in the telecommu-nications industry. Linda has held a variety of positions at AT&T, primarily in the Regulatory and Financial Management organizations. She currently works in AT&T’s Federal Regulatory organization in the Washington D.C. office. In her current position she is responsible for consumer and accessibility federal regulatory issues.

DR. CHRISTIAN VOGLER is the director of the Technology Access Pro-gram at Gallaudet University, and a principal investigator within the Rehabilita-tion Engineering Research Centers (RERC) on Telecommunications Access, and Technology for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He is involved in bringing consumers and industry together on accessibility, as well as researching technologies, including everyday telecommunications, emergency calling, and telecollaboration. Dr. Vogler has been working closely with consumer advocacy groups on a range of technology and telecommunications access.

He passionately believes that deaf and hard of hearing people have only scratched the surface of what is possible with modern communication technologies, and that the most exciting technological developments are still to come.


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CHRIS WAGNER is Chief Operating Officer of ZVRS and Purple Communi-cations. Wagner previously served in several capacities at ZVRS, including Vice President of various divisions including Customer Experience, Marketing, Enterprise Video Solutions and Sales. He was the Executive Director / CEO of several nonprofit organizations serving deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the Tampa Bay area. Through his leadership, Wagner has advocated for equal access for all deaf and hard of hearing individuals locally and nationally. In 2004, he was responsible for the implementation of the Florida Coordinat-

ing Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as its first chairperson. A tireless advocate, Wagner served on the board of directors for the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), as President (2012-2016) and as Vice President (2006-2012). Wagner received his bachelor’s degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and his master’s degree from Colorado State University. He is married to Staci Blumenfield Wagner and they are the proud parents of two young adult children, Justin and Lauren.

GREYSON WATKINS is the innovative Deaf entrepreneur behind Wavio, a product innovation startup creating next generation home accommodation systems using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. With computing security & Linux system engineering tenures at NetApp in Silicon Valley & Datto in Connecticut, he acquired necessary technical and business skills for his ventures. He uses his go-getter personality in order to continuously explore all possible channels and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Greyson has a passion inspiring other blooming entrepreneurs and he prides himself as a

habitual collector of knowledge. Originally from Durham, NC, he attended RIT for undergradu-ate studies and currently provides business coaching & consulting services.

JAN WITHERS is the Director of the Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Through the division’s seven regional centers, 73 employees and 250+ vendors, the division provides telecommunications relay and equipment distribution services, direct client services, training and consultation to local, state and federal agencies and businesses across the entire state. Prior to joining the Division, Jan served as the Director of Student Support Services at the NC School for the Deaf in Morganton. She began her professional

career as a mental health therapist for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. Jan also previously represented the NC Department of Health and Human Services on the NC Interpreters and Transliterators Licensing Board. Jan is a founding member and Secretary on the Board of Directors for the National Association of State Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She currently serves as ex-officio on the NC Council for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing. A North Carolina native, Jan received her Bachelor’s Degree from Davidson College and her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Gallaudet University.

BRYEN YUNASHKO, a national DeafBlind advocate from Chicago, was born Deaf. It was when he was 26 that he discovered that he was blessed with Usher Syndrome. Now nearly completely blind, he happily relies on tactile ASL. Bryen has long advocated in many aspects of both the Deaf and DeafBlind communities on everything from captioning to accessibility. With a strong focus today on DeafBlind social issues and advocacy, he travels extensively providing trainings and workshops, particularly on vidism and ProTactile techniques. In addition to serving on numerous national and

statewide legislative committees and task forces, Bryen owns Access256 Productions, LLC, providing consulting, presentations and workshops, advocacy and self-advocacy training, mentoring, and Braille printing services. He is currently president of the Chicagoland Deaf-Blind Alliance. He makes his home in Chicago.


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DIXIE ZIEGLER is Vice President of Hamilton Relay. She is responsible for managing all facets of the company. Dixie plays an active role in delivering new products and services as well as product enhancements to Relay consumers. She oversees regulatory efforts, contract and financial manage-ment, operations, marketing, customer care, outreach functions and technical development. Recently, Dixie has been working with other stakeholders to establish quality standards for captioned telephone users. Dixie has served two terms as a member of the Interstate TRS Council. In addition, she was

appointed to serve two terms as a member of the Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) and as the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Subcommittee Chair of the Federal Commu-nications Commission. Dixie is currently serving as working group chair on the Disability Access Committee.

