March 10, 1876. Mr. Watson was called in to his employer' room to witness a new invention. Alexandra Graham Bell had just invented the telephone. A new way for everybody to communicate to whoever and whenever they want! - unless of course you were deaf!

Being deaf can cause a bit of bother if you are communicating over the phone, although using sign language to another caller via a phone monitor makes life more easier. However if you are using sign-language to someone who can't understand it is a waste of hand motivation!

At the moment there's a few aids on the 'disabled market' to break down the communication barrier and mostly rely on text, but none are as powerful of sufficient as the Sorensen Video Relay Service (VP100) which is helping deaf Americans to hold a proper conversation. So if a deaf Yank wants to order a vast amount of fast food, slag off their President or discuss the crap game-show they have just watched they just call up an ASL interpreter who can translate between the two adding the emotions of each caller on a screen. The screen itself is pretty snazzy as well boasting the ability to be a full sized TV screen free of crappy interfering lines which normally appear on smiliar communication systems. This is pretty impressive seeing as the images are sent down the Internet, the VP100 PC has 30 frames per second, twice as much as a standard PC. This comes in pretty hand because users are able to see peoples facial expressions.

The system was launched in March 2003 and is already used by 5,000 people nationwide in the States and cost isn't something users have to worry about providing they have a TV, Video Input device and Broadband Internet. All the other stuff is free thanks to the national telecommunications relay services fund in America. The fund is supported by an annual income of cash from all the American long-distance telephone companies which under the Americans With Disabilities Act must donate money to the organization.

So what do the current users think of the device?

"I use the VP100 to call my doctor, to contact my dentist, to make appointments or reservations for restaurants, for a whole host of things. I even use it to order pizza. Last night, we ordered a mega meal pizza at the center here. You can even split the screen and watch a football game and talk at the
same time." Said Denis, an employment specialist from the Center for Independent Living of Broward County.

With this new technology it will only be a matter of time when annoying telesale companies will find a new market for selling hearing aids and sex lines will advertise fit women who will 'sign-language dirty' for you for a small matter of cash per minute and you will be hand-free!

If Alexandra Graham Bell was still alive he would had been proud, alas he's not and his bones rotted away years ago - shame!

"Look Watson, I've just invented the 0891 sex lines!"