History

CSD History

A Brief History

Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) opened its doors on Nov. 1, 1975, in Sioux Falls, S.D. The South Dakota state legislature provided funds - matched by the South Dakota Association for the Deaf - to help create CSD.

What began as a one–person venture led by CEO Ben Soukup now covers 29 offices throughout the nation (along with 2,000 employees).

In 1975, CSD offered services like interpreting and TTY repair. Today, it operates the telecommunications relay service for 35 states, along with an array of human services.

CSD Timeline

1975

CSD Main Office Location: South Dakota School for the Deaf closet, later moved to the mailroom.

Office opened on November 1
Interpreting Program established

1976

CSD Main Office Location: Three offices on second floor (above Perkins) at 106 South Indiana Avenue

TTY Repair Program established
Sign Language Training Program established
CSD is one of the first to provide full-fledged "telephone interpreting services" (predecessor of modern relay services) officially on Jan. 5 and it is available on a daily basis during regular business hours, in addition to TTY distribution and maintenance, as well as other advocacy, counseling and casework services.

1977

CSD Main Office Location: Six offices at 800 South Cliff Avenue

First broadcast of “A Sign of the Times” (educational TV program for the deaf)
RID chapter established to provide interpreter training workshops
First Deaf Awareness Week program held in South Dakota
First edition of CSD Newsletter published

1978

CSD Main Office Location: 1109 East 14th Street

Advocacy Program established

1979

CSD Main Office Location: 114 South Main Street

Legal Aid for the Deaf Program established (funding exhausted in 1981)

1980

CSD Main Office Location: 421 South Lewis Avenue

Elderly Deaf Services Program established

1981

Deaf Action Center established
CSD expands telephone/TTY interpreting services to 24 hours but mainly on a local basis (Sioux Falls and surrounding area)

1982

Community Education Program established
Maple Creek Apartment opened (in conjunction with TPCO) for low income/elderly deaf residents

1983

Independent Living Program established
Social Services Program established

1984

Branch office established in Rapid City, S.D. on June 1

1985

Adult Basic Education Program established
Mental Health Program established in conjunction with McKennan Hospital
Info-Text Service for the deaf (the precursor to captioned news) established

1986

Job Training Program established
Interpreter Training Program established at Kilian Community College

1987

CSD Main Office Location: 3520 Gateway Lane

Deaf center established to provide recreational and training services
CSD expands the program to become a statewide relay service and is one of the first to provide the service toll-free 24/7. We were followed by California who had the backing of AT&T to also provide TTY operator services for the deaf (OSD)
CSD established as a polling (voting) site for Precinct 10-2 by the City of Sioux Falls

1988

Evergreen Place Apartment opened, providing residential and assisted living services for severely disabled deaf
Outdoor electronic images sign installed

1989

Equipment Distribution Program established, funded by HB 1234: SD Telephone Bill Surcharges. CSD becomes one of the first to provide an expanded equipment distribution program and funds the program as well as the statewide relay service through a state tax or surcharge on telephone bills -- this becomes a nationwide standard after the passage of the ADA.

1990

Deaf center established in Rapid City, S.D. to provide recreational and training services
S.D. Relay Service annex built on to Sioux Falls Deaf Center to house an expanding South Dakota Relay Service. The ADA is passed into law. Section IV deals with telecommunications enforcing minimum standards for relay and mandating that all telephone companies provide accessible relay services to be administered by individual states.
Co-hosted the first National Conference on Quality Education for Deaf Children in Sioux Falls, S.D. (with the South Dakota School for the Deaf)

1991

Branch office established in Aberdeen, S.D. on September 1
Branch office established in Pierre (currently referral services only)
Alcohol and Drug Program established
American Sign Language Consulting Program established in conjunction with South Dakota State Office of Special Education
State Special Education Consultant Program established in conjunction with South Dakota State Office of Special Education
Co-hosted first National Symposium on Childhood Deafness in Sioux Falls, S.D. (with the South Dakota School for the Deaf)
CSD enters into partnership with Sprint, first called "Central Relay Services" providing TRS first to South Dakota and Wyoming, and then later to a handful of states in the "central" Midwest, including Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota and Oklahoma.