Amazon congratulates TDI on its 22nd Biennial Conference and for their leadership in advocating equal access to telecommunications, media, and information technologies for deaf, hard-of-hearing, late-

deafened, and deaf-blind people.

Accessibility for Fire

Our devices come with new and improved accessibility tools so that all customers can enjoy their books, movies, apps, and more.

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T-Mobile • TracyLocke206669 Studio# 201896TDI Conference 2017

Print Ad • 1 of 1gmf206669_mch_prt_TDI_Conf.inddPrint Code: –Contact: Kerrin McKaig Studio Artist: SB Built At: 100% • Print Scale: None4-Color Process: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, BlackPlaced Images:gmf206669_ahr_v00_� yer.tif (CMYK; 351 ppi; 85.29%)UCPS4_DAY_02_02305_Clip.psd (CMYK; 993 ppi; 30.2%)

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Final Trim: 7.25” x 2.5” Final Live: 6.75” x 2” Final Bleed: 7.25” x 2.5”

T-Mobile and the magenta color are registered trademarks of Deutsche Telekom AG. © 2017 T-Mobile USA, Inc.

DRIVING CHANGECOMMUNICATIONSIN

T-Mobile® is proud to sponsor the Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDI) Conference.

S:6.75”

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© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. AT&T, Globe logo, Mobilizing Your World and DIRECTV are registered trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All othermarks are the property of their respective owners.<br>

EmpoweringCommunities<br>

For all they do to empower individuals withdisabilities, their families, and communities,

AT&T proudly supports theTelecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of

Hearing, Inc., and their 22nd Biennial TDIConference. <br >

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MERITAGE4.0 (6) · LodgingThe Bethesda North Marriott Hotel's option for Mediterranean-American fare, plus breakfast buffet.Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Rd

DEL FRISCO'S GRILLE4.0 (74) · $$$ · SteakSophisticated chophouse chain serving steak, seafood, sandwich-es & cocktails in a trendy space.Pike & Rose, 11800 Grand Park Ave

SUMMER HOUSE SANTA MONICA4.0 (82) · $$ · New American RestaurantCalifornia fare & wines, plus homemade breads, are served in a beach house–inspired setting.Pike & Rose, 11825 Grand Park AveCITY PERCH KITCHEN + BAR4.2 (58) · $$$ · AmericanSet above iPic Theaters, this stylish eatery serves seasonal

American fare & craft cocktails.Pike & Rose, 11830 Grand Park Ave bOpens at 3:00 PM

STELLA BARRA PIZZERIA4.1 (27) · $$ · PizzaArtisanal pies with unique top-pings are the main event at this comfy, urban-industrial eatery.Pike & Rose, 11825 Grand Park AveOpens at 4:00 PM

CARLUCCIO'S4.1 (31) · $$ · ItalianSpacious outpost of a global chain featuring all-day Italian fare & imported food products for sale.Pike & Rose, 11826 Trade St

OWEN'S ORDINARY4.2 (39) · $$ · AmericanState-of-the-art beer service & American pub eats in steam-punk–inspired indoor/outdoor spaces.Pike & Rose, 11820 Trade StreetOpens at 4:00 PM

&PIZZA4.6 (79) · PizzaModern pizzeria chain serving gourmet pies with diverse sauces, plus dessert pizzas & house sodas.Pike & Rose, 11626 Old Georgetown Rd

ROTI MEDITERRANEAN GRILL3.7 (31) · MediterraneanCasual fast-food Mediterranean chain eatery serving pita sand-wiches & build-your-own salads.Pike & Rose, 11586 Old Georgetown Rd

PHO EATERY4.0 (82) · $ · VietnamesePho dishes feature on the menu of Vietnamese staples served in this strip-mall space with mod decor.11618 Rockville Pike

LA MADELEINE COUNTRY FRENCH CAFÉ4.3 (43) · CafeQuaint French cafe chain serving rustic country fare, espresso & fresh-baked baguettes.Pike & Rose,

11610 Old Georgetown Rd

MEDITERRANEAN HOUSE OF KABOB3.7 (20) · $$ · MediterraneanMediterranean standards from gyros to kebabs turned out in a small, humble space.11616 Rockville Pike

SEASONS 524.2 (146) · $$ · New American RestaurantRotating menu of seasonal Ameri-can dishes alongside international wines in an upscale setting.11414 Rockville Pike

BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE4.2 (64) · $$ · ItalianWarm, relaxed Italian eatery serv-ing Tuscan-inspired grill fare, wine & cocktails.20 Paseo Dr

