CSD Partners With BarZ Adventures to Give Virtual Sign Language Tours of Austin

Location: Austin, Texas
Release date: 2/29/2008

BarZ Adventures and their innovative GPS audio/video device can now be your handheld, virtual city tour guide for American Sign Language users, thanks to CSD of Texas’ interpreting contributions. Debuts this weekend at DeafNation Expo, Austin. 

AUSTIN, TEXAS (Feb. 28, 2008) — Imagine visiting a new city and each time you come upon a historical landmark, instead of reading a pamphlet or brochure, the technology you hold in your hand automatically takes you on an in-depth journey, explaining the historical significance in full detail, using both audio and visual. With the GPS Ranger — a multimedia global positioning satellite touring device with a four-inch LCD screen and amplified audio system — this is already possible.
 
Now, imagine you are deaf.
 
This cutting-edge technology, created by BarZ Adventures, is currently available at national parks, zoos, and cities around the nation. To make these virtual tours more accessible to both deaf and hard of hearing people, BarZ Adventures initially added a captioning option to the device. And now for the first time, working together with CSD, they have created a tour available completely in American Sign Language (ASL), a tour of Austin, Texas.
 
“With Austin’s reputation as a hub for innovation and technology, we’re proud to offer the cutting-edge GPS Ranger tour.  The tour lends itself nicely to both leisure and business travelers, as visitors can explore the city at their own pace, on their own or with a group, stopping to learn more about the sites that pique their specific interests,” says Bob Lander, president and chief executive officer of Austin CVB.  “We are especially excited to offer the American Sign Language tour, which increases accessibility and helps us provide the best services and amenities possible for all visitors.  The GPS Ranger allows deaf or hard of hearing visitors to experience Austin with the assistance of a personal guide who details the city’s rich history and signature attractions in American Sign Language.”
 
Susan Sien, a deaf school administrator and citizen of Austin, was one of the first to take the Austin historical walking tour. “The GPS Ranger tool was offered in both captioning and ASL. It was fantastic,” said Sien. “The tour highlighted the landmarks around the city by incorporating historical photos and video. It was an awesome experience that will allow the deaf community to enjoy travel even more.”
 
The ASL tour is being launched March 1, at the DeafNation Expo in Austin, located at The Crockett Center (10601 N. Lamar). The expo is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and anyone who wants to experience this ASL city tour need only stop by the CSD of Texas exhibit, where the GPS Ranger will be made available.
 
“I strongly feel that everyone in the world should have equal access to our national treasures,” said Lee Little, BarZ Adventures founder and inventor of the GPS Ranger. “We realized that the Ranger was perfectly suited for the hearing loss community, and with the support of CSD, we were able to offer the first sign language tour in America for any major city. Speaking on behalf of the BarZ development team, we are all proud to help those with a hearing loss have a more enriched and enhanced visit to venues all Americans hold dear.”
 
CSD hopes to replicate this model in other locations around the nation, ensuring that those who use ASL as their primary language are not excluded from taking these kinds of virtual tours.
 
“This reminds me of my experience at the 1968 Hemisphere Fair in San Antonio, where such a device was showcased as a 'future toy,'” said Bobbie Beth Scoggins, CSD chief operating officer. "We are one step closer to an even playing field where communications access is concerned.”
 
About CSD — CSD (aka Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.) was established in 1975, primarily to provide sign language interpreting services to deaf and hard of hearing adults in South Dakota. Today, CSD employs over 2,000 individuals in offices across the nation, providing a broad continuum of social and human services programs, as well as telecommunications relay services. CSD is a private nonprofit agency dedicated to providing quality services; ensuring public accessibility; and increasing awareness of issues affecting the deaf, hard of hearing and individuals with speech disabilities. For more information, please visit www.c-s-d.org.
 
About BarZ Adventures — BarZ Adventures LP is an Austin, Texas based company combining experts in the fields of computer delivery systems, documentary film production, and interpretive and educational content development. BarZ Adventures has designed the patent pending GPS Ranger with large venues and their visitors in mind. The sole mission of BarZ Adventures is to enhance the visitor experience by using modern technology. For more information on the company or its products, log on to www.gpsranger.com, or call (512) 732-0135.