MAY 2015

5th ISSUE

RACING TO SUCCESS WITH GREGGUNDERSON

KENNETH MIKKELSEN:DO YOU TAKE THE BLUE PILL or the RED PILL?PLUS AN INTERVIEW WITH “WEEDS ” STAR SHOSHANNAH STERN!

DIANA WALSH O’TOOLE ASKS HOW MINDFUL ARE YOU?

ISSN 2378-1998

lifeget a

MAGA INE

8

BE PRESENT

COVER PHOTO of Greg Gunderson by Ezra Moore......................................1

Masthead............................................4

A Note from Sean Belanger..................6

Mindfulness: Mind Your P(hone)s and Q(ueue)sby Diana Walsh O’Toole........................8

Relay’s Cornerby Matt Daigle...................................19

Shoshannah Stern: An Interview........20

The Man Behind Dr. Z: A Conversation with Phil Bravin..................................30

Do You Take the Blue Pill or the Red Pill?by Kenneth Mikkelsen........................34

Racing to Success: an interview with Greg Gunderson by Ezra Moore....................................38

Vicarious Trauma: You, Me, and PTSD by Heather Pierce...............................48

Stratus Video Interpreting by Kate Pascucci.................................54

CONTENTS FEATURES

8

“Let’s look at the nuts and bolts of stress.”

-Heather Pierce

“I pondered the idea of truly paying attention .”-Diana Walsh O’Toole

BE PRESENT

We are language interpreters who provide Video Relay Services (VRS) and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). Also known as Video Interpreters (VIs), we operate from approximately 40 inbound call centers, with over 500 interpreters, across the United States under the rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission.

We’ve learned much about how to keep a remote call-center based workforce such as ours empowered, creative, and engaged. This magazine is dedicated to exploring and redefining success by these standards.

Who are we? We are Z and Stratus. We love what we do. We help people connect, we make great friendships, and we have fun!

WHO ARE WE?

CONTENTS FEATURES

8

“I think that the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that in this profession, you never stop learning.”

-Shoshannah Stern

“Making sure the customer is fully aware of the best there is in VRS.”

-Phil Bravin

“I like to tell people that I have racing in my blood.”

-Greg Gunderson

“Sometimes I like to put on a red polo, then go to Target

and help people”

"Raisin cookies that look like Chocolate chip cookies are the main reason I have trust

issues" Shamelessly watches the Home Shopping Network.

Really wants to fight someone in a giant mascot

costume.

“DO YOU KNOW RUSSELL HARVARD?” an interview

“LET’S MEET OUR Z AMBASSADORS” by AMY COHEN EFRON

“4 WAYS THE QUEST FOR HAPPINESS AT WORK IS MISGUIDED”

by RANDY CONLEY

“THE REALITY ABOUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS AT WORK” by SUSAN FOWLER

MISSED OUR LAST ISSUE?

FEATURED

SENIOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR EXECUTIVE OFFICER

“Sometimes I like to put on a red polo, then go to Target

and help people”

"Raisin cookies that look like Chocolate chip cookies are the main reason I have trust

issues" Shamelessly watches the Home Shopping Network.

Really wants to fight someone in a giant mascot

costume.

“THE Z LIFE” by BRANDI RARUS

“FINDING YOUR NOTE” by AMANDA PARK “THE EXCELLENCE PROCESS” by BOB GRAHAM

“TEAMERS” by KRISTA DILLMANFind these and other great articles at http://www.getazlife.com/magazinelanding/

SENIOR OUTREACH SPECIALIST ART DIRECTOR & EDITOR IN CHIEF

“Sean here again...”

President of Marketing), and celebrated author Brandi Rarus.

I hope all of you know that our logo and name came from Zoe. We had been struggling with the right name to replace CSDVRS.* Several of us had been over at Tim Rarus’ house that week, including Andy May who was the Vice President of Marketing at the time. After being there and hearing the story of Zoe, Andy came up with the idea of naming our com-pany Z. Before joining the Rarus family, Zoe had been in four homes, had been placed for adoption, and had bounced around in foster care because the fam-ily who had been selected to adopt her learned she was Deaf. Tim and Brandi, who already had three boys who could hear, had been in the process of adopt-

ing a girl from China when they learned about Zoe. They

adopted her and Bran-di writes about this

journey in her book Finding Zoe.

The new sto-

ry is about Zoe and I

want to share

it

I certainly enjoy writing this when Frank, our Editor, asks. I really appreciate you who take the time to read and maybe get to know

me a little better. This time I feel I have so many things to write about but one stands out. This is a story about Zoe, the daughter of Tim Rarus (our Vice

“I recognize that VRI does not replace the need for a live interpreter in some emergency or medical situations, but it is immediate and our video quality is superior. Our interpreters are the best because they do not merely interpret. They become a part of the medical team and make sure that the patient comes first.”

*Comunication Service for the Deaf Video Relay Service

Pho

to co

urte

sy o

f the

Rar

us fa

mily

.

because it is so close to home and WHY we are in business. We are here to make a difference and provide quality commu-nication to our customers.

Our little Zoe is now 11 years old and was out camping with her Dad and brothers for Spring Break. I understand that she is quite the tomboy and can really catch a football and that’s exactly what she was

wanting a live interpreter for the situ-ation at hand, Brandi was blown away by the quality of video, the ease of use, and the commitment of the interpreter who remained on line for the next three hours. At a click of the screen our Lauren #3314 appeared and Brandi and Zoe had instant communication. Brandi wanted to empower Zoe and put

“Brandi wanted to empower Zoe and put her in the driver’s seat, so she had Zoe communicate with Stratus directly. It worked beautifully.”

doing when she ran into her 17 year old brother Blake and tried to make a catch. They banged heads, and her glasses ended up leaving a cut on her eyelid. It was bad enough to need stitches. All of us with children would understand the concerns of Tim and Brandi: the general parental concern, the fear for the child, the scaring, and the healing. Brandi brought Zoe immediately to Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin. She asked for a sign language interpreter- and wanted a live one because Zoe did not have her glasses, had an eye injury, and Brandi did not want Zoe to struggle with having to look at a screen. Instead, as Brandi tells us, the nurse rolled in Stra-tus, our tablet-based video remote inter-preting (VRI) service. Brandi had never used Stratus, although she had heard plenty about us and understands this part of our business. Nonetheless, neither she nor Zoe had any personal experience with using VRI in a medical setting like this. Despite

her in the driver’s seat, so she had Zoe communicate with Stratus directly. It worked beautifully. She was able to ad-just the video screen on the stand easily for position and height, and did not think twice about it being VRI. Zoe was able to understand and communicate for her-self- and Brandi stepped in as needed. I recognize that VRI does not replace the need for a live interpreter in some emergency or medical situations, but it is immediate and our video quality is supe-rior. Our interpreters are the best be-cause they do not merely interpret. They become a part of the medical team and make sure that the patient comes first. I thank everyone on our nationwide team for that. Zoe had a successful outcome, got stitched up, and went back to camp that night!

MINDFULNESS

MINDFULNESSMIND YOUR P(HONE)S AND Q(UEUE)S

by DIANA WALSH O’TOOLE A CALL CENTER BASED SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER

SHARES HER THOUGHTS ON THE POWER OF FOCUSphoto courtesy of Ezra Moore @ www.sidewalkandthesea.com

Mindfulness. This is one of the latest buzz words popping up on social media, in on-line news articles and on TV.

Recently, on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Anderson Cooper presented a story about a week-end meditation retreat. The man running the retreat, Jon Kabat-Zinn, explains to Cooper that being mindful means paying attention to exactly what you are doing in any given moment. He tells Cooper, “When you’re in the shower next time, check and see if you’re in the shower. You may not be. You may be in your first meet-ing at work; you may have 50 people in the shower with you.”

