Paul Taylor (15 November 1939 – 11 January 2021) was an American engineer, a pioneer in development of

telecommunications devices for the deaf A telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) is a teleprinter, an electronic device for text communication over a telephone line, that is designed for use by persons with hearing or speech difficulties. Other names for the device include te ...

(also known as TTYs).HBO/''Hear and Now''
synopsis
/ref> He also enjoyed a kind of celebrity status because of his central role in the award-winning documentary ''

Hear and Now ''Hear and Now'' is a 2007 documentary film by Irene Taylor Brodsky, winning awards in 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival and the Heartland Film Festival; and garnering a Peabody Award in 2008. Plot The filmmaker's parents were both born deaf ...

.'' The film by daughter

Irene Taylor Brodsky Irene Taylor (born June 15, 1970) is a film director and producer. Early life Taylor was born on June 15, 1970, to Child of deaf adult, deaf parents Sally and Paul Taylor (engineer), Paul Taylor. She graduated from New York University and Colum ...

chronicles the before and after experiences of her parents, Paul and Sally Taylor, both of whom underwent cochlear implant surgeries in their mid-60s after a lifetime of deafness.

Education

Taylor earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

in 1962. He was awarded a master's degree in operational research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Career

Taylor worked for 12 years in various engineering positions with

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own ...

and

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. During the late 1960s, he combined Western Union teletypewriters with modems to create the first telecommunications devices for the deaf, known as TDDs or TTYs (teletypewriter). He distributed these early, non-portable devices to the homes of many in the Deaf community in St. Louis. He worked with others to establish a local telephone wake-up service. In the early 1970s, he created the nation's first local telephone relay system for the deaf.Readmond, Kim
"Paul and Sally Taylor Background Sheet,"

Central Institute for the Deaf Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) is a school for the deaf that teaches students using listening and spoken language. The school is located in St. Louis, Missouri near Washington University in St. Louis. History CID was founded in 1914 by ...

(St. Louis, Missouri). In 1975, Taylor was named chair of the Engineering Support Team at the

National Technical Institute for the Deaf The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) is the first and largest technological college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. As one of nine colleges within the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Roches ...

( NTID) at the

Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institute of technology, institut ...

(RIT) in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. He would remain at NTID/RIT for the next 30 years. When he retired, he had become a professor of computer technology. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he worked with others in New York to create one of the nation's first statewide relay services. This service was funded by long-distance telephone companies. Taylor helped write regulations for the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) in the process of implementing statewide telephone relay systems which were required by the

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

(ADA).

''Hear and Now''

In 2007, Paul and Sally Taylor were the subjects of an award-winning documentary film, ''

.'' When the deaf couple were in their mid-60s, they decided to undergo

cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...

surgery which could enable each to hear sounds for the first time; and their filmmaker daughter,

, chronicled their experiences. ''Hear and Now'' was recognized with awards at the Heartland and Sundance Film Festivals in 2007; and the work was honored with a Peabody Award in 2008. Writing in ''Variety,'' Peter Deburge assessed the film as "more "''

Oprah Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', broadcast from Chic ...

''" than "'' Frontline'',"Deburge, Peter
"Sundance 2007: ''Hear and Now (Documentary)''
''Variety.'' January 20, 2007. which suggests that those who see the film learn about a man and a father and a husband who also happens to have done something noteworthy in his working career as an engineer.

Notes

References

* Deburge, Peter
"Sundance 2007: ''Hear and Now (Documentary)''
''Variety.'' January 20, 2007. * Lang, Harry G. (2000). ''A Phone of Our Own : the Deaf Insurrection Against Ma Bell.'' Washington, D.C.:

Gallaudet University Press Gallaudet University Press (GUPress) is a publisher that focuses on issues relating to deafness and sign language. It is a part of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., and was founded in 1980 by the university's board of trustees. The press is ...

. ; * Lowe, Justin
"Bottom Line: Lacks meaningful context about cochlear implants,"
''Hollywood Reporter.'' February 5, 2007. * Heller, Joseph
"Countdown to Sundance 2007: ''Hear and Now'' Director Irene Taylor Brodsky Interview,"
Docs That Inspire (podcast). January 10, 2007.
"''Hear and Now'' Released on DVD."
''NTID News'' (

). October 21, 2009. * Readmond, Kim
"Paul and Sally Taylor Background Sheet,"

(St. Louis, Missouri). * Strauss, Karen Peltz. (2006). ''A New Civil Right: Telecommunications Equality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans.'' Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press. ;

External links