CSD Announces Enrollment Beginning for Annual Deaf/Hard of Hearing Youth Leadership Camp

Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Release date: 2/4/2010

National Leadership and Literacy Camp is now taking applicants for the upcoming summer camps structured on building tomorrow’s deaf leaders.

CSD and the National Leadership and Literacy Camp (NLLC) are now accepting deaf and hard of hearing students for their annual summer camps. The NLLC, which brings together gifted deaf and hard of hearing students to sharpen their literacy and journalism skills along with their leadership abilities, offers two separate programs. The NLLC program for 9th-12th graders will be held from June 27– July 10, and the NLLC program for 5th-8th graders will be from July 11-24, both located at CSD’s Camp Lakodia, in Madison, S.D.

This year’s NLLC program is being directed by none other than Frank Turk, affectionately known as the “Father of Deaf Youth in America,” who, for more than 50 years, has shared his development philosophy and leadership principles with schools and programs for the deaf and hard of hearing people all across America. Turk will be assisted by Chelsea Tobin Paulson, a college senior and former Miss Deaf America (2006-08), who will coordinate day-by-day program activities.

The camp’s mission is to prepare — through a challenging learning environment — each child for a meaningful and productive life in a competitive and ever-changing world. Daily program activities are carefully planned so as to develop a social-educational climate specific to the development of basic personal autonomy, appropriate future aspirations and positive participation in society. Located on the shores of Lake Herman, there is also plenty of outdoor and water activities available to the youth while they experience this unique and innovative camp.

The NLLC is organized around three thrusts: Camp Council, the student-run governing body of the program; Leadership and Literacy Classes, featuring discussions, debates and lectures on topics such as semantics of language arts, idioms, and colloquialisms, along with utilizing the strengths of your team members to cultivate leaders; and Mentorship Class, focusing on peer group development and how it pertains to socialization in school and in life.

“As an organization by, of and for the deaf, CSD is proud to provide a much-needed resource for today’s underserved deaf and hard of hearing youth,” said Ben Soukup, CSD chief executive officer. “It’s truly amazing seeing these campers redefine their potential once they graduate from the NLLC and understand there is nothing — including deafness — holding them back from achieving their goals in life.”

To find out more information or fill out an application for the NLLC, downloadable forms are available at www.nllcamp.com. For those in financial need, CSD and the NLLC also have a limited number of Frank Turk Scholarships available, and these scholarships are based on both scholastic achievement and their family’s income level. That scholarship form can also be found at the NLLC Web site.

About NLLC — The National Leadership and Literacy Camp (NLLC) fosters intellectual and personal growth and development through activities that embrace the social, physical, intellectual, communicative and emotional (SPICE) domains of learning and becoming. The mission of this program is to prepare – through a challenging learning environment – each child for a meaningful and productive life in a competitive and ever-changing world. Daily program activities are carefully planned so as to develop a social-educational climate specific to the development of basic personal autonomy, appropriate future aspirations and positive participation in society. For more information about the NLLC, go to: http://www.nllcamp.com.

IRS Videos in ASL Available on YouTube

With tax season in full swing, did you know that deaf and hard of hearing consumers can find answers to their tax questions directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in American Sign Language (ASL)?

The IRS has built a YouTube channel complete with a series of ASL videos—that are also voiced and captioned—on a myriad of tax topics, including e-File and Direct Deposit, Free File and Fillable Forms, Education Tax Credits, Unemployment Compensation and Home Energy Credits. ASL videos on many more important subjects for taxpayers will be added as they become available.

Just go to the IRS YouTube channel here http://www.youtube.com/user/IRSvideosASL to see ASL videos that will help you complete your taxes this year. You can post and share these videos through your websites, vlogs or other social network venues. Click on the subscriptions button at the top of the YouTube page and you can find out right away when future videos become available.

IRS videos in ASL with audio and captions are available online

CSD Interpreting Online Redefining Access for Deaf Consumers

CSD Interpreting Online, or CSDIO, continues to pave new roads of access for deaf and hard of hearing consumers who either need last-minute interpreters, live in remote or rural areas where interpreters are not quickly available, or who prefer the reliability of scheduling a consistent dedicated interpreter each appointment.
CSDIO allow deaf and hard of hearing people in same room to communicate through an interpreter at distant location via video.
CSDIO offers many positive options over the video relay service (VRS). For instance, using VRS, the consumer will not be able to choose an interpreter; they are designated with the first available in the call queue. “Consumers love the ability to consistently gain access to a highly qualified interpreter who is familiar with their specific ‘lingo” within their profession,” said Mark Seeger, CSDIO director. “Being able to match the gender is also a huge advantage.”
CSD has partnered with Safenet Services in Oklahoma to set up CSDIO for deaf and hard of hearing clients who use their domestic shelter, and CSDIO is also used by global corporations like IBM. For more information about CSDIO, go to www.csdio.com.