PALADAR LATIN KITCHEN & RUM BAR - ROCKVILLE4.1 (102) · $$ · Latin American RestaurantPan-Latin eatery & rum bar with kids' & gluten-free menus, happy hour specials & weekend brunch.11333 Woodglen Dr

Suite Solutions

Call: 888-514-7933Visit: HamiltonCapTel.com

Cisco® 8851 Hamilton® CapTel® 840i

Hamilton® CapTel® 2400i

Tablets Smartphones PC/Macs

The Hamilton CapTel phone requires telephone service and high-speed Internet access. WiFi Capable. Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) is regulated and funded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is designed exclusively for individuals with hearing loss. To learn more, visit www.fcc.gov. Hamilton CapTel may be used to make 911 calls, but may not function the same as traditional 911 services. For more information about the benefits and limitations of Hamilton CapTel and Emergency 911 calling, visit www.HamiltonCapTel.com/911.

Copyright © 2017 Hamilton Relay. All rights reserved. • Hamilton is a trademark of Nedelco, Inc. dba Hamilton Telecommunications. • CapTel is a registered trademark of Ultratec, Inc.Third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

AREA RESTAURANTS (Not inclusive)

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www.theESA.com © 2017 Entertainment Software Association

Everyone is a GamerEvery day, millions of Americans play their favorite games on game consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. Our members want all gamers to have a great game playing experience, including our

friends in the deaf and hard of hearing community. We commend TDI for its leadership in promoting the interests of this important community, from whom we are continuing to learn so much.

Charter Communications is proud to support TDI and its 2017 Biennial Conference.

Collaborating with the deaf and hard of hearing community

allows us to better meet the needs of all of our customers.

© 2017 Charter Communications | policy.charter.com

Undergraduate Admissions(202) 250-2474 (videophone)(202) 651-5050 (voice)[email protected]

Graduate Admissions(202) 250-2006 (videophone)(202) 651-5712 (voice)[email protected]

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TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THE

GALLAUDET ADVANTAGEFor more than 150 years, Gallaudet University has led advances in education of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students and deaf rights worldwide. A comprehensive university designed for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, in a global capital.

There is simply no other place like this in the world.

Learn more at www.gallaudet.edu.

17168 2017 TDI Biennial Conference Program Print Ad 06-15.indd 1 6/15/17 7:39 AM

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Shaping an Accessible

World

Google is proud to sponsor the TDI 2017 Biennial Conference

© Copyright 2017. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google, Inc.

Google is proud to sponsor the TDI 2017 Biennial Conference

© Copyright 2017. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google, Inc.

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SprintIP.com Sprint Mobile IP Appn Fast internet relay connections.n Make or receive calls.*n Save or print your conversations.n Deaf-Blind friendly.n Experienced relay operators.n Learn more at

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Download the Sprint Mobile IP App

Sprint IP Relay Service is a free service offered to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing and have a speech disability that allow them to place relay calls over the Internet between locations in the United States (including its territories). Available only in USA and US territories. International calls will either be blocked or terminated. Although Sprint IP Relay can be used for emergency calling, such emergency calling may not function the same as traditional 911/E911 services. By using Sprint IP for emergency calling, you agree that Sprint is not responsible for any damages resulting from errors, defects, malfunctions, interruptions or failures in accessing or attempting to access emergency services through Sprint IP; whether caused by the negligence of Sprint or otherwise. Offer/coverage not available everywhere. Other restrictions apply. For details, see www.sprintrelay.com © 2016 Sprint. Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.

* International calls are not allowed.

** Internet connection (i.e. wireless or WiFi) required.

Register at mysprintrelay.com for a Sprint IP or Mobile phone number.

800-553-7724 | 410-767-6960 (Voice/TTY) | 443-453-5970 (Video Phone)

Department OfINFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY

Assistive calling solutions designed to empower

your community.

Multiple Calling Options | Telecommunications Equipment & Evaluations | Community Outreach

At Maryland Relay, we are committed to bringing innovations in telecommunications to our communities—from our diverse suite of calling options to our ever-growing list of Relay Partner businesses. And with our Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) equipment distribution program, we are making it easier

than ever for Marylanders to bring home groundbreaking telecommunications technology—including NEW tablets, pre-loaded with powerful, communication-enhancing apps. Experience the power of modern

telecommunications: visit mdrelay.org to explore all our latest solutions.

Proud supporters of the 2017 Biennial TDI Conference! Visit us in the Exhibit Hall to see how we’re advancing Relay in our state.

the innovative advocate

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