I am guilty of allowing other people into my shower. At various times in my life I’ve had my co-workers, my in-laws and even a rude customer ser-vice representative or two, in the show-er with me. In fact, I’ve had all these people in my bed, at my dinner table, on a hike and behind the wheel of my car with me too.

It is easy to appear present when we are with other people, even though the mind is focused on some-thing else. Most of us have gone out to dinner, or to our kids after school activi-ties, and spent a large percentage of the time staring down at our cell phone, or thinking about the agenda for our next staff meeting, instead of being in the mo-ment. Sure, our body is in the same room with other people, but are we present?

We have all experienced the disappoint-ment of expecting someone to be in the moment with us when, in fact, that person is not fully present. Perhaps one of the most frustrating times to experience this is

when we are the customer. Everyone has a horror story about a customer service representative who was less than present. The representative was behind the cash register, or on the phone with you, but not present in the moment with you.

In my own experience as a consumer, I’ve heard customer service representatives make remarks to their colleagues that clearly indicate their mind is elsewhere. They laugh over how drunk they were last night and wonder out loud how they will finish their shift with a hangover? Worse yet, I’ve heard cashiers make insulting remarks about a fellow customer while I’m

standing in line waiting to hand them my money.

However, I’ve also been served by the customer

service representa-tive who went out of her way to make things right. Re-cently, I was in a department store and resentment

was slowly building as I waited an eter-

nity (okay, 5 minutes) while the cashier took

her sweet time with the woman in front of me. It was

all I could do to hold my tongue and not give an exaggerated eye roll when the cashier promised she’d be right with me.

Finally it was my turn, and the cashier took her sweet time with me too. However, the reason the transaction took so long was she was busy saving me, her customer, money. She had a pile of coupons next to her cash register and she found one that saved me close to 50% off my purchase. Now instead of my eyes rolling in disdain, they were shining with glee, all because I had a cashier who was fully present and in the moment with me.

Everyone has a horror story about a customer

service representative who was less than present. The

representative was behind the cash register, or on the phone

with you, but not present in the moment with you.

photography courtesy of Josephine Cardin @ http://www.cardinphotography.com/

We have all experienced the disappointment of expecting someone to be in the moment

with us when, in fact, that person is not fully present.

After seeing the Anderson Cooper inter-view, I started analyzing whether or not I am present for my customers. How many extra people, and other distractions, do I take into my call center with me? Some-times I bring along the fast food cashier who was incredibly rude when I stopped to buy lunch on the way to the office. I allow that person’s rudeness to carry over into the next few hours of my day, thus keeping me in the past and preventing me from being present. As I sit down at work to answer my first call, if my mind is spinning with 20-20 hindsight, imagining all the witty comebacks I wish I had said to the cashier, then I’m not ready to be present and in the moment with my customer on the other end of the line.

Then there are the technological distrac-

tions that have become an accepted part of most office workers’ lives. In the call center where I work, most of us enter our stations with cell phones, laptops and/or tablets, plus purses, wallets, magazines and books. Furthermore, our work com-puters allow us to instant message each other, and we can also read the latest cus-tomer commendations and other informa-tion posted by management. Additionally, these computers provide us with digital games, like Solitaire and Hearts, that we can play while waiting on hold with a cus-tomer.

Given all these choices of how to spend time in our work environment, it’s becom-ing ever more difficult to be present and in the moment with our customers and coworkers. This can create frustration for

all involved. As we sit in our stations at-tempting to finish a text message and the phone rings, interrupting us, we may start to feel annoyed. When we decide to read the latest IM, and respond to it, our call-ers may notice we are distracted and not engaged and fully present.

Additionally, when we are in a difficult call, and we request help from members of our team, we expect our coworkers to be fully engaged. Sometimes, though, coworkers bring along their cell phone and out of the corner of our eye we realize they are tex-ting. Thus we may not feel fully support-ed, yet we are guilty of the same behavior when it’s our turn to be the supporting team member.

So how do we handle this overload of choices, and minimize distractions, so we

are fully engaged with our callers and co-workers? I believe Jon Kabat-Zinn has the answer – mindfulness.

Kabat-Zinn is an MIT trained scientist who has been practicing mindfulness for 47 years. He defines mindfulness as follows: “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”

During the “60 Minutes” interview, Ka-bat-Zinn points out that mindfulness starts from the moment we wake up. At that moment he suggests we take a deep breath and allow our brain to register the fact we’re still alive and note our surround-ings. Then, when we brush our teeth, fo-cus only on brushing our teeth, and when we eat, focus only on eating, etc. In this way we can train ourselves to be mindful.

As I pondered the idea of truly paying attention and noting the sensations of something as simple as brushing my teeth, or taking a shower, I started thinking about how being present can improve relation-ships with others, including callers and coworkers. I was already aware of the fact I allow myself to be distracted at times. For instance, sometimes I respond to a coworker’s IM when the caller I’m working with has asked me to hold for a moment. Can my brain effectively hop between the IM chat and my caller’s discussion about her bill, or am I possibly compromising the integrity of the call due to my choice not to be fully present and mindful of her call?

I have decided to give mindfulness a try and, as a result, I have made some changes. When I’m working, I’ve learned that if the queue is full I should leave my phone and tablet untouched until such a time as I can be mindful about reading a text mes-sage or email. This reduces the tension I feel as I rush to finish reading an email before the next call. Thus, I’m not only more prepared to take the next call, but I’m also more focused and likely to catch that not-so-common name the caller wants me to ask for when I connect her call.

I’ve also made a conscious choice to put the chat room box in a location on my computer screen where I won’t be dis-tracted by each new IM. I have noticed the location of the chat room box makes a big difference and by being intentional about its placement I am better able to stay fully engaged with callers.

Finally, there is an often overlooked aspect

of mindfulness that is extremely help-ful. Kabat-Zinn says mindfulness means “paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

Recently, I had a chance to apply this concept when I was driving in a part of town I’m unfamiliar with and trying to find the interstate. I realized I was driving the wrong way, and felt exasperated as I drove into a parking lot to turn around. My blood pressure was rising because of this delay when it hit me to practice Ka-

bat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness. I immediately started paying

attention to the act of driv-ing and told myself to

simply navigate and steer. As soon as I fo-cused on that exact task – driving – and stopped focusing on the future – when will I find the highway? – I relaxed

and the stress was taken out of that mo-

ment.

When I apply this nonjudg-mental attitude at work, I be-

come a more professional coworker and customer service agent. For instance, when I’m teaming with coworkers, it’s best if I simply support them in the manner they prefer, rather than question the fact they perform their job differently than I would if I were in the call at that moment.

There is a joke that goes, “How many interpreters does it take to change a light bulb? Ten – one to change the bulb and 9 to tell the interpreter how to do it differ-ently.”

We all know there are a variety of ways to impart the same message. Thus, if we can support our coworkers as they see fit, and leave our judgmental attitudes out of the

When I allow judgmental thoughts

to creep in it is easy to become frustrated with my work. A better approach is

to practice neutrality.

equation, it can only help to improve our working relationship with coworkers, and the customer is likely to benefit.

When I allow judgmental thoughts to creep in it is easy to become frustrated with my work. A better approach is to practice neutrality. Some callers do not pay attention to us as we are attempting to do our job. It is easy to judge these people as obnoxious and rude. Yet, what if we decide to simply focus on our job and not concern ourselves with whether or not they are paying atten-tion? We have enough on our plate as we strive to concentrate and complete their call professionally and successfully. If the caller is distracted and unfocused on his/her moment, that is the caller’s choice, not ours.

However, what if in the process of doing my job, the caller becomes frustrat-ed and judges me to be incom-petent and unable to complete his/her call? I have worked in a call center since 2002. The first time a caller asked to be transferred to another agent I was devas-tated. It didn’t matter that I had success-fully completed hundreds of calls before this one, I suddenly felt incompetent. Therefore, as I transferred the call I felt depressed and allowed that one caller to cast a shadow on the rest of my day and to trump all my previous successful calls.

