Would Rather E-mail Me
May 2nd, 2008, 11:36 am · 6 Comments · posted by Hana
I’m puzzled about something this morning and I’m not sure if I should be mad or what.
I was scheduled for an online conference with one of our vendors about a project that I wanted consultation on. I had e-mailed them earlier in the week about this and they set me up with a online conference. I didn’t mention that I’m deaf because what does it have to do with my ability to do conferences?
A few minutes before the appointed conference, I logged onto the web portal and called up My IP Relay and had them call in the phone number and dial in my access code. I got the man that I was supposed to speak with, on the phone. That’s when he figured out I was impaired but he wasn’t sure what kind of impairment I had. He actually asked if I was visually impaired or hearing impaired!
I just replied that I was deaf and my eyes are fine 
and informed him the relay was being done on Instant Messaging, and offered to IM him instead. He just wanted to e-mail me everything and if I had questions, e-mail him back.
I don’t know exactly what to think. I’ve never had this happen before. I’ve talked with their people before on the relay with no issues. I informed him that he was always welcome to use the relay, but he insisted on e-mailing. I said, “Fine, I will be expecting your e-mail today” and ended the converstation.
In hindsight, I think he was thinking of Helen Keller. I apologize in advance, but sometimes I wish she was not so famous historically because too many people think of her and apply her identity to the deaf population in general. I am deaf, not blind-deaf. And I want my consultation right now !
What do you think?
6 Comments
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It won’t happen if you use VIDEO relay service.
It probably happened because he found typed relay too slow and irritating because of the opening relay message: “this is a relay service calling for a hearing impaired person. Have you used relay before?” and the necessity to wait for replies and the need to say “go ahead” when finished.
See if a videophone interpreter will work better for your consultation calls because it goes faster and is more natural. It helps if you prepare them for this new experience first.
Most hearing people prefer emails in all situations and not phone calls or IMs or other means. Emails can be scanned quickly, sorted by importance, answers can be cut and pasted, and most emails are very short. There is no need to be too friendly and socially engaging, since short and direct to the point is a rule in emails.
I tend to use the My IP Relay because the consultation was online and would require me to look and work on applications online. I don’t really want the VRS to be looking at me looking elsewhere.
LOL about not wanting the VRS to be looking at you looking elsewhere. I often call relay and while on hold, I have two computers on both sides of the VRS screen and they can see me multitasking
But yes, many hearing people do find text relay to be slow and irritating. Perhaps you could have asked to speak with someone else, since others have always been accommodating? You did everything right, don’t be so hard on yourself.
Hey, Hana, can I leave a comment here since you are deaf? Maybe I should just email you instead. haha
Cute, Rose. Cute.
:p
So far, I’ve had four people tell me face-to-face that they thought the man was patronizing and that I should have told him off and filed a complaint against him.