1992

AS the ADA provisions go into effect, 49 states and the District of Columbia finally provide around the clock relay services.

1993

Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Program established
Interpreter Mentoring Program established
Branch office established in Fargo, N.D.
CSD and Sprint are the first to provide and operate the Federal Relay Service for the employees of the Federal Government. The Sprint/CSD partnership was such a positive and mutually beneficial relationship that it was offered to more and more states across the nation and the name changed from "Central Relay Services" to "USA Relay" (by the end of the decade the name would change again to simply CSD.) The partnership became the largest, most successful relay service in the country.

1994

Purchased western part of South Dakota School for the Deaf campus and historical buildings:
- Simpson/French Hall renovated to CSD administrative offices
- Grinde Hall renovated to 15 apartment units
- Olde School renovated to 27 apartment units
- CSD converts an entire building (formerly the boys dormitory on the former South Dakota School for the Deaf campus) into a state-of-the-art relay call center, complete with a mainframe computer, platform/switch technology and back-up generator system.
Branch office established in Council Bluffs, Iowa to provide TEDP administration
Real-time captioning services were first offered
First issue of SDAD News was published

1995

Expanded relay services to include California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Texas
Branch office established in Yankton, S.D. on June 1
Remote relay center established in Lubbock, TX on September 1
South Dakota Relay Center moved to new location on former SDSD campus site in June
Olde Grinde Apartment opened in September
Former Siouxland Lutheran Church for the Deaf building was purchased
Sprint Initiates video trials in Maryland and Texas with overwhelming response from consumers but abandons project due to lack of technology, infrastructure and prohibitive costs.

1996

CSD Main Office Location: Administrative Office moved to 102 North Krohn Place and Sioux Falls Branch Office remained at 3520 Gateway Lane

Expanded relay services to include Minnesota, Montana and Oregon
Relay center established in Moorhead, Minn. on December 16, with an MRS Consumer Relations Office established in St. Paul
CSD Administrative Offices moved to new location on former SDSD Campus site in April
Employment Services established in Council Bluffs, Iowa

1997

Relay center established in Syracuse, N.Y. on August 27
Expanded relay services to include New York
South Dakota Deaf Heritage/Historical Program established
Youth Program established

1998

Branch office established in Austin, Texas on January 1
Branch office established in East Point, Ga. on January 1
D E A F, Inc. integrated as new branch office in St. Paul, Minn. on December 1
Relay center established in Moraine, Ohio on April 9
Visual Communications Program established (incorporating the interpreting and captioning departments)
Expanded relay services to include Arizona, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington
Interpreting services established in Lubbock, Texas

1999

Relay center established in Tucson, Ariz. on January 11
Video Remote Interpreting trials held
Hanwave Interpreting Services of Austin, TX merged with CSD of Texas • First issue of Deaf Youth Living published
(April) In the spirit of partnership, CSD asks for and secures from Sprint permission to take on VRS as its own initiative
(July) CSD initiates R&D efforts to identify and test new technology products, issues and solutions

2000

Expanded relay services to include Illinois, North Carolina, Utah and Florida
Branch office established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 7
Equipment Distribution Program call center established in Stockton, Calif. on June 30
Research and Development Unit established in January
Internet-based video interpreting services established in conjunction with Sorenson Vision, Inc.
Construction began on additional office space for CSD Administrative (Simpson) Building
(July) CSD develops and pilots a new comprehensive VRS platform with new applications and refined enhancements based on prior trial results
(September) CSD becomes the very first to launch commercial and multi-protocol (IP & ISDN) VRS and is the first to officially and exclusively provide VRS for the state of Texas (TVIS)

2001

Branch office established in Madison, Wis. on March 1
Branch office established in Tulsa, Okla. on July 1
Partnered with Avera McKennan Hospital (Sioux Falls, S.D.) to begin providing video interpreting
Completed additional office space for CSD Administrative Building (Simpson) on April 23
(May) CSD works with Sorenson to capitalize on their video compression techniques and offers VRS through their Envision and MM225 products
(October) CSD is the first to exclusively and officially provide VRS to Washington (WAVRS)
(December) CSD is the first to officially and exclusively provide VRS on a national scale and expands its network of VRS call centers to three (South Dakota, Minnesota and Texas)

