Virginia Relay

Virginia Relay Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Virginia Relay, Disability service, 1602 Rolling Hills Drive Rm 203, Richmond, VA.

A free public service, Virginia Relay connects people who are deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind or have difficulty speaking with standard telephone users, relaying the conversation between both parties.

As phone lines transition from analog to digital and technology continues to evolve, relay services and the equipment us...
03/06/2024

As phone lines transition from analog to digital and technology continues to evolve, relay services and the equipment used is also changing. We want to make sure our users know about all the options available to them.

Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Virginia Relay are hosting two town hall meetings to engage with Relay users and ensure that all users are aware of the recent changes in the Relay industry. The primary focus of these two meetings will be:

• Impact of the analog to digital transition on relay services
• Equipment/Software options for TTY users
• Feedback/concerns from Relay users

Both online sessions will be held on Thursday, March 28th at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. ASL interpreters as well as Captioning will be provided for both sessions and registration information can be found below. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions or concerns.

When: Mar 28, 2024 11:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://dsa-virginia.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsc-mqqTMiEqkPAYyASwMG-bLZvIHgseQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

When: Mar 28, 2024 6:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://dsa-virginia.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItd-usqTIvG7dR3_jgjo_uXVrmkdYJX4k

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

VDDHH is hiring for the position below.Title: Administrative AssistantHiring Range: Maximum Salary $29,772Agency: Dept f...
01/25/2023

VDDHH is hiring for the position below.

Title: Administrative Assistant

Hiring Range: Maximum Salary $29,772

Agency: Dept for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing

Location: Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Agency Website: https://www.vddhh.virginia.gov/

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) is seeking an Administrative Assistant to serve as the first point of contact for all consumers/customers seeking information, referral, and direct services from VDDHH. Such contact is received through face-to-face, telephone, mail, email, or social media. Position will provide administrative support to the Business Manager and the Director. Position serves as the VDDHH travel coordinator, agency contact for facility & state car-related issues and manages the annual submissions of financial disclosures to the COI and Ethics Advisory Council. Position will assist the Business Manager in developing e-requisitions, paying agency invoices, ensuring records retention processes are followed, and coordinating the conference room schedule and logistics.

Minimum Qualifications

High school graduate or equivalent education with additional training or previous experience in area of human services and/or government agency. Previous experience and proficiency in MS Office, working with the public, data entry and reception skills are required. Demonstrated ability to provide administrative and office support; of computer proficiency including emails, calendar, contacts (Google apps) and documents, presentations, spreadsheets (MS Office suite) and labels.

Knowledge of office or administrative management (operations and logistics) and accounting principles and practices; of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as managing files and records, record retention and destruction, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology; and principles and practices for providing customer service; of deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss and use of various communication methods as well as knowledge of Deaf Culture. Demonstrated skills in the use of assistive technology and office technology. Ability to apply established policies and procedures to individual situations; and to communicate effectively in American Sign Language (ASL) with deaf and deafblind clients, staff and other stakeholders is a required competency and to utilize databases for data entry, retrieval, collection and analysis. Organizational skills and problem-solving skills are required. Effective verbal and written communication with diverse agency customers required. Effective skills in greeting people or answering phone include but not limited to articulation, expressive, welcoming, confident, and assertiveness. Willing and able to work, interact and communicate with deaf and hard of hearing stakeholders through various communication modes, including American Sign Language and use of auxiliary aids. To communicate directly with these stakeholders without an interpreter is essential to perform the duties.

Preferred Qualifications:

American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (ASLPI) certification at Level 2+ is strongly preferred for the position.

Special Instructions:

RMS provides a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your RMS account to check the status of your application for this position.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during the application
and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact
recruitment@dars.virginia.gov for assistance.

Minorities, Individuals with disabilities, Veterans, Americorp, Peace Corps, and other National Service Alumni are encouraged to apply.

Are you requesting consideration through the Alternative Hiring Process and have you received an approved Certificate of Disability? If yes, please attach your Certificate of Disability to this application under the documents section using the optional document section. In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their Certificate of Disability (COD) provided by a
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor within the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their Certificate of Disability. If you need to get a Certificate of Disability, use this link: https://www.vadars.org/drs/cpid/PWContact.aspx, or call DARS at 800- 552-5019,
or DBVI at 800-622-2155.