However, within a few years I figured out that if callers didn’t want me working with them, I wholeheartedly agreed. I now transfer calls when asked, without berat-ing myself as a “screw up” or a “failure.” Of course, I will ruminate on what just happened, and analyze what part I may have played in the caller’s decision, but it

does not bother me for hours afterward. I have learned to handle this aspect of my job without judgment, allowing me to con-tinue working effectively and to be fully present for the next caller.

Let me conclude by confessing that the concept of mindfulness, as explained by Kabat-Zinn, is new to me. Consequently, I have a long way to go before I will consider myself an average mindfulness student, much less a straight A student. I am still

a full-blooded, multi-tasking American, and I have to

remind myself to be present. If I keep prac-

ticing, I believe this concept will improve all aspects of my life, including my job. Furthermore I believe if more of us in the custom-

er service industry strive to be present,

it will serve to improve communication and

relationships between all involved.

Thus, let’s all show each other grace, and work together mindfully and without judg-ment. I am determined to work on being present and engaged with coworkers and callers. And, for the record, I have gotten quite skilled at kicking people out of my shower.

Diana Walsh O’Toole has worked in video relay call cen-ters since 2002, and continues to love her career as a Sign Language Interpreter as much now as when she started in 1993.

**If you would like to see Anderson Cooper’s full story on mindfulness, click HERE.

As you watch, try putting your phone and other distractions aside so you can give Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Kabat-Zinn, your undivided attention.

If I keep practicing, I believe

this concept will improve all aspects of

my life, including my job.

4/21/2015 Mindfulness Quiz | Greater Good

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/4#embed­promo 1/5

Mindfulness QuizDo you savor life or let everyday stresses control you? In other words, how mindfulare you?

The practice of mindfulness has been linked tohappiness, health, and psychological well­being, butmany of us may not know exactly what it is, letalone how to cultivate it.

The quiz below draws on a mindfulness scaledeveloped by researchers at La Salle University andDrexel University, led by psychology professor LeeAnn Cardaciotto. Please answer as honestly aspossible about how frequently you experienced each

of the following 20 statements over the past week.

When you’re done, you’ll learn more about what mindfulness is, how much you currentlypractice it, and how you can promote more of it in your life.

1. When I am startled, I notice what is going on inside my body.

Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

2. I am aware of thoughts I’m having when my mood changes.

Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

3. I am aware of what thoughts are passing through my mind.

Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

4. I notice changes inside my body, like my heart beating faster or my muscles gettingtense.

Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

5. I tell myself that I shouldn’t feel sad.

[CLICK HERE]

May 2015

art by Matt Daigle @ www.mattdaigle.com

shoshannah

an interview

To begin with, lets get a little background. Can you tell us how did you break into your career?

I’m not sure if I feel like I have broken through just yet, but I don’t know that I ever will! Even while I say that, I have to say

I’m very aware and appreciative of the fact that I got very lucky when I got my start. Back when I was starting out, there wasn’t any social me-dia. People hadn’t started texting either, and I think most people didn’t even have email (okay, I might be exaggerating a bit about that one a bit, I’m not that old!) The point is that, at that time, you had to have an agent in order to get sent out on auditions, and I didn’t have one. I came out to LA one summer when I was still in my teens and knocked on doors trying to get a meeting with one. I had absolutely no luck doing that, but then, in my senior year at Gallaudet University, Warner Broth-ers was looking for a deaf actor to guest star on a now defunct sitcom (Off Centre), and called up the theater department there. The secretary in the theater department, who was my biggest ally while I was there, ended up giving them my email. So I got this random email from War-ner Brothers telling me I had an audition in LA. I thought it was a joke at first. But I flew myself out there for that audition and stayed with my granny who lived in LA. I was just thinking that I’d get to experience an honest-to-goodness audition in LA, and from that that I’d know within myself if it was something that I’d want to pursue after I graduated from university. I didn’t even know if I could go in an audition and do what was expected of me. I never dreamed I’d actually book it, but that’s what happened. Everything snowballed from there after that.

You’ve had quite a diverse career in television, appearing in many shows from ER to Weeds. Can you tell us a little about what you’ve learned in this journey? Do you feel differently now about acting in this field than you did when you began?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that in this profession you never stop learning. Every role that I’ve done has been different from the last, so I’ve learned something different with every one of them. But the one lesson that has stayed with me throughout them all is that you always have to do your absolute best, but also make sure you stay flexible and open. Doing your best doesn’t mean that you block other options or alternatives out. You put it perfectly when you called this career a jour-ney, because I think with most other careers, once you get there, you’re there. With this one, it’s more about how you get there. And in this busi-

Shoshannah Stern was born on July 3, 1980 in Walnut Creek, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Threat Matrix (2004), Adventures of Power (2008), The Hammer (2010), Lie to Me (2011), and Weeds (2012). She has been married to Ricky Mitchell since June 3, 2012, and has recently become a mother.

photo courtesy of Tate Tullier @ http://www.tatetullier.com/

ness, you’re always getting there. Before I had done anything out here, I used to think, just give me one job and then I’ll be satisfied for the rest of my life, just knowing that I got to do it that one time. I could not have been more wrong. It’s not like that at all. It’s not a one shot thing. It’s almost like a drug in that the more you do, the more you’re going to want to keep doing it. With every job I book, I become that much more invested, the more I want to stay the course and keep doing different things.

Many might remember you as Megan Beals from Weeds. What attracted you to that role? What was unique about it for you?

I loved that role from the minute I saw the break-down. That was the first, and maybe only, audition in which I didn’t speak or sign a word. I just acted without using language. I loved getting the oppor-tunity to do that, and to express myself without the barriers of language. I also really liked that it didn’t read like the typical role that’s written as deaf. I feel grateful that people are out there writing stuff for deaf characters, but since I haven’t yet gotten a role that’s been writ-ten for a deaf person by a deaf writer, these roles are mostly written from the perspective of someone who’s never experienced being deaf for themselves. Because of that, they often see the deaf experience as being something different, and often something lesser. By that I mean the deaf character’s arc is sometimes mainly about them overcoming an inability to hear. I’m not saying I’m opposed to roles like that, and I’ve certainly done some roles that could fall into that category. Some of them, in my opinion, have been really well-executed. However, playing Megan was never once like that. She was a flawed person who hap-pened to be deaf. She did all the stuff that teenagers do, and later what a wife and mother would do, in that she made some bad decisions and

Shoshannah on the set of her latest project entitled Another Period, produced by Ben Stiller.

Photo courtesy of Shoshannah Stern

some good ones, as we all do. Because of that, she came across like a fully formed character. I’m most proud of the fact that people don’t seem to feel wishy washy about her. They either love her or they hate her. I’ve had some fans of the show tell me that they identify complete-ly with her, while others tell me that they want me to die, though that’s mostly twelve year old girls on Twitter that are in love with Hunter Parrish.

I’m sure you have many, what is one moment or highlight of your ca-reer that you’ll remember forever?

That’s a tough one, but I think it has to be working with Tim Roth. He was my favorite actor when I was growing up, and his work inspired me to come into my own as someone who’s al-ways loved movies. The first Tarantino film I ever saw was Reser-voir Dogs. Because of Tim’s work, I kept watch-ing them, and so you could say that I cut my teeth on darker films as a teenager because I liked his work so much. When I was younger I had to do a memory book, which sounds like a very trivial project, but it wasn’t. It was more like a dissertation I had to do in order to graduate. In it, I had to write a number of essays about who I wanted to be. In one of them I said that I wanted to be an actor and I wanted to work with Tim Roth. So, years later, when that opportunity came about, it felt very surreal to meet the person that had served to shape me like that. I had to be very careful to try not to have expectations of him or of the situation, because that would be unfair to him. Also, I suppose it was a self-preservation mechanism, so that I wouldn’t be completely devas-tated if he turned out to be a jerk. But he was so unbelievably kind and warm and human, and I had the best time working with him during my arc on Lie to Me. I won’t ever forget that.

