Why Purple?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away Purple was HOVRS (pronounced ho-verz), Hands On Video Relay Service under Ronald Obray. The HOVRS logo was purple. When talking about HOVRS, Deaf people would say, "What is HOVRS?" and the person responding would say, "you know... purple VRS" referring to the purple logo.


And that is the evolution of how 'HOVRS' became 'Purple'.


HOVRS opened its doors in 1982, when the idea of seeing and speaking to each other over a TV was confined to The World Fair, sci-fi fantasies, and cartoons such as The Jetson's:

The Jetson's

"Communication generally will be sight-sound by 2014"

1964 World's Fair

Since opening in 1982, Purple has striven to provide the best products and services to their customers. Through a variety of mergers and acquisitions, Purple has been able to stay abreast of what is trending and provide the newest and greatest technology for the Deaf.

Gone are the days of Deaf people laboriously typing messages to one another through a clunky, awkward TTY (teletypewriter) machine:

Circa 1960's (ish)

Now Deaf People can communicate with one another in their natural language by signing to each other remotely on their TVs, computers, smartphones, and tablets:

Interpreters at Purple are here to help when Deaf people want to make phone calls to those people who can hear and don't sign. Purple's Video Relay Service (VRS) allows persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to communicate through the telephone with hearing persons, and visa versa. The VRS caller contacts a qualified VRS interpreter through a video camera and an internet connection. The interpreter then places a call to the party that the VRS user wishes to call. The interpreter relays the conversation between the parties, allowing free-flowing, natural communication in each party's natural language.

Here in Utah, we have a full call center with fun, skilled, qualified interpreters to assist communication between those who are deaf and those who can hear. We require certification and/or a Utah State license, and each interpreter has to pass our on-site screening. At our Salt Lake Center, we look for the highest level of interpreting skills and positive attitudes. We are committed to creating a supportive and encouraging interpreting environment.

Come and see what we have to offer!