Retired Deaf Leader Launches Online Hub for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Chester, VT, February 20, 2008 --(PR.com)-- A retired leader in the deaf community has taken it upon himself to harness the resources of the web for the deaf and hard of hearing (HOH) community. It took some soul searching for Philip Bravin after his retirement from both the business and non-profit sectors in 2005, coupled with a move to Vermont, to figure out how he could continue to contribute in a meaningful way to the community he loves. Out of this has come www.deafhoh.com which Phil sees becoming the premier destination for the deaf and hard of hearing community on the Internet.

Phil brings a unique insight into this endeavor—he has been well-connected in the community for many years and he has an in-depth understanding of the power of technology to communicate, connect and educate. In addition to his years on the board of Gallaudet University (where he was the first deaf chair of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees, and is still a trustee emeritus), he has served on many other non-profit boards. He worked as a marketing executive at IBM for 24 years in the New York area before an early retirement and a bout with cancer shifted his energies into the non-profit sector. These events opened yet more opportunities. He served as President and CEO of the National Captioning Institute for several years and then decided to do some consulting. Interestingly one of his clients, Communication Service for the Deaf, was embarking on a cutting edge technology initiative—developing the video relay service for the deaf and hard of hearing community. After this project was completed, Phil decided to retire with his wife to Chester, Vermont where he presently resides in a wonderful post and beam house on 10 acres in the "middle of nowhere." Recently, Phil was awarded a patent (Patent No. 7,333,507) for a multi-modal communications system.

It was this idyllic setting that allowed Phil time to think and reflect on his past and how best to use his skills and background (and to keep himself out of mischief in retirement). This website: www.deafhoh.com represents an accumulation of Phil's experience and unique perspective of the community he has served and been a part for so long.

Phil took a look at the landscape of the web, and the emerging technologies that have taken place, as well as the needs of the deaf and HOH community. The software offering of CEOExpress caught his attention as it represented a simple concept of creating a portal upon which a user can quickly navigate the site to get the information he/she needs. It took Phil over a year to build the content on the site and links to every conceivable aspect of the community. The most important part of this online hub for the deaf and HOH community is that it is a living, breathing site that will be updated regularly and include community-driven content.

CEOExpress Company, www.CEOExpress.com, is an application service provider (ASP) building and hosting private label content aggregation websites for associations and businesses.

www.DeafHOH.com is intended to be a personal homepage that members of the community can visit every day for news, information, and tools.

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