New Center Opens Doorways for the Deaf

Communication is the fabric of society. From old-fashioned letters and typewriters to telephones and computers, the need to stay in touch with one another is fundamental. But what if you can't hear or speak? How, then, do you effectively use the telephone to stay in touch with family or handle business calls?

The Maryland Relay, a communication center that acts as the middleman during phone calls between those who are deaf and those who hear, celebrated the grand opening of its new center in Downtown Baltimore on September 21, 2002. The event marked the Relays larger operator and training center, making it easier and more convenient for those who are deaf to stay in touch with others at any time of day, any day of the year. The upgraded technology will also allow for faster and more efficient access to MD Relay.

The grand opening was celebrated with speakers, a performance by ASL Storyteller Manny Fernandez, refreshments, and a children's area. However, the most interesting part of the day was the ongoing tours of the center.

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The Raven's mascot was on hand to join in the festivities and shake the hands of some of the youth that attended.

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Some children enjoying the festivities.

The tour of the new relay building consisted largely of an overview of new training methods for prospective relay operators. The new training methods will emphasize a strong code of ethics and address such things as deaf culture, confidentiality, code of ethics, as well as special call handling and more. Maryland Relay is also working towards improving communication performances, data gathering, and data analysis. A small demonstration was given on how a deaf user calls the relay center, via a TTY, and the process that the operator uses to intake the callers information and then call the receiving party.

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Outside of the operator center sits two old relay machines that were once used to make calls and connect callers.

With currently a 110 operators and extensive operator recruitment underway, the Maryland Relay is preparing to provide the best service possible to its users.

For more information on Maryland Relay, please contact:
1-800-552-7724
Or email moreinfo@mdrelay.org
Or visit the website at www.mdrelay.org