To Apply:

Equal Opportunity Employer State applications will only be accepted as submitted online
by 11:55 p.m. on the closing date through the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Job Board PageUp. PageUp provides a confirmation of receipt when your application is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your RMS account to check the status of your application for this position.

Contact Information:

Name: Human Resources

Phone: 804-662-7003

Email: recruitment@dars.virginia.gov

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their Certificate of Disability (COD) provided by a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor within the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their Certificate of Disability. If you need to get a Certificate of Disability, use this link: Career Pathways for Individuals with Disabilities, or call DARS at 800-552-5019, or DBVI at 800-622-2155.

The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) works to reduce the communication barriers between persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families and the professionals who serve them

10/24/2022

On September 30, 2022, the FCC released a Fourth Report and Order and Sixth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to improve access to communications for incarcerated people with disabilities.



The Fourth Report and Order:

Requires providers to provide access to all relay services eligible for Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund support, as well as American Sign Language (ASL) point-to-point video communication, in any correctional facility where broadband is available, in a jurisdiction with an average daily population of 50 or more incarcerated persons;
Clarifies and expands the scope of the restrictions on inmate calling services providers assessing charges for TRS calls;
Expands the scope of the required inmate calling services providers’ Annual Reports to reflect the above changes; and
Modifies TRS user registration requirements to facilitate the use of TRS by eligible incarcerated persons.


The Sixth Further Notice seeks comment on:

Whether to allow enterprise registration for Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) in correctional facilities;
Whether to adopt the FCC’s proposal to extend inmate calling services providers’ TRS-related access obligations to include VRS, IP Relay, and IP CTS as well as ASL point-to-point video calling, where broadband is available, and CTS where broadband is not available, with average daily populations of fewer than 50 incarcerated persons; and
Whether charges for any inmate calling services for incarcerated people with disabilities should be disclosed in accessible formats.


Comments will be due 30 days, and replies will be due 60 days, after the proposed rules’ summary is published in the Federal Register. We will release a separate AccessInfo with the due dates after such publication. Interested parties may file comments by accessing the Electronic Comment Filing System at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings. All filings must reference WC Docket No. 12-375. People with disabilities who need assistance to file comments online may request assistance by email to FCC504@fcc.gov.



Fourth Report and Order and Sixth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:

URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-mandates-trs-access-incarcerated-people-disabilities

Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-76A1.docx

PDF: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-76A1.pdf

Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-76A1.txt



Press Release:

URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-proposes-improved-communications-access-incarcerated-people

Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-387721A1.docx

PDF:https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-387721A1.pdf

Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-387721A1.txt



For general information about TRS, visit www.fcc.gov/trs. For specific questions, contact Michael Scott, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-1264 or Michael.Scott@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in ASL may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).

10/21/2022

View this email in your browser

FACT SHEET: Cheaper Hearing Aids Now in Stores Thanks to Biden-⁠Harris Administration Competition Agenda

To lower the price of hearing aids and expand access, President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make hearing aids available over the counter, without a prescription. That is now reality. Starting today, hearings aids are now on store shelves across the country—for thousands of dollars less than they previously cost.

Specifically, today, under a final rule issued by the FDA, adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can buy hearing aids at a store or online without a prescription, exam, or audiologist fitting. FDA estimates this could lower average costs by as much as $3,000 per pair—providing significant breathing room for the nearly 30 million Americans with hearing loss, including nearly 10 million adults under age 60.

Retailers across the country are now selling over-the-counter hearing aids. Options available today or coming soon include:

Starting today, Walgreens is selling hearings aids at stores nationwide and online for $799 per pair. According to Walgreens, comparable models sold by specialists range from $2,000 to $8,000 a pair.

Starting today, CVS will start selling over-the-counter hearing aids on CVS.com, with varying options on model and price point. CVS will also offer hearing aids in select CVS Pharmacy locations beginning in November.

