deaffriendly News

Over 200 Phoenix Professionals Get Deaf-Friendly Training

Posted by: Staff Writer on July 1, 2016 | Comments

After attending a two-hour Deaf-Friendly Customer Service training on Wednesday, Kevin Mattingly wasted no time taking action: He personally turned on the captions on each television set in the Phoenix Convention Center. And decided to leave them on, forever.

Posted by: Staff Writer on June 7, 2016 | Comments

Lets face it, it’s tough getting a negative review or negative feedback. No one likes it, whether you’re an individual or a business. While eighty percent of reviews on deaffriendly.com are positive, the deaf-challenged experiences Deaf consumers face sometimes lead to reviews that are three stars or less. We encourage businesses to reframe the situation and see negative reviews as a wonderful opportunity to gain an edge, get information about Deaf consumers, and do concrete things to create a deaf-friendly experience in the future. In fact, the most successful situations we see are a deaf-challenged business taking a negative review and turning it into a positive one.

Posted by: Staff Writer on June 6, 2016 | Comments

Vicki Moseley is our newest dynamic, fun-loving, and energetic team member, bringing with her years of experience teaching hearing businesses how to interact with Deaf people. Her sparkling eyes and mischievous smile lights up the room every time she enters it. When she’s not training businesses, she’s enjoying the great outdoors: kayaking, snowshoeing, swimming, hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For her it’s her community, her people, and the relationships she has with them that means the most. You’ll find her prioritizing time with her friends and loved ones, traveling to be with them, and volunteering on the board of a local Deaf organization.

Posted by: Elise Whitworth on May 1, 2016 | Comments

When I was a kid, I played in the meadow and chased the cows through riverbanks. I rocked out to 80’s music, sang along with Madonna and danced to “Lucky Star” and “Holiday”. I never thought that, at the age of 8 years old, one of my senses would leave me and my life would take a drastic turn. Growing up over the years with hearing loss, I struggled to understand those around me including my parents, my teachers, and my 5 siblings. I couldn’t place telephone calls, understand the television, classroom instruction, nor the radio. None of my peers were like me and I was confused, angry and alone. By the age of 18, I had a profound hearing loss and could no longer hear Madonna’s voice over my pink ghetto blaster.

Posted by: Staff Writer on April 25, 2016 | Comments

As a native Dallasite who grew up in the family business, Vicki Moseley has done it all: From bookkeeping to interacting with hungry regulars. Even in an era of table tracking buzzers and ready-order apps, she’d be the first to tell you that there’s no substitute for the “secret sauce” of customer service: Face-to-face interactions.

Posted by: Staff Writer on April 12, 2016 | Comments

This month, April 2016, marks 4 year anniversary since we launched deaffriendly.com. Wow! 4 years ago when I launched this business, going about my daily life as a Deaf consumer was frustrating, time consuming, annoying, and often I arrived home everyday, exhausted.

Posted by: Staff Writer on April 7, 2016 | Comments

This month marks four years of deaffriendly.com, an online review website for Deaf consumers to rate their positive and negative consumer experiences about businesses they frequent. Along the way, we’ve come to realize two things: change happens with every interaction in ordinary but powerful ways and change also happens when a small group of people decide to do big things, together.

Posted by: Elise Whitworth on April 1, 2016 | Comments

Socorro Garcia is our new Community Outreach Manager for deaffriendly.com and we are so excited to have her on the deaffriendly team. A big part of her job is going out into the community and networking with hearing businesses and Deaf consumers, to make sure they know about deaffriendly.com and all the different ways we can help them create a deaf-frinedly world.

Posted by: Elise Whitworth on March 1, 2016 | Comments

Crystal was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by the mountains and water. You’ll find her reading articles, writing poetry, or spending time near the many waterways and beaches of the Puget Sound. She’s our editor at deaffriendly.com and responsible for much of our written content on our website. A wordsmith, she produces articles and consumes coffee with equal speed and fervor, and we’re happy to keep her supplied in both.

Posted by: Staff Writer on Feb. 3, 2016 | Comments

On any given day you may find deaffriendly.com Advocate Kate Spencer curled up reading a book, watching crime-related shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, or coloring in an adult coloring book. Like a true Northwest native she has cultivated a special connection with the Puget Sound waters; combing the shores, collecting seashells, seaglass, and rocks while taking in the ocean view. When she’s out and about shopping at local businesses, hitting up farmer's markets, and browsing for treasures at thrift stores and garage sales she’s always looking for new places to write reviews about.