2002

Expanded relay services to include Alaska
Branch offices established in Lubbock and Waco, Texas
Branch office established in Frederick, Md. on March 1
Partnered with Sprint to begin providing national web-based video relay services on May 1
Branch office established in San Antonio, Texas on May 1
Interpreting office established in Denver, Colo. on July 1
VRS Center in Denver, Colo. established on July 9
Camp Lakodia acquired on July 1
Relay center established in Columbia, S.C. on September 23
Pager Answering Services launched
VRS Center in Seattle, Wa. established on Oct. 9
Branch office established in Tyler, Texas on Nov. 1
VRS Center in Washington, D.C. established on Dec. 26
(January) FCC officially recognizes VRS as a form of functional equivalence with a reimbursement rate of $17 per minute
(February) Multiple VRS providers attempt to launch their own versions of VRS creating a highly competitive industry
(April) CSD begins to market to VRS nationally through a partnership with Sprint using the URL/name of USAVRS
(July) CSD is the first to officially provide VRS on an international scale in conjunction with DEAFWAY II Celebration
(August) CSD opens fourth VRS call center by working with and later acquiring an agency, PSLI, in Denver, Colo.
(October) CSD opens fifth VRS call center by working with the SignOn agency in Seattle, Wa.
(December) CSD opens its sixth VRS call center by working with Sign Language Associates in Washington, D.C.

2003

CSD and Sprint Offered First 24-hour a day, 7 days a week video relay services
VRS Center in Rochester, N.Y. established on January 24
VRS Center in Houston, Texas established on Feb. 4
VRS Center in Chicago, Ill. established on June 11
Branch office established in Columbus, Ohio on April 1
Outreach Office established in Dallas, Texas in February
Outreach Office established in Las Vegas, Nev. in February
Outreach Office established in Washington, D.C. in February
Relay center established in Honolulu, Hi. on July 1
Deaf Expo on East Coast on May 30
Grinde Hall converted into CSD offices on June 1
Telephone Outreach Program established on July 1
CSD’s First Circle of Excellence on August 20
SIGNews, a monthly subscription-based newspaper for the signing community, established on October 1
Debut of “No Talking Allowed”, CSD-TV’s first in-house short film production on November 4
CSD spends entire year enhancing quality, features and offerings, becoming the first in these areas: first to provide Macintosh support; first VRS with 24/7/365 operations, first to provide Spanish VRS interpreting; first to develop stringent video interpreter training and quality assurance, ensuring professionalism and confidentiality for users; first VRS provider with live customer service representatives, many who communicate directly in ASL; first to suppor industry's greatest variety of platforms and software including both ISDN and Web IP protocols (i.e. interoperability with Polycom, NetMeeting, EnVision, Videolink Pro, ohphonex, D-link, and a wide variety of off the shelf video products on the market.
CSD expands its network by subcontracting with more sign language agencies: January, Interpretek in Rochester, N.Y.; February, CAAG in Houston, Texas; June, CHS in Chicago, Ill. Total of 9 VRS centers and more than 300 interpreters.
CSD lobbies the FCC to implement stringent standards similar to tradtional TRS requirements (i.e. ASA, interoperability, ACD functionality, automated reporting and billing capability, etc.) Unfortunately, these standards were all waived in order to encourage greater competition and entry into the VRS industry.

2004

Alamo Joins Forces with CSD of Texas-San Antonio on May 12
CSD Streamlined Services and Formed National Programs on July 16
CSD Launches New Marketing Campaign: It's All About Passion, on August 11
CSD Nominated for Global Call Center of the Year Award on August 23
CSD Created 250-300 New Jobs in California on September 2
CSD reverts to CSDVRS name and markets dual brands: CSDVRS and SprintVRS
CSD is the first to launch videomail as an enhanced feature as well as personal 800 phone numbers. CSD selects D-link as the recommended appliance of choice and implements a massive deployment campaign
CSD opens a tenth VRS center in Kansas City, Mo., and its eleventh and twelfth VRS call centers by expanding existing relationships with Interpretek and SLA