I feel grateful that people are out there writing stuff for deaf characters, but since I haven’t yet gotten a role that’s been written for a deaf person by a deaf writer, these roles are mostly written from the perspective of someone who’s never experienced being deaf for themselves. Because of that, they often see the deaf experience as being something different, and often something lesser.

What fuels you in your profession? Who or what inspires you?

I love being inspired. Every time I see a great movie, a great perfor-mance, see or read something great, it inspires me. Marlee Matlin in-spires me, because not only did she win an Academy Award, but people still remember her for it, and she’s smart and charismatic enough to be able to translate that into staying relevant all these years. Winning that award wasn’t the end game for her, it was the beginning of something, and I love that. It’s not always people inside my profession that inspire me, even though many do. I’m consistently drawn to people who have created a space for themselves that wasn’t there before. For instance, I love what Tate Tullier is doing with his photography, what Sean Forbes is doing with his music. I’d love to be able to create a space for myself and others in this business somehow.

Is there an ideal role you’d like?

That’s something that’s definitely changed over time. I still have some books, films and television shows that have made me go, wow, I’d love to do that, that’s such a good fit. That hasn’t changed. However, the whole making a space for yourself thing has rubbed off on me. I’ve al-ways been interested in writing, but it wasn’t until very recently, maybe the last few years, that I started writing things for myself. I then was lucky enough to meet my writing partner, Josh Feldman, who happens to be deaf himself. He’s such a good writer. He’s been writing inde-pendently for a long time, and still does, but we’ve also collaborated and written several pieces together. The more I write, the more I fall in love with the story lines and the people we’ve created. I’d love nothing more than to see one of our projects come to life, so now that’s my ide-al, and something I’m consistently working toward making happen.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, I see myself (hopefully) continuing on the journey that I’ve begun now by imitating those that inspire me and actively working on things I’ve created and collaborated on with other people. Basically, I’d like to be the same version of myself as I am today, only better.

We’re always on a journey of self discovery, what advice would you give someone who still navigating their passion and looking to break into their field of interest?

As in everything else, advice is always great, but you have to listen to yourself. What works for someone else may not work for you. The big-gest thing would be that you have to stay grounded and realize that the universe owes you absolutely nothing. Having a dream is wonderful, but it’s not a replacement for hard work. The best actors I’ve been able to work with are also the ones that work the hardest. Mary Louise Park-

Shoshannah means “lily” in

Hebrew.

“I LOVE BEING INSPIRED. Every time I see a great

movie, a great performance,

see or read something

great, it inspires me.”

Photos courtesy of Shoshannah Stern

er for example, once wanted to pay out of pocket to reshoot a few scenes of Weeds, because she arrived at a realization about her character at a scene that they’d filmed later and because of that, felt the need to change the choices she’d made previously. My point is that while she’s a brilliant actor, she also works exceeding-ly hard, perhaps more than any other actor did on the show. The question I get most is what the secret is to getting work, or getting their ideas made. I wish I could tell them. I’m still trying to figure that out for myself. The truth is that there’s really no secret short-cut to success. It comes about in different ways for different peo-ple, and even once you “get” there, you have to work even harder to stay there.

Okay, here’s a heavy question for you. What’s the meaning of life to you?

I think life is about paying attention to the signs around you. They can be big or small, but at the end of the day, you’re the one that has to see them. I don’t have it all figured out, but if I’m conscious about paying attention to the signs that are out there, I can always look back on my birthday and say that this year was better than the one before.

By the way, congratulations on becoming a new mom! How’s that going for you?

It’s been surreal. I was mentally prepared for the lack of sleep, the overwhelming knowledge that you’re responsible for another life, the stress of figuring out what your baby wants and needs, as well as working out logistics with your partner, all of that stuff. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a serious responsibility, and all the stuff that I’ve mentioned is a big part of it, but I was totally and completely unprepared for the sheer amount of joy that having a baby has

I think life is about paying attention to the signs around you. They can be big or small, but at the end of the day, you’re

the one that has to see them.

brought into my life. Even at four in the morning when she needs to eat again, even though she’s just eaten thirty minutes ago (and has been doing so through the entire night) I’m still like, “Oh, hello there. Look at you!” I’ve never been so happy to be so tired! I’ve always loved to laugh, but I’ve probably laughed at least twice as much per day since she was born.

So what’s next? Do you have any upcoming roles you’re able to share with us?

Yeah. I have a really cool project coming up called Another Period. It airs on Comedy Central this summer, and is produced by Ben Stiller.

It’s been described to me as Downton Abbey meets Keep-ing Up with the Kardashians. I’ve always wanted to do more comedy, and doing that was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but also one of the most enriching. I never knew how hard comedy was, and I

was lucky enough to work with some people who are really good at it, like Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome, Kate Flannery, Jason Ritter, and Thomas Lennon, to name a few. I’m the guest star for the first episode, and I get to play someone very very cool.

Okay, one last question. How do you define success?

I define success as knowing that the odds are stacked against you--that you’ll probably fail spectacularly (and will most of the time), feel dev-astated, and question your entire existence (past, present, and future)--and still choosing hope. Choosing to believe you can and will do it, every single time: that’s either success or insanity. Probably both.

I think life is about paying attention to the signs around you. They can be big or small, but at the end of the day, you’re

the one that has to see them.

GET CONNECTED

HELP PEOPLE MAKE FRIENDS HAVE FUN

2 15

GET CONNECTED

HELP PEOPLE MAKE FRIENDS HAVE FUN

2 15

Hi Phil. Thanks again for taking the time to answer some of our questions. First of all, how did you come up with the name Dr.

Z? Can you tell us a little about that charac-ter and its uses?

It was a collaborative effort between several of us on the executive team. The intent was to use this as a way of educating our constit-uents about the various facets of video relay service using several approaches: town hall meetings, the Dr. Z blog, and appearances at trade shows.

It has been going on for about 5 years now--with over 500 posts on the Dr. Z blog, over

THE MAN BEHIND

DRZA CONVERSATION WITH

PHIL BRAVIN ZVRS Vice President Of

Business Development &

Outreach

Illustrations courtesy of Leland Purvis @ lelandpurvis.com

100 town hall meetings, and over 50 deaf nation appearances (lost count of them all).

We have a much more educated pub-lic, but we have discovered that there continues to be some information out there that needs to be clarified. With the changing rules from the FCC for ex-ample, we need to reeducate the public of their rights.

This is basically a way of being part of the community we serve and, at the same time, highlighting the ZVRS brand…

Can you tell us a bit more about what miscon-ceptions you find out there about the changing rules of the FCC and rights? What are the challenges in educating the VRS-using public?

The misconception simply arises from how many rules the FCC has issued for video relay service (VRS). Since the rules create a long list, they make it difficult for us to educate the public. Among VRS providers and the consumer groups such as the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc (TDI), and the Registry of In-terpreters for the Deaf (RID), some have their own agendas and can confuse the public if they give information that other providers do not necessarily agree on. This was more commonplace in the past but has gotten better of late. In re-cent weeks, the providers have become more unified and have approached the

FCC with a common agenda and that is very helpful.

So, if you had to sum up your personality in three words, which words would you choose?

Oh gee--loving, sharing, and laughing (with a distinct giggle).

What do you like to do in your free time?

Skiing, geeking my way around by testing and validating all the gadgets (ensuring that they make a difference for deaf and

hard of hearing people), trav-eling, hiking, and writing

software.

What kind of soft-ware do you like to write?