Starting today, Walmart will offer an assortment of over-the-counter hearing aids on Walmart.com, SamsClub.com, and in over 1,000 Vision Centers in Walmart stores across Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as 474 Sam’s Club Hearing Aid Center locations. Available products will range in price from $199 to $999 per pair, while according to Walmart, comparable prescription hearing aids are priced at $4,400 to $5,500 per pair.

Starting this week, Best Buy will offer nearly 20 different hearing devices online. By the end of October, it will offer hearing aids in nearly 300 stores across the country. Devices will range in price between $200 and $3,000.

Starting this week, Hy-Vee will sell over-the-counter hearing aids online and in 34 locations across Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Hy-Vee plans to offer hearing aids in 100 locations by the end of the year. Hy-Vee will offer four models ranging in price from $499.99 to $999.99.

Virginia Relay Advisory Council is looking for New Representatives!Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing ...
10/19/2022

Virginia Relay Advisory Council is looking for New Representatives!

Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is seeking Virginia Relay users to join the Virginia Relay Advisory Council (VRAC)! The VRAC need new representative to fill these vacancies:

1. Speech and Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV)
2. Voice Carry-Over Relay User
3. Captioned Telephone Service Relay User
4. Internet/Wireless Relay User

For more information about VA Relay www.varelay.org Do you use these Relay features? Are you interested in serving on the VRAC? To inquire about joining the VRAC, please contact:

Felecia Smith at (804) 662-9703 or felecia.smith@vddhh.virginia.gov

The VRAC was established to focus on the statewide education and technical assistance activities of the Virginia Relay. The VRAC focuses on VA Relay consumer needs, to advise and make recommendations to VDDHH, and to share information to the consumers. The VRAC comprises of various relay users providing guidance in public relations, marketing, education, and outreach.

The VRAC duties and responsibilities shall also include:

• Ensuring through research and practical experience that Virginia Relay is meeting the needs of its users;
• Collecting feedback from consumers to be shared with the Department, and the contractor(s);
• Providing advice on meeting the requirements for functional equivalency required by federal law;
• Assisting in the disseminating of information from VDDHH and the relay contractor(s) to consumers;
• Providing access to consumers and other interested parties through meetings held in various regions of the Commonwealth as determined by the Advisory Council.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESPONSE • Have you downloaded COVIDWISE, Virginia's COVID-19 exposure notification app? Add your phone to the fight here. For up-to-date information, assistance, and resources from across state government, click here.

10/19/2022

At its September 29, 2022, Open Commission Meeting, the FCC adopted a Report and Order to make messages from the Emergency Alert System (EAS) more accessible and easier to understand.



The Report and Order:

Directs EAS Participants, including radio broadcasters, television broadcasters, and operators of satellite, cable TV, and wireline video services, to transmit certain messages in an IP-based format rather than the versions in the legacy EAS format, which usually convey less information; and,
Requires EAS Participants to replace the technical jargon that now automatically appears in the text of certain messages, including EAS test announcements, with plain language that will be more easily understood by the public and provide more accurate information for individuals who cannot access the audio message.


News Release:

URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-improves-emergency-alert-system-messages

Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-387722A1.docx

PDF: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-387722A1.pdf

Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-387722A1.txt



Report and Order:

URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-improves-emergency-alert-system-messages

Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-75A1.docx

PDF: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-75A1.pdf

Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-75A1.txt



For general information about EAS accessibility, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/eas-faq-accessibility. For specific questions on the EAS item, please contact Bill Wallace, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-2716, or William.Wallace@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).

Interested in getting a $30 per month reduction of your internet bill?Check out the video below about the Affordable Con...
08/12/2022

Interested in getting a $30 per month reduction of your internet bill?

Check out the video below about the Affordable Connectivity Program

Congress recently created the Affordable Connectivity Program, a long-term, $14.2 billion program, that replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. Thi...

Emergency Broadband Benefits Program
08/12/2022

Emergency Broadband Benefits Program

Emergency Broadband Benefit ProgramThe Emergency Broadband Benefit is a temporary FCC program to help families and households struggling to afford broadband ...