CSD of Minnesota Thankful for Their Volunteers

CSD of Minnesota LOVES its volunteers! There are so many stories to be shared from the kindness shown by the community’s support in Minnesota.
Dann Trainer continues to provide support and advocacy to our HIV/AIDS program and other causes. Migdalia Rogers advocates for our deaf victims in court, at shelters and meets them to provide the support they deserve. Krissy Cinealis, Aaron Cucci, Elise Knopf, Tarra Grammenos, Amanda Lee Genaro, Denise Anderson, Del Anderson, April Gardner, Cici and Genna jump on board for projects that need to be completed to fundraise for CSD’s human services.
Interns, interpreters, and ASL programs have amazing students (too many to name) that will come into the office and support us with little projects. Minnesota is lucky to have the community and commitment of its volunteers; without them, we would not accomplish the work needed to serve and support our programs.
Thank you Minnesota!

CSD Attends Junior NAD Conference

The Junior NAD Conference was held in Austin, Texas at the Texas School for the Deaf, Nov. 4-7. Over 93 students from 31 different schools, participated, along with 43 staff. Eight presenters enriched the students with the stories of their professional experiences.

CSD of Texas’ Kent Kennedy presented on his experiences between the Texas Association for the Deaf (TAD) and National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Sharing the TAD accomplishments we had during 1991-1995 and NAD accomplishments during 1998-2003. The challenges Kennedy highlighted were a lack of interpreters, over 100,000 people on Social Security Insurance, closing of deaf schools and the impact of cochlear implants.
“I enjoyed presenting at the workshop. I would do it again in the near future, because we need to keep carrying our deaf heritage to them,” said Kennedy. “These are our future deaf leaders. They are all precious to us.”
Kennedy also noted that being involved in organizations like TAD and the NAD are real-life experiences, and not something you can take a course on. He said being around human beings helps develop respect for others as well.

CSD Designated for State of California Disability Equipment Distribution Contract

Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Release date: 12/17/2009

Call Center of the Year award winning organization, CSD, notified on intent to award $30 million contract to provide services to the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program for state’s 600,000 deaf, hard of hearing, blind and other disabled community.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced that it intends to award CSD a $30 million contract enabling CSD to continue operating their statewide equipment distribution program. The three-year contract would begin July 1, 2010. The contract also has an option for two one-year extensions.

Under the terms of the contract, CSD will continue operating, staffing and maintaining the equipment processing contact center in Stockton, Calif. On the contact center side, employees ensure all incoming calls are processed and the necessary equipment is distributed to the consumer. The program — the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program (DDTP) — provides deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and other disabled citizens telephony and other equipment (TTYs, captioned phones, etc.) based on their unique needs, and truly sets the industry standard for statewide equipment distribution programs. Overall, this program is integrated with three separate functions: the contact center, the warehouse, and the equipment tracking system.

“CSD considers it to be a great privilege to serve the State of California and the 600,000-plus consumers who currently are a part of the DDTP,” said Christopher Soukup, CSD contact centers senior vice president. “We are proud of the caliber of our entire agent and managerial workforce that supports this important program. The DDTP is closely aligned with the mission of our organization which is dedicated to achieving greater access, awareness, and independence for all individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. We look forward to continuing our involvement for many years to come and we remain committed to excellence, integrity, and innovation in all that we do.”

A state-of-the-art telecommunications system processes incoming calls in the contact center from consumer telephone (voice, TTY, CapTel, VRS, including non-English language) calls, and can also process contacts via e-mail or in real-time with Web chat. The warehouse distribution center houses required equipment and materials and supports shipping, receiving, accepting returns, testing, refurbishment and scrapping equipment. The tracking system integrates with the contact center and warehouse to track consumer information and service orders which can be accessed from remote locations throughout the State of California. CSD will partner with San Jose Distribution Services for disseminating the equipment.