I enjoy writing HTML and CSS these days, and use WordPress

along with its many plug-ins. I have de-

veloped several web-sites and I’m working on

a couple web applications that people will be able to use

across many platforms (mobile and desk-top) without having to write a different version for different device sizes.

What are the most crucial and pressing issues you face in your work today?

Making sure the consumer is fully aware of the best there is in VRS. Some com-petitors out there confuse the custom-ers and we spend a lot of time putting things back on track. I am of the strong opinion that we at ZVRS are the best in many ways. The rules of the FCC limit our opportunities to enhance our service

Calling from a car, calling from a hotel room and seeing a person on the other side: for deaf people who are visually oriented, this is manna from

heaven. The independence we are experiencing is a real blessing

and a convenience.

and that is frustrating at times when you know this causes our constituents to miss the best features, such as skills-based routing.

That’s when the customer can choose an interpreter that specializes in a certain area like legal or medical, cor-rect? Sounds like it would be a great addition. If you could have a crystal ball and see ten years into the future of VRS, what other innovations do you hope you’ll find?

Skills-based routing is a very important requirement. The technology to do this is in place but the FCC has not yet approved it for use in VRS.

The innovations are hard to predict. You’re asking for 10 years which is al-most an eternity in the world of tech-nology.

As an example, 2 years ago, we didn’t know or hear much about cloud-based computing--and it’s so prevalent these days. What I could expect and hope for would be a big jump in interoperability, so that people can use Skype to com-municate with FaceTime and they can all be used on a VRS platform. This way people have a choice of software they prefer and it will become transparent when they use VRS. Further down the road, I can see holographic video. It is still in the early stages today because of its high bandwidth requirements. With

better video codecs (and compression) and bigger bandwidth, it could become a reality. This would allow a 3-D view of whoever we are talking with. I’ll be tick-led pink when this time comes.

Clearly VRS has impacted the Deaf com-munity significantly over the past sever-al years. Can you tell us a bit about how the Deaf community has evolved since the start of VRS?

Oh yes, the evolution is dramatic. Calling from a car, calling from a hotel room and

seeing a person on the other side: for deaf people who are visually orient-ed, this is manna from heaven. The independence we are experiencing is a real blessing and a convenience. Think-ing back to the days when I was a little boy, my deaf par-ents had to go over to their neighbor to ask them to make calls for us. Those days are “gone.”

What about the Deaf community itself? What do you make of its future?

The deaf community at its “core” will not change---it hasn’t changed except for the fact that video communication has caused the usual face-to-face gatherings to get smaller or become almost non-ex-istent. The prevalence of deaf clubs many years ago is not there today--it has been replaced by the different ways we communicate. In the old days, to get the news, one had either the deaf-based

publications or a gathering at the deaf club. The internet has replaced these publications and video communication has replaced the need to go to a deaf club. However, there are still events today such as conferences and picnics where deaf people still congregate to meet many other people--this is not an area that would be fulfilled by video.

You’ve had quite a journey. You were an advisory systems engineer with IBM, the first deaf chairperson of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees, and CEO of the National Caption-ing Institute. Can you tell us what life lessons you’ve learned that you would like to share with our readers?

Never assume anything. Also, there are always 2 sides to ev-erything. That’s why a coin has 2 sides. Also count to 100 before doing anything. Sometimes if you do nothing, the situa-tion often resolves on its own.

Most importantly, care for others around you, not just at the workplace, but their families as well.

What do you enjoy most of all about what you do? Can you tell us a story of the best moment you can recall while working in your current profession?

Wow, that’s a multi-faceted question. I enjoy people coming to me telling me how video communication has made a difference in their lives. In my day-to-day experience, I enjoy mentoring the younger people with whom I work. I

also enjoy developing added features and devices that enhance the video commu-nication experience. The best moment was in 2002 when I was with CSD* at the Deaf Way conference when we rolled out video communication. The long lines and the smiles of the deaf people experi-encing video communication for the first time there assured us all that “we were doing the right (and the best possible) thing.”

So why choose Z? What makes ZVRS extraordinary?

We are a clean cut company--we have fostered a culture that

makes us part of one big family and we do not

operate in separate silos, but under one big roof, heated by a wood-cracking fireplace.

Bottom line, we at Z work very hard to

be the best in all we do.

What drives you?

All my life I have been involved in access for deaf people. I have

pioneered captioning and video commu-nication and it puts us deaf people on a level playing field. Those developments change the environment around us without changing us physically as people. I have some projects in mind that I’m tinkering with that aren’t quite ready for prime time yet. Stay tuned!

How do you define success?

Success is making a positive difference in the lives of others we serve.

All my life I have

been involved in access for deaf people. I have

pioneered captioning and video communication and it puts us deaf

people on a level playing field. Those developments change the environment around us without

changing us physically as people.

*Communication Service for the Deaf Find the latest from Dr. Z on his blog at www.drzvrs.com

the unknown

habit

the past

the frontier

tradition

DO YOU TAKE THE

BLUE PILLOR THE

RED PILL?by KENNETH MIKKELSEN

The challenges that leaders and organizations face today are interconnected. They are not a set of problems. It is a system

of economic, technological, societal and cultural challenges – all conjoined and hence complex. As a result, it is time to view surprises as the new normal, and steady state as the exception. The difference over the past decade is the increasing speed with which leaders need to address multiple challenges – often simultaneously.

The major transformational shifts that we face in terms of a growing world population, changing demographics in developed/developing countries, globalization, growing inequality, digitalization, The Internet of Things, 3D-printing, the rise of machines and automation of jobs, big data, radical transparency and the move from profiteering to purpose driven organizations based on shared values, are merely ongoing

the unknown

change

habit

the frontier

technological, environmental and social processes. However, when it comes to changing our perception of normal and understanding of the world, the effect cannot be underestimated.

Shifting vantage point

We find ourselves at a stage between The Industrial Age and The Network Age, which is hardly breaking news to anyone; but recent years have accelerated the interconnected shifts. So why is it that we as human beings continue to pursue strategies that we know are wrong? Why is it that we fail to change our course?

Charles Dickens offers some insight into that question. In 1859, he wrote A Tale of Two Cities to describe a period of turmoil in London and Paris.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us.”

These words illustrate a crumbling elitist hierarchy. Louis XVI and other leaders at the time chose to ignore the many signs of widespread discontent around them and refused to see that fundamental change was on its way. The result was one of the most significant shifts in history: The French Revolution. It is worth remembering that Dickens wrote his book 70 years after social and political

upheaval in France began. This illustrates that we often struggle to see progression in the moment because we lack the benefit of hindsight as major shifts unfold in society.

According to historian Thomas Kuhn, the change of a system is ultimately caused by the accumulation of anomalies – observations that cannot be explained by the prevailing paradigm of beliefs and mindsets. As anomalies increase in number and severity, the need for an alternative worldview becomes clearer, and eventually a new paradigm

is developed that can solve more problems than the old one.

The closest comparison to the present change

would be the Renaissance and Enlightenment collectively viewed as a period of transition from The Middle Ages and all

that this entailed in terms of challenging

existing knowledge, sciences and mankind’s

self-perception manifested in its beliefs and values. It was an ‘in-

between’ time with many regarding the rise of individualism, the new economic reality of states and the decline of feudal power as a paradigm shift.

Today, we find ourselves in similar ‘in-between’ times – a liminal state – between two major patterns of socioeconomic reality. The term liminality describes a state of transformation with huge implications for culture, community, identity and values. It is a stage of ambiguity and disorientation that precedes a breakthrough to a new way of thinking. During liminal periods,

As anomalies

increase in number and severity, the need for an

alternative worldview becomes clearer, and eventually a new

paradigm is developed that can solve more problems

than the old one.

social hierarchies are often reconfigured, continuity of traditional habits becomes uncertain, and future outcomes – once taken for granted – are questioned. The dissolution of order during liminality creates a fluid situation that eventually enables new ways of thinking, learning, doing and being to become established.