On August 9, 2022, the FCC released a Public Notice to remind video programming distributors, including broadcasters, ca...
08/09/2022

On August 9, 2022, the FCC released a Public Notice to remind video programming distributors, including broadcasters, cable operators, and satellite television services that deliver video programming directly to the home, of their obligation to make televised emergency information accessible to persons who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing.



This Public Notice also provides information for consumers about where they can find more information about access to televised emergency information -- including an American Sign Language (ASL) video at https://www.fcc.gov/TVEmergencyAccessASL -- and how to file complaints when televised emergency information is not accessible.



Links to Public Notice:

URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/accessibility-televised-emergency-information

Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-22-839A1.docx

PDF: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-22-839A1.pdf

Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-22-839A1.txt



For more information about accessible televised emergency information, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/general/access-emergency-information-television. For specific questions, please contact Bill Wallace, Attorney Advisor, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-2716 or William.Wallace@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in ASL may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).

This page contains important information and activities pertaining to the Commission’s rules regarding access to emergency information on television, including rules, guides, orders, public notices, notices and press releases.

02/09/2022

Virginia Relay Advisory Council is Looking for New Representatives!

Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is seeking Virginia Relay users to join the Virginia Relay Advisory Council (VRAC)! The VRAC need new representatives to fill these vacancies:

• Internet/Wireless Relay user
• Captioned telephone service user
• VCO user

For more information about VA Relay www.varelay.org Do you use these Relay features? Are you interested in serving on the VRAC? To inquire about joining the VRAC, please contact:

Felecia Payne at 804-992-9703 or felecia.payne@vddhh.virginia.gov

The VRAC was established to focus on the statewide education and technical assistance activities of the Virginia Relay. The VRAC focuses on VA Relay consumer needs, to advise and make recommendations to VDDHH, and to share information to the consumers. The VRAC comprises of various relay users providing guidance in public relations, marketing, education, and outreach.

The VRAC duties and responsibilities shall also include:

• Ensuring through research and practical experience that Virginia Relay is meeting the needs of its users;
• Collecting feedback from consumers to be shared with the Department, and the contractor(s);
• Providing advice on meeting the requirements for functional equivalency required by federal law;
• Assisting in the disseminating of information from VDDHH and the relay contractor(s) to consumers;
• Providing access to consumers and other interested parties through meetings held in various regions of the Commonwealth as determined by the Advisory Council.

Check out the latest edition of The Commonwealth Caller! https://www.varelay.org/downloads/newsletters/VACaller_Winter20...
01/27/2022

Check out the latest edition of The Commonwealth Caller!https://www.varelay.org/downloads/newsletters/VACaller_Winter2021_Final.pdf

On December 31, 2021, the FCC launched the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).  This longer-term program replaces the...
01/25/2022

On December 31, 2021, the FCC launched the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). This longer-term program replaces the Emergency Broadband Benefit program. As the FCC transitions to this new program, the over 9 million households fully enrolled in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program as of December 31, 2021 will continue to receive their current monthly benefit until March 1, 2022.
The ACP provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
Enrollment in the ACP is now open for households with at least one member qualifying under any of the following criteria:
Has an income that is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines;
Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
Participates in Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations;
Is approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision;
Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income program.
Households may apply to participate in the ACP at https://www.fcc.gov/acp. More information about steps current Emergency Broadband Benefit recipients must take to continue receiving the Affordable Connectivity Program benefit after March 1, 2022 will be available in the coming weeks.
If you or your organization are interested in raising awareness about the ACP, you may sign up to be an ACP Outreach Partner at https://www.fcc.gov/acp-consumer-outreach-toolkit.
News Release:
Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-378908A1.docx
PDF: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-378908A1.pdf
Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-378908A1.txt
American Sign Language Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgRo-mjiJh8
For more information about the Affordable Connectivity Program, please visit: https://www.fcc.gov/acp. Individuals with Disabilities (or someone on their behalf) may call the Disability Rights Office at 202-418-2517. In addition, individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).

Congress recently created the Affordable Connectivity Program, a long-term, $14 billion program, which will replace the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. This investment in broadband affordability will help ensure we can afford the internet connections we need for work, school, health care and mo...

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1602 Rolling Hills Drive Rm 203
Richmond, VA
23229

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