“San Jose Distribution Services Inc. is extremely proud and honored to be able to continue providing distribution logistics services for such a worthwhile state program that positively affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of Californians,” said Gary Minardi, San Jose Distribution Services president. CSD is a former Global Call Center of the Year award-winner (2004), and was previously designated a “pacesetter” by the Call Center Industry Advisory Council (CIAC). A CIAC Pacesetter is a call center leading organization that actively demonstrates its commitment to service excellence. In fiscal year 2008-09, CSD processed over 230,000 inbound and outbound calls at the Stockton center, and 99 percent of all customer complaints were resolved during the initial call. This commitment to excellence is one reason why CSD was chosen by the California PUC.

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 nearly 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 The California Public Utilities Commission — The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulates privately owned telecommunications, electric, natural gas, water, railroad, rail transit, and passenger transportation companies. It is responsible for ensuring that customers have safe, reliable utility service at reasonable rates, protecting against fraud, and promoting the health of California’s economy. The Commission also has oversight of the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program (DDTP). This program includes CTAP (California Telephone Access Program — an equipment loan program) and CRS (California Relay Service). For more information about the CPUC and this program, go to www.cpuc.ca.gov and www.ddtp.org

Job Announcement: Web Developer (Sioux Falls, SD)

Web Developer (Sioux Falls, SD)

Job Announcement

POSITION: Web Developer (Sioux Falls, SD)

Position Description:

The Web Developer will be a member of the Creative Media team, and will be responsible for back-end development, front end design and integration of CSD Web sites. The Web Developer will report to the Director of Marketing and Public Relations.

Essential Functions:

• Perform Internet-based application development including database design
• Develop Interactive Web and Flash Applications
• Responsible for HTML and Javascript coding with the Flash components.
• Starting from existing designs, created in Photoshop and/or Illustrator, you will develop and implement functionality and usability
• Build an interactive media capability within the company, design web projects including structure/navigation and visuals for websites and intranets
• Ensure appropriate website architecture and format, including Flash-based movie clips, animated graphics, and static photographs
• Maintain and document requirements (web, programming, database and standard)
• Act as liaison between company and clients’ IT (when needed) for Internet-based projects
• Update corporate social networking/blog/Vlog sites like DeafVideo.tv, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, etc.
• Handle multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines
• Additional duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems, Web Design, or related field required
• Minimum 3+ years equivalent work experience required
• Ability to effectively communicate, inform and involve others to achieve shared objectives
• Attentiveness to detail and the ability to work independently with strategic insights are imperative
• Demonstrated proficiency with content management systems and web-related technologies including Microsoft ASP.NET, JavaScript, HTML, Flash, and web and database architecture required
• Ability to communicate in American Sign Language required.

SALARY: Commensurate with experience and qualifications.

BENEFITS: Group Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, Retirement Program, Paid Time Off (PTO), Short Term Disability, Paid Holidays and Employee Assistance Program.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open Until Filled.

COMPLETE ONLINE APPLICATION OR SEND RESUME/COVER LETTER

Cindy Shuck, Human Resources

Communication Service for the Deaf

102 North Krohn Place • Sioux Falls, SD 57103

(800) 642-6410 or (605) 367-5760 Voice/TTY • (605) 367-5832 FAX or cshuck(at)c-s-d.org

www.c-s-d.org

CSD Golf Classic Raises Over $15,000 for Deaf Youth

On July 31, at Spring Creek Golf Course in Harrisburg, S.D., CSD held its seventh annual Golf Classic fundraiser. All proceeds from this charity event benefit Camp Lakodia’s National Literacy and Leadership Camp (NLLC) for deaf and hard of hearing youth. The NLLC is held each year at Camp Lakodia, located on Lake Herman in Madison, S.D.
The golf teams played a best-ball scramble format, and the top three teams actually tied (11 under), and winners had to be decided by handicap. The top three teams were Haake Insurance, SDN, and Sprint.

There were also individual awards — Longest Drive Men: Jim Skjeveland (Sprint); Longest Drive Women: Joy Feige (Eide Bailly); Longest Putt Men: Adam Ellsworth (CSD); Longest Putt Women: Doris Krekelberg (former CSD); Closest to Pin Men: Rick Gordon (John Archer’s team); Closest to Pin Women: Anne Delay (KSFY Action News).

Over $15,000 was raised to support next year’s NLLC campers.