A state of being

When life is changing and constantly in motion there is less stability to hold onto. When our worldview and what we hold to be true is challenged, we experience a sense of personal disorientation similar to a culture shock, the effect of unfamiliar life and radically different social environments, now, however, in an ongoing perpetual cycle of changing realities. We are under such constant bombardment that no illusion allows our mind to rest; instead, we are in a constant state of raised awareness. In Buddhism the term Dukkha describes that state of being. Dukkha is the pain you experience when you cannot figure out how to let go of what is no more. It is usually translated into English as “suffering” but it also means temporary, limited and imperfect.

Exercising good leadership requires human knowledge. Perhaps most importantly, it requires that you know yourself. Soren Kierkegaard described how important self-insight is in order to rise to the occasion as a human being. He emphasized that we must look inward in order to see outward, change obsolete strategies and make better decisions. This is a conscious process that requires contemplation, peace and a more focused attention than what we are seeing today, when we often find ourselves in a state of high intensity, which consumes the lives of many leaders.

The choice is yours

In the film The Matrix, the main character, Neo, is presented with a choice by a mysterious character called Morpheus. Morpheus offers Neo two pills – a red pill and a blue pill.

The red pill will answer the question: ‘What is the Matrix?’ The blue pill will allow for Neo’s life simply to carry on as before.

The question of which pill to take illustrates the personal aspect of the decision – whether to live on in ignorance or whether to lead what Aristotle referred to as ‘the examined life.’ The question then is not about pills, but rather about what they represent.

The blue pill represents the status quo. It will leave us as we are, in a life full of habits and things we believe we know. The red pill on the other hand represents an unknown quantity and the pursuit of trying to understand the world we live in. It symbolizes risk, doubt, questioning and, ultimately, enlightenment.

The scene in The Matrix illustrates the difficult choice that business leaders face nowadays. Do you acknowledge the new reality and adapt to it? Or do you choose to carry on with the same mindset, skills, behavior and organizational culture, knowing that it will potentially damage your future existence?

Enlightenment never comes cheap. The same applies to the transition from The Industrial Age to The Network Age. But one thing is certain: We live in a time that offers great opportunities for reinvention.

The question is whether you take the blue pill or the red pill?

This article was printed originally in the Drucker Forum @ http://www.druckerforum.org/blog/?p=766

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Greg Gunderson. Greg has been a professional race car driver for 30 years and has competed in over 1000 races.

For Greg racing is a family tradition. His father was a driver. His grandpa, Dew-ey Dirkson, (whom Greg describes as his ‘father’ and best friend) was a pro-lific car mechanic who owned race cars and managed a race team throughout the 1950s and ‘60s. The Dirkson name became synonymous with racing, and winning. He always placed emphasis on the team over the individual; victo-ries were shared by the group.

Greg Gunderson grew up instilled with these values and it shows. His crew, fa-ther and son duo Greg and Justin Krull, are like family to him. In fact Greg Krull’s father Harold and Greg

photography courtesy of Ezra Moore @ www.sidewalkandthesea.com

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHAMPION RACER GREG GUNDERSONby EZRA MOORE

“I GREW UP IMMERSED IN RACING, GOING TO MANY RACES WITH MY FATHER AND GRANDFATHER AS A CHILD.”

Gunderson’s grandpa Dewey often competed against each other back in the day! Just like his grandpa Greg believes

in the importance of the team over the indi-vidual. “Without my crew winning would be impossible because they prepare and maintain the car for me. The crew plays a BIG part in my success.” In a recent interview (Moody County Enterprise, Flandreau, SD) when asked about his regard for the Krulls, Greg said “I have known the Krulls for many years. My grandpa was the biggest factor for my success in racing until his death in 2010. I then struggled to do my racing on my own. Justin saw my struggles and asked if I needed help. From that moment, the pressure on my shoulders all of a sudden released and I felt relief that he and his dad came and helped me. They have been with me since 2010 and for that I am very blessed!”

I sat down with Greg in his enclosed trailer (which felt more like a mobile command cen-ter and garage) and was immediately struck by how clean everything was. Every surface was spotless and every tool was in its place. I hit record on the camera and Greg raised his hands to speak. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - Greg was born Deaf and therefore his first language is ASL (American Sign Language).

I asked Greg to tell me about himself and he replied “Hi, my name is Greg Gunderson. I was born and raised in Sioux Falls, SD and I am hap-py to call it my ‘home’. I was born deaf and I am one of the very few deaf race car drivers in the US. I like to tell people that I have racing in my blood. I am 100% racer because my father was a racer and grandfather was involved in racing as well. My mother’s father, Dewey, was heavily involved with racing in the 1950s and 1960s. When I was born in 1968 he was still racing. I grew up immersed in racing, going to many races with my father and grandfather as a child.”

I was curious to know what challenges his deafness may create for him while racing. Is it a disadvan-tage? He emphatically explained, “People often ask me if my deafness creates difficulties for my racing. I explain to them that it’s really not a problem for me at all. The race is extremely loud. And many of the drivers have a hard

time focusing because of the over-whelming noise. This is not a prob-lem for me at all. Deafness gives me an advantage in that I can focus 100% on the race and not be dis-tracted by the roar of the engines.”

As previously mentioned, Greg has been racing for over 30 years. Most people would be thinking about retirement but he feels compelled to keep racing so as to inspire young Deaf people in the community and to show them that Deafness doesn’t have to limit what you can achieve in life. “There are many reasons why I still race after all these years. Namely, to be with the deaf community and to inspire young deaf people. Another reason

is to continue to educate people about deafness, to let them know that deaf people can do anything that they put their minds to. You would be surprised at how many people come up to me after a race with strange questions because they have never met a real deaf person before. One night after win-ning an exciting race a fan approached me and said ‘Congratulations! Um… can you drive home?’ I was shocked and replied ‘Um YEAH, if I can come down here and win this race don’t you think I can drive myself home?! Of course I can!’ The fan was aston-ished and said ‘Oh wow, you have a driver’s license!’ That is just one example of many times that I have helped correct people’s misconceptions about deaf-ness. For me racing is about much more than simply driving a car; I also get to educate, encourage, and inspire people.”

In addition to rac-ing, Greg often visits schools and summer camps with his race car to deliver an inspiring workshop called “R.A.C.I.N.G. to Success”. R stands for respect, A - at-titude, C - Char-acter, I - Initiate, N - Network, and G stands for goals. “In my workshop,” said Greg, “I go into great detail about how each of these things plays an important part in finding success. After the workshop I let the kids sit in my car and take pictures with them. Reaching out to the community to inspire the youth is one of the high-lights for me.”

“People often ask me if my deafness cre-ates difficulties for

my racing. I explain to them that it’s real-

ly not a problem for me at all. The race is extremely loud. And many of the drivers

have a hard time focusing because of

the overwhelming noise. This is not a problem for me at all. Deafness gives

me an advantage in that I can focus 100%

on the race and not be distracted by the roar of the engines.”

“For me racing is about much

more than simply driving

a car; I also get to educate,

encourage, and inspire people.“

He continued, “There are many par-allels between working a nine to five job and being a race car driver: first, never give up; second, set goals and pursue them until they are met; and third, respect is a ‘two way street. If you want it you need to give it. If you do these things you WILL be success-ful in life.”

To see footage of Greg racing and to watch this interview in ASL (it has captions for those of us that are ‘sign- impaired’) Please click HERE.

