Video Relay Service

A free, subscriber-based telecommunications service regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States that enables deaf individuals who use sign language to make phone calls to hearing individuals through a sign language interpreter via video link. Unlike video remote interpreting (VRI), VRS requires that all three participants—the deaf person, the hearing person, and the interpreter—be in separate locations. Major VRS providers in the United States include Sorenson Communications, Purple Communications, ZVRS, and Convo Communications. VRS interpreters face unique challenges including limited visual access to the deaf caller's environment and the cognitive demands of interpreting without contextual cues about the conversation setting.