“It’s hard to believe we have been hosting the CSD Golf Classic for seven years already,” said Ben Soukup, CSD chief executive officer. “It’s gratifying seeing the outpouring of support for these deaf youth — who are our future deaf leaders — from the Sioux Falls community, our business partners, and of course, from CSD employees who volunteer and participate. Thanks to all of them, we the Golf Classic experienced another successful year.”

Job Announcement: Director of Business Development

POSITION DESCRIPTION: Director of Business Development- Sioux Falls, SD

The Director of Business Development is responsible for supporting the day-to-day business analysis of CSD’s contact center and technology division. In addition, the Director is responsible for evaluating new business opportunities, market conditions, current production processes and advancements in technology that may enhance existing revenue streams or create new revenue streams within the contact center/managed services arena.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

1. Responsible for the development, deployment, and operational adherence of strategic plans for all divisions within the Department. Based on the needs identified, comprehensive business and marketing plans may need to be enveloped into this process.

2. Monitors the flow of business activity across the Department organizational spectrum and evaluates the business processes used to support the various contracts and revenue generating programs within this division. When necessary, make recommendations to redefine and rebuild infrastructure to achieve the maximum possible return on investment from these endeavors. This area of responsibility involves system re-engineering—the realignment of organizational resources to best serve the business need of a product or service.

3. Accountable for the evaluation of contact center/managed services pricing models. The Director will be the lead analyst for evaluating bids and fixed pricing structures to ensure that they are positioned optimally for business growth as well as the financial health of the company. This responsibility will involve a close collaboration with the CSD Finance Department.

4. Facilitate the creation and oversight of product management teams to enhance cross-functional and interdepartmental communication as it relates to key initiatives within the contact center and technology divisions.

5. Serves as a portal for all new contact center, managed services, and technology business opportunities and ideas for enhancing CSD’s current contact center infrastructure. Submits regular summaries to the Senior Vice President of CSD Contact Centers with recommendations as to which opportunities and enhancements should be pursued.

6. Works with the Senior Vice President of CSD Contact Centers to resolve structural inefficiencies and resource limitations to allow all groups within the contact center/technology division to be successful in meeting business goals.

7. Researches the external environment to identify market forces and external environmental factors (economic, technological, and political) that can impact CSD’s existing array of business products.

8. Responsible for developing and maintaining a current competitive analysis of all of CSD’s contact center and technology products

9. Interacts regularly with external groups to support the development of productive business relationships to support the overall welfare of the CSD organization.

10. Submits regular progress reports to the Senior Vice President of CSD Contact Centers

QUALIFICATIONS:
1. BA/BS in a business related area of study
2. 3-5 years of business development or financial management experience
3. 7-10 years of progressively responsible managerial experience
4. Extensive experience in developing and analyzing financial reports
5. Proven strategic mindset; strong analytical skills
6. Strong administrative, organizational, interpersonal relations and leadership skills
7. Ability to influence and facilitate cross-functional teams
8. Ability to lead groups of employees and maintain effective work relationships with employees and the general public
9. A high level of computer literacy and an intermediate knowledge of MS Office applications
10. Ability to communicate in American Sign Language

BENEFITS: Group Health Insurance, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, Retirement program, Paid Time Off (PTO), Short Term Disability, Paid Holidays and Employee Assistance Program.

CLOSING DATE: Open until filled

COMPLETE ON-LINE APPLICATION AT WWW.C-S-D.ORG
OR SEND RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO:

Cindy Shuck
Human Resources Manager
Communication Service for the Deaf
102 North Krohn Place Sioux Falls, SD 57103
Voice (605-367-5760) – Fax (605-782-8454) – cshuck@c-s-d.org

Equal employment opportunity employer

CSD Poker Run Raises Funds for National Leadership and Literacy Camp

Another year, and another successful NLLC Motorcycle Poker Run! On May 16, motorcycle riders from the Sioux Falls area participated in the 5th annual NLLC Poker Run.

Approximately $1,230 was raised by the run to assist students in need of financial assistance to attend the youth leadership camp. Unfortunately, this figure was down slightly from last year as the weather didn’t cooperate. However, CSD secured some great sponsors this year that help offset the low turnout. For example, Dell Computer donated a 22″ widescreen LCD monitor that was auctioned off. That auction alone accounted for almost $600 of the total revenue.

The money came in at a perfect time, as the NLLC begins in July. Thanks to all who participated in support of deaf and hard of hearing youth.