Witnessing the suffering of others can have long term effects on mental health, and has been associated with the develop-ment of chronic psychological disorders. This statement seems almost intuitive as humans are social animals. Throughout history we have relied on our ability to respond to the actions of others for the survival of our species. Though, it has been historically believed that only the direct exposure to traumatic stressors, and the subsequent personal suffering was related to psychological disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Vicarious Trauma and PTSD

Much of the early research on PTSD was focused on war veterans. Terms like shell shock or combat fatigue are familiar to us because of this origin with these veter-ans. Recent research has built upon what we have learned from those that have served on the front lines of war. We have now realized that those that have been exposed to traumatic stress indirectly, or

VICARIOUSTRAUMA

You, Me, and PTSD

by HEATHER PIERCE

photography courtesy of Ezra Moore @ www.sidewalkandthesea.com

vicariously through others, also report the same symptoms as veterans. This is particularly true of those working in the helping professions. Helping professionals; such as social workers, police officers, and 911 telecommunicators, are exposed to psychological trauma as a matter of their work - and as often as daily. Evidence of chronic psychological disorders such as PTSD, depression, and substance abuse has been found. These disorders have been associated to the work of helping others in crisis – vicarious trauma.

Vicarious Trauma and Video Interpreters

The advent of technology such as the ZVRS videophone has significantly expanded the communications options for the Deaf. Video Interpreters are able to easily facilitate commu-nication with the hearing world. However, the ques-tion has been raised whether this type of communication will have an impact like we have seen in other tele-communications professionals. Pierce and Lilly (2012)* found that 911 telecommunicators reported experiencing significant emotional distress in reaction to over one-third of the calls that they han-dled. Additionally, of the 171 telecommu-nicators surveyed, 3.6% reported suffering symptoms significant enough for diagnosis of PTSD in relation to their work. Video interpreters also receive emergency calls from those in crisis and provide a link to emergency responders. Current surveys are underway to expand this research and to investigate the effect in video interpret-ers as well.

Stressor + Reaction = Stress

Everyone has stress, but not everyone suf-fers from PTSD. It is true that some degree of stress is frequently part of the daily lives of most people. So, what gives? To better understand this concept, let’s look at the nuts and bolts of stress.

A stressor is essentially a challenge, and can either be a positive or a negative experience. Positivity or negativity is in the eye of the beholder as it is dependent on the reaction of the one perceiving the challenge. A positive response to stress is known as eustress, or the good stress.

Eustress can be motivating and a func-tional aspect of life. Conversely,

distress is a negative re-sponse to stress – the

bad stress. Stressors become negative and bad when perceived as an overwhelm-ing experience that taxes our ability to cope. The reaction to stressors varies

by the individual.

To illustrate this point, think about running a

marathon. I consider the challenge of completing a mar-

athon as eustress. I have logged hun-dreds of miles while training for months to prepare to manage the challenge of run-ning 26.2 miles. I have purchased all the brightly colored cool gear, and I am good to go. Positive experience? Absolutely! However, if you’re not a runner, you are probably thinking that I’m a little cray-cray because running 26.2 miles is a bit horrific. Running a marathon without the adequate resources (brightly colored cool gear), and the preparation (months of training) would be overwhelming to say the least. That would be crazy, and most likely a negative experience that would cause distress. A

What is PTSD? To

simply describe the disorder, PTSD is a chronic

disruption in function due to the inability to effectively cope with

psychological trauma.

*Pierce, Heather, and Michelle M. Lilly. “Duty-related trauma exposure in 911 telecommunicators: Considering the risk for posttraumatic stress.” Journal of

traumatic stress 25.2 (2012): 211-215.

Extensive surveys of random people have found that on average about 7% of the population report symptoms of PTSD at any given time.

marathon is a stressor, but the reaction to the challenge is dependent on the indi-vidual’s perceived ability to cope with the situation.

Traumatic Stress

Experiences that threaten our personal safety, integrity, or well-being, and are per-ceived as distressing are defined as trau-matic stress. Traumatic stress has been as-sociated with PTSD. With traumatic stress, we still have the basic formula of a stressor + reaction = stress. However, the criteria of the components are more specific. A traumatic stressor is an event that is more threatening and may involve serious inju-ry, harm, or death. Examples of common traumatic stressors include sexual assault, physical violence, and domestic abuse. The reaction to a traumatic stressor is often distress, but this isn’t necessarily universal. Those that report distress have described emotions such as intense fear, helpless-

ness, horror, shame, anger, or guilt.

Traumatic Stressor + Distress = PTSD?

The reality of life is that most of us at some point will be experience a traumatic stress-or, and will feel distress. This is completely normal and to be expected. The intensity of the reaction to a traumatic stressor var-ies by the individual perceiving the event and their ability to manage the challenge. Resiliency to psychological trauma is often found. Extensive surveys of random people have found that on average about 7% of the population report symptoms of PTSD at any given time.

What is PTSD? To simply describe the disorder, PTSD is a chronic disruption in function due to the inability to effectively cope with psychological trauma. We know that feeling distress in response to a trau-matic stressor is a normal reaction. How-

ever, the intensity of that distress should lessen over time. For those suffering from PTSD, the distress may not lessen, and may actually intensify over time. For some, it’s almost as if they’re continually stuck in the moment of the trauma.

PTSD Signs and Symptoms

PTSD has four primary symptom clusters – intrusion, avoidance, negative cognitions and mood, and arousal. Intrusion, or re-ex-periencing, is having spontaneous memo-ries of the traumatic event. Re-experienc-ing is prolonged distress and may present as nightmares or flashbacks. Avoidance is just as it seems – avoiding the thoughts or situations that may trigger memories of the traumatic event. Substance use may aid in avoidance or numbing, and may be used as a method to self-med-icate. Negative cognitions and mood is difficult to briefly de-scribe. Those that experience traumatic events may have a distorted sense of blame of self or others, and may generally express negativity about the world. Someone with negative cognitions will typically over- generalize danger. As an example, they may say things like, “I never ride the bus because bad things always happen on the bus. Riding the bus is very dangerous.” Although crime may occasion-ally occur on the bus, the actual threat is over-stated. Arousal and reactivity is the most commonly recognized symptom of PTSD. The often cited example is the sol-dier that has long since returned from war, but hears a loud bang and still hits the ground. That is arousal and reactivity. Most describe this symptom as “always feeling keyed up.” The symptoms of PTSD are the same - regardless if exposure to traumatic events is directly experienced, witnessed, or job-related.

Unfortunately psychological trauma is part of the human experience. Most are resilient, and feeling distress immediate-

ly after an event is normal. It’s also not usual to occasionally have some of the symptoms of PTSD. However, those that work in the helping professions are at a greater risk for adverse mental health due to the repeated exposure to psychological trauma. The emergency responders that I have interviewed reported feeling anxious often - particularly after a difficult shift. A common feeling reported was also anger and easily becoming irritated with others. Some turned to alcohol to ease the nerves and calm down after a rough shift. But, the alcohol became the medication for all emotions and work problems became personal issues. If you are reading this and nodding your head because you have similar experiences, please talk to a pro-fessional health care provider. Have you

noticed these symptoms in someone close to you or a co-worker? Talk to them about what you are noticing. Many employers offer Employee Assistance Programs that include confidential consultation with a mental health provider. If this isn’t an option for you, see your primary physician or many local public health departments offer low cost mental health counseling services. Please never self-diagnose or self-medicate.

PTSD is a treatable disorder – therapy is effective in reducing the symptoms. As Mr. Rogers once said, “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is men-tionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they be-come less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.” -Fred Rogers

STRATUS VIDEOINTERPRETING

Hola

Hello

Bonjour

by KATE PASCUCCI

“We believe in challenging the interpre-tation industry’s old fashion business models”. That’s our motto at Stratus Video Interpreting. We strive to be innovative, exciting, helpful and cooperative. Every day we challenge the old ideas surround-ing the interpretation industry - and thus far it has been a great success.