2005

CSD launched CSDVRS on March 31
NTID announced a new building, CSD Student Development Center on April 14
Relay center established in Jacksonville, Fla. on May 31
Multi-Media Contact Center established in Sioux Falls, S.D.
CSD and America Online joined forces to provide more friendly customer support to AOL members who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired
British Deaf Association and CSD unveiled the first video relay service center on August 23
CSD celebrated its 30th anniversary on November 1
“Seeing a Need” book was unveiled at the gala in recognition of CSD’s 30th anniversary
CSD named the Buckmaster Building in honor of John and Nancy Buckmaster, long time deaf advocates, November 1
CSD selected to provide 24-hour emergency interpreting support for Minnesota Hospital Consortium on November 1
CSDVRS introduced new features: 24/7 services, enhanced VCO and sign language to Spanish in November
CSD lobbies and successfully convinces the FCC to allow R&D expenditures as a reimbursable expense. CSD also convinces FCC to mandate interoperability, forcing all providers to support all VRS appliances and VRS networks in the spirit of functional equivalence. CSD works with the British Deaf Association to launch the first VRS on foreign soil in August.

2006

CSD and C.E.O. Benjamin Soukup Honored for Three Sioux Falls Business Awards on January 6
CSD and Augustana College Collaborate for Sign Language Interpreter Program on January 25
World Federation of the Deaf and CSD Form Partnership on April 27
CSD Announced New Spin-Off Venture Known as CSDVRS on December 14
CSD introduces E-911 initiative to the FCC and by the end of the year spins off VRS to become a new and separate entity known as CSDVRS (later ZVRS)

2007

CSD was chosen as a National Interpreter Certification Supersite
First public access videophone (PAV) installed at the Chicago Airport System in July
CSD of Oklahoma implemented the free Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline for deaf and hard of hearing smokers and tobacco users
CSD-TV launched “For Your Eyes” and “Spice Up”
CSD continues to offer TRS and by this time has additional TRS centers in Hawaii, California, Florida, South Carolina, Massachusetts and New Jersey, becoming the nation's largest network of relay call centers. CSD develops and distributes the first Public Access Videophone. Also, number of TRS calls begins to drop dramatically as more and more deaf/ASL consumers migrate to VRS from TRS.

2008

CSD's Ongoing Support of Internet Accessibility Legislation Reaches House of Representatives on June 20
Philadelphia's Independence Visitor Center Launched Multimedia Sign Language Tour on July 21
CSD Launched “Centers of Excellence” on September 5
Deaf Awareness Week and International Day of Signed Languages celebrated on September 24
CSD of Texas-Waco Established Video Interpreting Center on October 7
(January) CSD initiates efforts (through the work of Karen Peltz-Strauss) to draft new legislation and public policy on video and TV programming. CSD becomes onf of the founding memebers of COAT.
(June) CSD' ongoing support of Internet accessibility legislation reaches the U.S. House of Representatives

2009

CSD of Texas-San Antonio Opened a DTV Assistance Center on January 4
CSD launched a Help Center (call center) and a new DTV Web site on February 9
CSD and Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Partner to Prepare Teens and Parents for "School-to-Work" Transition
CSD of Minnesota Earns Gordon Allen Community Award

2010

CSD Launches Contact Center to Qualify Deaf/Hard of Hearing for Sustainable Broadband Program
CSD Celebrates 35th Anniversary with Gala Event
CSD Applauds Passage of 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act
CSD New Interpreter Referral Service Improves Customer/Interpreter Experience
CSD Begins Immediate Expansion Efforts for Project Endeavor
NTIA Awards CSD with $14.9 Million Broadband and Training Contract
CSD Launches New Web site and Slogan to Celebrate 35 Years Serving Deaf/Hard of Hearing America

2011

CSD Joins Other Organizations in Promoting May as Better Speech and Hearing Month
Project Endeavor’s Broadband Adoption Program Expands Equipment and Discounted Internet Options for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans (ZVRS)
Project Endeavor’s Broadband Adoption Program Expands Equipment and Discounted Internet Options for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans (Sorenson)
President Obama’s Comments on Broadband Accessibility Reinforce CSD’s Project Endeavor
CSD Applauds Passage of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-337)