News from Telecommunications Access Iowa & Relay Iowa

PROGRAMS OF THE IOWA UTILITIES BOARD

Welcome to Casey Peck

Newest Member of the DPRC

The Dual Party Relay Council (DPRC) recently welcomed their newest member, Casey Peck. Casey is the General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of Kalona Cooperative Technology Company in Kalona, Iowa. She has a true passion for community serving as the Board President of the Kalona Chamber of Commerce; serving as a 4H Club Leader; and being involved with the Elementary Boosters Leadership Team, Kalona Days, Christmas in Kalona, and State Fair committees.

The DPRC advises the Iowa Utilities Board (Board) on matters related to Telecommunications Access Iowa (TAI) and Relay Iowa. The Council has eleven members that are appointed by the Board. The Council meets three or four times per year and makes recommendations to the Board regarding TAI and Relay Iowa. Council members provide valuable information to the Board regarding how the programs are functioning from various users' perspectives. They represent telephone companies, the Iowa Division of Deaf Services, the Office of Consumer Advocate, consumers who have communication difficulties - such as hearing loss or speech difficulty - and a member of the Board or the Board's designee.

Have you ever thought about participating in the DPRC? If interest ed, contact the Iowa Utilities Board for more informatio n.

Iowa Utilities Board Building

1375 E. Co urt Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50319

We'd also like to give recognition to all members of the DPRC. We thank them for their invaluable input and advise for the TAI and Relay Iowa programs. Below is a list of the members and the entity they each represent:

Joni Nicoll Iowa Utilities Board Representative/Chair of DPRC

Jill Avery Deaf Services Commission of Iowa Representative

Barbara Carlin Consumer

Shirley Hampton Consumer

Cathy Hardy Consumer

Wayne Johnson Telephone Company Representative

Kathy Miller Consumer

Casey Peck Telephone Company Representative

Anna Ryon Office of Consumer Advocate Representative

Michael Sadler Alternate - Telephone Company Representative

Brett Seeburger Consumer

Michael Struck Consumer


Gayle Boeke, TAI Program Manager

"Seniors in Story" Exhibit Booth in May. Sharing equipment solutions for individuals who have a hearing loss or difficulty speaking

2017 Hamilton Relay Scholarship presented at Iowa School for the Deaf to Austin Davis

During the Iowa School for the Deaf Awards Day Ceremony on May 25, Relay Iowa Outreach Project Manager Lori Sporrer presented Austin Davis from Missouri Valley with a certificate to congratulate him on being the 2017 Hamilton Relay Scholarship Award recipient.

The Hamilton Relay Scholarship opportunity is available to high school seniors who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking. A recipient is selected within each of the states where Hamilton is the contracted service provider and is one of several ways the company gives back to the communities it serves.

"Hamilton takes pride in recognizing outstanding leadership and promoting education," said Lori Sporrer, Relay Iowa Outreach Project Manager. "We are excited to have the opportunity to contribute to furthering Austin's education and wish him success in reaching his personal and professional goals."

Austin was awarded the $500 Hamilton Relay Scholarship after completing the application process, including writing an essay under the topic of communication technology. Austin plans to attend Iowa State University this fall to study forestry.

Sandra Hobson, Au.D. selected for Hamilton Relay 2017 Better Hearing and Speech Month Recognition Award for the State of Iowa

Sandra Hobson, Au.D. of Des Moines, Iowa has been selected as the Hamilton Relay 2017 Better Hearing and Speech Month Recognition Award recipient for the state of Iowa. Sandra's passion as an advocate for people who have a hearing loss is always apparent in her work and volunteerism.

Sandra has participated in d onating hearing aid batteries for children throughout Iowa and making visits to nursing home residents regularly. She also collects used phones for the "Cell Phones for Soldiers" program and is actively involved in the Lion's Club project to collect eye glasses and hearing aids to repurpose for those who can't afford hearing aids or glasses. She also has advocated at various levels for closed captioning of local news. She p urchased the first captioning equipment for Local ABC WOI-TV in Des Moines and continues to sponsor local closed caption for ABC 5's daily newscasts.

Among the many projects in which Sandra has been involved throughout the years, one of her most notable projects included her work with the Hearing Loss Association of Central Iowa in creating a video to be used in training the Des Moines Police Department to aid in interacting positively with people who have difficulty hearing.

In addition, Sandra has been involved with the following associations and clubs: Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), Scottish Rite Consistory, A

merican Association of University Women, Network One and Elite Hearing Network. Sandra has been the owner/audiologist for Helping U Hear, LLC for 25 years.

Sandra was presented her award on May 30^th by Relay Iowa Outreach Project Manager, Lori Sporrer, during a LinkedIn Quarterly Social celebrating Sandra's 25^th anniversary with Helping You Hear, LLC and Better Hearing & Speech Month in Des Moines.

Summer 2017 Issue

Serving All of Iowa

In This Issue

Welcome to New DPRC Member

2017 Better Hearing & Speech Month

Relay Friendly Business Training

ipad Apps through TAI

Relay Friendly Business training available statewide

Making a telephone call to schedule an appointment, order take-out food or check an account balance is part of everyday life. For individuals who have difficulty hearing or speaking over the phone and use Relay services to make calls, these everyday contacts can sometimes cause frustration if a business or organization is not familiar with Relay and how it works.

With the goal of educating businesses on how to recognize a Relay call and the benefits of staying on the line, Relay Iowa offers a training program to businesses and their employees called the Relay Friendly Business program.

The businesses who are connected to Relay Iowa through this program are listed on our website under the Relay Friendly Business Directory.

So far in 2017 Relay Iowa welcomes Scott County Health Department to our Relay Friendly Business program!

To become a Relay Friendly Business or to recommend a business for training, contact Relay Iowa Customer Care at iarelay@hamiltonrelay.com .

About Hamilton Relay

Hamilton Relay provides contracted Traditional Relay and Captioned Telephone services through 24 contracts to 18 states, the District of Columbia and the Island of Saipan, and is a provider of Internet-based Captioned Telephone services nationwide. More information is available at www.hamiltonrelay.com .

Specialized Telecommunication/Communication Apps for the iPad

The unique feature about our iPad Program is the iPad comes to you with

pre-loaded specialized telecommunication/communication apps that help you communicate better. There are app packages available for qualified applicants who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or have Speech Difficulty.

For example, if you are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, the apps...

Turn the iPad into a portable videophone - Video Relay Service on the go
Allow Hard of Hearing individuals to listen to phone conversations while reading word-for-word captions of what is said by associating a phone number with the iPad - much like captions seen on TV
Help you communicate with a live video messenger app that combines texting with video chat

Here are a just a few helpful apps...

Sorenson

Video Relay Service

Hamilton CapTel

Provides captioning of what

the other party says

Glide Live Video Messenger

Texting and live video chat

For those who have Speech Difficulty, the apps...

Assist an individual when using FaceTime as it lets you communicate visually
Let you chat with others via text using iMessage
Help you to compose your own text and have your iPhone speak for you with the assistance of Alternative Augmentative Communication - tap on symbols, words, & phrases and the iPad speaks for you
Help with either a symbol-based or text-based format

The default app for Speech Difficulty is Proloquo2Go, however if an individual is working with a speech professional and a specific app is requested, we may be able to swap the apps. Here are a few examples...