Office of the Governor – Greg Abbott
Committee on People with Disabilities
Disability History Month Facts: Friday, October 30, 2015:
ED BOSSON: Father of Video Relay Service (VRS) (1945 – Present)
Roy “Ed” Edward Bosson is commonly known as the Father of Video Relay Service (VRS), a form of telecommunication that enables people with hearing disabilities who use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with voice telephone users through video equipment, rather than through typed text.
Ed Bosson, who became deaf as a young child, earned a degree in psychology from Gallaudet University. After a diverse career in various positions, he eventually became the first chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) Relay Texas Advisory Committee, where he used the opportunity to introduce many new features to the Texas Relay Service, including VRS. Texas became a national leader in this innovative feature. PUC Commissioners authorized him to manage the first video relay service trials, conducted by Sprint, which eventually led to statewide, and then nationwide, use of VRS.
Bosson has received numerous national and state awards for his advocacy, including an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University and recognition from Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc (TDI) as a person who has produced the greatest impact on telecommunications accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing citizens.
Attributions:
Gallaudet Clerc Award: http://www.gallaudet.edu/institutional-advancement/alumni-relations/alumni-association-(guaa)/awards/clerc-award.html
DeafPeople: http://www.deafpeople.com/dp_of_month/ed_bosson.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Bosson
Convo: http://www.convorelay.com/company.html
FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/video-relay-services
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