Stratus Video, born of ZVRS, is a video remote interpretation (VRI) platform. We focus primarily in healthcare. What that means is that when a deaf/hard-of-hearing or limited English proficiency patient walks in to the ER, the doctor can now grab his Stratus device and place a video call to an interpreter instead of having to wait for someone to show up onsite. Language barriers no longer have to delay critical care. With Stratus Video, everyone can be

understood with just the push of a button.

Prior to the advent of VRI, patients who did not speak English were expected to wait for an onsite interpreter, use an ar-chaic phone system or simply be left in the dark about their medical care. VRI has made it so that an interpreter in a second location can be reached over video at a moment’s notice. Stratus Video took it a step beyond that by developing a mobile VRI app – so that a video interpreter can be reached on a laptop, desktop, tablet or smartphone. By keeping communication at our fingertips, we are ensuring that no one will ever have to go without the language assistance they need. Stratus interpreters are available 24 hours a day and are locat-ed across the continental US.

Just for a minute, imagine that you are traveling and suffer an accident. Perhaps the bus you are on crashes in the middle of the night. You and all of the other pas-sengers are rushed to the nearest hospi-tal- when you arrive you are horrified to discover that no one on staff speaks your language. It is too late to call in an onsite interpreter, and even if it weren’t your condition is serious and you do not have time to waste waiting for communication assistance to arrive.

This situation is not hypothetical. This exact scenario took place late last year, when a bus carrying primarily Span-ish-speaking passengers crashed into a ditch outside of Redding, CA. 17 vic-tims were brought in to Mercy Medical Center in Redding, CA, a facility that fortunately, had an account with Stratus Video.

The Emergency Department doctors didn’t hesitate to grab their dedicated iPad and start placing calls to Stratus Video’s Spanish Interpreters. With-in moments of the injured passengers ar-riving at a hospital in Redding, CA, remote interpreters from all over the country were live on call with them, helping them to communicate. One passenger, a young mother with two children, was bleeding profusely when the call was placed. She was obviously distraught and the doctors were attempting to calm her down and

treat her wounds. When the Stratus Video interpreter was brought in over video, he immediately began interpreting her refusal to receive any treatment until her chil-dren were cared for. Without that instant use of VRI, this mother’s request would have gone unheard and she would have suffered the emotional trauma of being ignored.

In another recent situation, a Spanish VI (Video Interpreter) took a call from a labor & delivery department. She found herself

in an operating theater, confront-ed with a Spanish-speaking

woman about to un-dergo a C-Section.

The doctor began to explain the

procedure to the expect-ant parents, and the interpreter took care to make sure they understood

every sin-gle word. “I

watched the stress melt off

of their faces,” said the Span-

ish VI in a follow-up conversation, “imagine

how scary it must be to be brought in to an OR without understand-ing what’s going on. There’s a medical team surrounding you, there’s equipment everywhere, it must be difficult to discern whether you’re in a good situation or a bad one.”

Fortunately for this young couple, they were in a very good situation. The Stratus Interpreter stayed on the line throughout the delivery, guiding the mother and fa-ther through this life-changing moment.

“Imagine how scary it must be to be brought in

to an OR without understanding what’s going on. There’s a

medical team surrounding you, there’s equipment everywhere,

it must be difficult to discern whether you’re in a good situation or a bad one.”

At the moment of delivery, a scrub nurse grabbed the iPad and positioned it so that the VI could actually watch the baby boy be born, claiming that as an import-ant part of the medical team, the VI de-served to be a part of this moment. Once the healthy baby had been brought in to the world, the newly minted father broke down in to tears and ev-eryone in the room cheered. Once ev-erything had been cleaned up, the medical team fought over who would get to take the iPad with them for the follow-up!

Stories like this remind us of our pur-pose. Interpreting is many things—it is an impressive skill, a legal and medical requirement and significant communi-cation tool in our globalized world…but above all else it is a bridge. Our VIs have the unique experience of being an instant

bridge between two parties that have no other way of understanding one another. VRI has not changed the spirit of inter-pretation, but it has changed the delivery.

With VRI com-munication is more efficient and more accessible. An injured mother no longer has to be ignored while an onsite interpreter arrives, and a new father watching his wife undergo a C-section doesn’t have to hold a phone to his ear to know what’s going on.

At Stratus, we are challenging the old fash-ion business models by quickening the delivery rate of high quality language ac-cess services. By connecting

healthcare professionals with our team of highly qualified interpreters, we are level-ing the playing field for the deaf/hoh and limited English proficiency populations. Our system can be put into ambulances and helicopters- it can be loaded on to phones and computers. With Stratus Vid-eo everyone speaks the same language – and everyone understands.

Kate Pascucci is the Director of Marketing at Stratus Video Interpreting.

QUESTIONS & COMMENTSto find out more about magaZine

its host site GETAZLIFE.COM contact us at http://www.getazlife.com/contact-us or click on the INTERPRETERS tab for informaton

on jobs and educationW

THANKSBROUGHT TO YOU BY GETAZLIFE.COM

A PRODUCT OF Z VIDEO RELAY SERVICE

A NEW KIND OF COMPANY FOR A NEW FRAME OF MIND

Many thanks to the artists, designers, and authors who lent their time and talents to make this mgazine possible. Among them are the following:

credits

•COVER photo of Greg Gunderson by Ezra Moore @ www.sidewalkandthesea.com

•pg 6 - Sean Belanger, CEO of ZVRS. Belanger received his bachelor’s degree in management from Virginia Tech and has 30 years experience in the technology industry. He was most recently CEO of Paradyne Networks and was the driving force behind the unveiling of technology that resulted in increasing Internet access to millions of customers, including major telephone companies. Prior to Paradyne Networks, he was general manager of 3Com’s Network Service Provider Division.

•pg 8 - Diana Walsh O’Toole has worked in video relay call centers since 2002, and continues to love her career as a Sign

Language Interpreter as much now as when she started in 1993. When taking a break from her work in the Colorado Springs ZVRS Center, Diana can be found hiking Colorado’s 14,000+ foot high mountains or ticking items off her bucket list, including visiting the Parthenon in Athens, Greece and climbing 19,341 foot tall Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.

•pg 11 - Photography for thsi article was provided by Josephine Cardin

QUESTIONS & COMMENTSto find out more about magaZine

its host site GETAZLIFE.COM contact us at http://www.getazlife.com/contact-us or click on the INTERPRETERS tab for informaton

on jobs and educationW

magaZine

@ http://www.cardinphotography.com/

•pg 20 - Photography for this article was provided by Tate Tullier @ tatetullier.com.

•pg 20 - For more information about Shoshannah Stern, visit her website at http://www.shoshannah-stern.com/

•pg 30 - Philip W Bravin, Vice President of Business Development and Outreach, previously worked at Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), where he helped pioneer the development of CSD’s video relay service and worked on cutting edge developments in communications technologies for deaf and hard of hearing people. He currently serves as president for Lexington School and Center for the Deaf Board of Directors.

•pg 30 - Illustrations for this article were created by Leland Purvis. More of

his work can be found at lelandpurvis.com.

•pg 34 - This article came to us courtesy of the Drucker Forum. You can find this and many other thought-provoking articles at www.druckerforum.org. Kenneth Mikkelsen is a renowned thinker, speaker, writer, leadership advisor, learning designer, connector of ideas + people, loud listener, horizon scanner, polymath, and humanist. Follow Mr Mikkelsen at https://twitter.com/leadershipabc

•pg 38 - For more information about Greg Gunderson, visit his website at http://www.gundersonracing.com/about/

•pg 48 - Heather Pierce was a researcher with Northern Illinois University that was the first to publish a study regarding the trauma exposure and PTSD in 911 telecommunicators. The study was publicized in the international media and has brought attention to a previously unrecognized group of first responders.

•pg 54 - Kate Pascucci is the Director of Marketing at Stratus Video Interpreting.

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