Communication is the key

Most of us take hearing for granted. But if you are deaf or hard of hearing, and can’t find a job, it’s even tougher. Roughly 62 percent of the deaf are unemployed. The Survey of Income and Program Participation is one of a few national surveys that regularly collect data identifying those with hearing loss or deafness, and it indicates that fewer than one in 20 Americans are deaf or hard of hearing. In round numbers, nearly 10 million persons are hard of hearing and close to 1 million are functionally deaf.

Jason Curry, CEO and founder of sComm has been deaf since birth. His mother, Emma Curry, vice president, says being deaf never stopped Jason from accomplishing what he set out to do.

“He grew up pretty much like any other kid except he had a sign language interpreter when he attended public school in Sedalia, Mo.,” said Emma Curry. “As for playing with other children, they learned to sign.”

Jason graduated from the University of Central Missouri and in 1993 worked as a life insurance agent. He went on to work as a financial analyst for 10 years for the U.S. General Services Administration.

Birth of UbiDuo

Up to this time Jason was communicating through sign language, interpreters, and lip reading. The story he tells is of when he and his father, David Curry, a real estate investor, were discussing business over breakfast at a local restaurant. They were having problems communicating. Thinking there could be a faster way to communicate and avoid some of the frustration, David Curry said, “Let’s go home. I have an idea.”

Although David Curry had no engineering background, he drew his concept of the UbiDuo, a portable, wireless, battery-powered device that facilitates face-to-face communication by means of two displays and two keyboards. It looks like a laptop. UbiDuo is the combination of the words “ubiquitous” and “duo” – the desire for every deaf person to have access to this device and because one unit is comprised of two halves.

“I was so excited when my dad drew the diagram,” said Jason Curry. “I knew instantly that this device would change the world for people who are deaf or hard of hearing in their everyday living with face-to-face communications.”

The company, sComm, stands for simultaneous communications, applied for a National Institutes of Health grant. It took five years for the funding to come through. In 2005 the company received a $1.5 million grant.

Jason Curry resigned from the GSA to take the company forward. It took two years working with Pivot International, Overland Park, to build the UbiDuo before it went on the market in January 2007. By this coming January, the company will have sold 1,000 units.

Jason Curry said that the device does not require an interpreter and can be used in situations such as job interviews, employment situations, hospitals, colleges, libraries, and social settings. Some local clients using UbiDuo are the Missouri Career Center in Independence and the GSAin Kansas City.

“In this economy we are doing quite well, because more and more agencies need the UbiDuo to save on the time and cost of an interpreter,” said Jason Curry. “Interpreters cost $50 to $75 an hour or any part thereof, plus mileage. Agencies can purchase the UbiDuo at a one-time cost of $1,995.”



About sComm

sComm has its own sales force; Jon Northcraft and Susan Trimble are account managers. The company employs six people full time and four part time.

Annually the company attends about 50 trade shows to market the device. The other level of marketing is through magazines, National Association for the Deaf, and to audiologists. You can purchase the UbiDuo directly through the company. For more information visit the Web site at www.scommonline.com.

The company originally was located on Hocker Drive in Independence but needed more space and moved to 6238 Hadley St., Raytown.

“I have been involved with changing the image of Raytown for several years,” said Jason Curry, who resides in Raytown with his hearing wife, Missy. “I am a board member of the Raytown Main Street Association. We moved from Independence into a 4,000-square-foot office/warehouse located on the back of Raytown Plaza, which suits us very well.”

I had the opportunity to use the UbiDuo when I interviewed Jason Curry. I found it easy to use; just like a laptop. Jason Curry told me how the UbiDuo was used to help a hospitalized dying child “speak” to her parents. And, how he met the assistant to the president of Rwanda at a hotel lobby in Washington, D.C., and carried on a conversation with him via the UbiDuo. I agree with him when he said, “We all deserve to communicate.”

You can reach Jason Curry at jason@scommonline.com