Rich Diedrichsen, Descriptive Transcript

[Descriptive transcript: video opens with a blue title card with the logo for the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing in center. Text on upper right corner: “40 years anniversary”. Video transitions to a black slide with white text: “The views and opinions expressed in this video are those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or the State of Minnesota.” Video transitions to Darlene holding a paper in one hand and signing with the other while standing in front of a balloon arch onstage.]

>> Darlene: All right, our next presenter is a very important person, and it's Rich Diedrichsen. Please come on up.

[Darlene signs to someone off-screen. Rich walks onstage while Darlene walks off-stage. He reaches behind the podium to get a microphone and tests it. He exchanges the microphone with someone in the front row for one that works.’

>> Richard: So this I got to get this working? 

[He tests the new microphone. He speaks. A CDI steps in place next to him and signs.]

>> Richard: Yeah. Okay. So, if you want a description, I'm a white guy with matching hair and a matching goatee, and a little bit older looking, and I have the body of a movie star. You might think of Jack Black.

[Laughter.]

>> Richard: You know, it's hard, and today - with today's technology, and deaf and hard of hearing people, we have access almost 24/7 to communication. We have video relay. We can get it on the telephone. We can get it on an iPad and all that. But there was a time when the only access to communication for deaf people, especially with telecommunication, was the TTY and a landline. Anybody remember the big green machine? Yes. Okay. While traveling, you could depend on maybe finding a pay phone. If you are hearing now, if you're deaf or hard of hearing, you get up there and you look at it and okay, what's this thing for? And you better know how to dial with the rotary through. But then there was a problem. If you were hard of hearing, payphones were always in an area where there's a lot of noise. Good luck with that. Okay. Then in the mid '90s, technology allowed for TTY to be paired with payphones.

This time, US West, which is the largest telephone service provider in Minnesota, had an advisory panel consisting of individuals who have various disabilities. The individuals were telephone users who were deaf, blind, hard of hearing, people with mobility limitations and other limitations. The people on this committee joined together and they wanted an effort to have the TTY payphones set up in public spaces. But the question was, where do you start? As it was, the timing for this effort couldn't have been better. The state of Minnesota was in the middle of updating and upgrading their state-owned rest stops. The US West panel did not have access to state agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Transportation, MNDOT.

However, thankfully, we were able to connect with MNCDHH. That's what they used to call us. and they decided that they would be excited about the partnership and they assigned an assistant director named Mike Cashman as our liaison. Mike is right over here.

[Richard points to someone in the audience.]

>> Richard: If you want to get his autograph after this show, put your hand up, 

[Laughter.]

>> Richard: Mike. Okay. This was a critical step acting as a catalyst for what would become a group of organizations representing people with disabilities, not just hearing loss, but people with disabilities, and with their mandate to advise state agencies such as MNDOT on accessibility, the pieces were in place. Over the next year, MNDOT was convinced to include payphones with TTY in the newly remodeled rest stops. There would also be signage on the highway advertising that the TTY pay phone was at that rest stop. This was a groundbreaking game changer. It was the first time the state agency acknowledged the need for universal access for people who use the rest stop or use state agencies. That's showing that people with disabilities were participating members of the communities of Minnesota. That may be hard to believe that it was that recent.

Without the partnership with the Commission, this milestone of success likely would have taken several more years. And from the start the concept of universal access from this start the concept of universal access became a goal of all stated agencies even in public spaces and now it's written into the law. Thank you Minnesota Commission for your support.

[Applause.]

[Video transitions to a black slide with white text: “With deep appreciation to all presenters, community members, and everyone who has been part of the Commission for the past forty years. Looking forward to many more years of advocacy, hard work, collaboration, and making a difference to the quality of life of Minnesota’s deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing community.”]

[Video ends.]