Deaf Link
Deaf Link is a San Antonio-based accessibility technology and services firm that provides emergency alerting, accessible video production, on-demand ASL video interpreting, and mass care interpreting primarily to U.S. government agencies, utilities, healthcare organizations, and law enforcement.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersSan Antonio, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Deaf Link does
Deaf Link is a privately held, San Antonio-based IT and accessibility services company that delivers communication technology and content for organizations required to interface with persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, Deaf-Blind, or literacy-challenged. The company has operated since 2003 from a single 24/7/365 secure communications facility at 14400 Northbrook, Suite 200, and runs a staff of 101–250 employees that includes advanced certified ASL interpreters, accessible video production specialists, and sensory-disabled personnel. Its executive team's disaster communications experience dates to Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the events that catalyzed its shift into emergency accessibility services.
The core product is the AHAS (Accessible Hazard Alert System), a proprietary sole-source emergency notification technology that delivers alerts in American Sign Language video, English voice and text, Braille-compatible formats, and optional Spanish voice and text to internet-connected devices including cell phones, tablets, computers, and wireless Braille readers. This platform is supplemented by three services: AVP (Accessible Video Production) for broadcast-ready ASL, voice, and text video content; VRI (Video Remote Interpreting), a browser-based on-demand HIPAA-compliant real-time interpreting service; and Shelter Link, an internet-based interpreting service supporting mass care agencies and sheltering operations in line with FEMA's Functional Needs Support Services recommendations.
Deaf Link monetizes through a mix of subscription, usage-based, and project-based pricing. AHAS and Shelter Link are subscription offerings sold to government emergency management agencies and mass care organizations; VRI operates on usage-based pricing to government, healthcare, law enforcement, and financial institution buyers; AVP is delivered on a one-time or project basis for clients such as the CDC, the American Red Cross, and Oklahoma State Department of Health. GTM is enterprise field sales, supported by direct website and phone contact, and the company reports no publicly disclosed pricing. Customers span municipal and county emergency management, state and federal health agencies (CDC, Oklahoma Department of Health), utilities (SDGE, Southern California Edison), law enforcement (Houston Police, San Antonio Police), regional planning bodies (AACOG), a national bank (Frost Bank), and major nonprofits (American Red Cross). The company holds registered trademarks for AHAS, AVP, and Shelter Link; no funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional ownership are recorded.
Deaf Link firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Deaf Link
- Legal name
- Deaf Link
- Website
- https://deaflink.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Deaf Link is a San Antonio-based accessibility technology and services firm that provides emergency alerting, accessible video production, on-demand ASL video interpreting, and mass care interpreting primarily to U.S. government agencies, utilities, healthcare organizations, and law enforcement.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Deaf Link industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accessible Emergency Communications Software
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD), Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC)
Keywords
Where Deaf Link is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Antonio
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Deaf Link business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Accessible Hazard Alert System (AHAS): Subscription-based access to the AHAS emergency alert platform providing government and private sector organizations with the capability to send accessible emergency information to persons with sensory disabilities.
- Accessible Video Production (AVP): Production service for creating accessible video content for websites, broadcast TV, and other uses. Content covers Emergency Preparedness, Health, Medical, documents, policies, and other content in ASL, English/Spanish Voice, and Text.
- Video Remote Interpreting (VRI): On-demand real-time interpreting service connecting certified ASL interpreters via video conferencing. Provides time-efficient and cost-effective three-way communication between businesses/public agencies and Deaf customers/clients/employees.
- Shelter Link: Internet-based interpreting services supporting sheltering communities and mass care agencies since Hurricane Katrina. Provides 24/7 access to certified ASL interpreters for healthcare workers, security staff, and shelter teams communicating with evacuees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Deaf Link product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Deaf Link is a provider of accessible communication solutions built on a proprietary emergency alert platform (AHAS) supplemented by three service lines: on-demand Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Accessible Video Production (AVP), and Shelter Link mass care interpreting. The offering enables government and private sector organizations to communicate with persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, Deaf-Blind, or literacy challenged before, during, and after disasters, as well as in everyday service interactions.
Product overview
Deaf Link is a provider of accessible communication solutions organized as a platform-plus-services model. The core offering is the AHAS™ (Accessible Hazard Alert System), a proprietary emergency notification technology, supplemented by three service offerings: AVP™ (Accessible Video Production) for creating ASL-formatted video content, VRI™ (Video Remote Interpreting) for on-demand ASL interpreting via browser-based video conferencing, and Shelter Link™ for internet-based interpreting at mass care shelters. All four services are designed to serve government and private sector organizations that need to communicate with persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, Deaf-Blind, or literacy challenged.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AHAS™ (Accessible Hazard Alert System)
Companies that use Deaf Link
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Deaf Link technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Deaf Link partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- City of San Antonio (COSA)coreCOSA uses Deaf Link's AHAS accessible emergency alert system to send critical emergency information to residents with sensory disabilities in San Antonio.
- Fort WorthcoreFort Worth utilizes the AHAS system for accessible emergency communications to serve Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, and Deaf-Blind community members.
- Alert Long BeachcoreLong Beach uses AHAS for accessible emergency alerts to ensure all residents can access critical emergency information.
- SDGE (San Diego Gas & Electric)coreSDGE uses AHAS alerts to communicate emergency and outage information in accessible formats to customers with sensory disabilities.
- Austin Travis County Operations CentercoreAustin Travis County uses AHAS for accessible emergency communications across the metropolitan area.
- Harris County TexascoreHarris County uses AHAS as part of the Ready Harris accessible alert system for emergency communications.
- Ready San DiegocoreReady San Diego uses AHAS for accessible emergency alerts serving the San Diego County region.
- Oklahoma CitycoreOklahoma City utilizes AHAS for accessible emergency alert communications.
- LETA 911coreLETA 911 uses AHAS for emergency communications serving the Lubbock, Texas area.
- SCE (Southern California Edison)coreSouthern California Edison uses AHAS for utility emergency communications to customers with disabilities.
- American Red CrosscoreAmerican Red Cross partners with Deaf Link for Accessible Video Production of emergency preparedness content in ASL.
- CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)coreCDC uses Deaf Link's accessible video production for coronavirus and health communication videos in American Sign Language.
- Oklahoma State Department of HealthcoreOklahoma State Department of Health uses AVP for health communication content accessibility.
- Houston PolicecoreHouston Police Department uses VRI interpreting services and accessible video production for communicating with Deaf individuals.
- San Antonio PolicecoreSan Antonio Police uses VRI services for on-demand ASL interpreting during law enforcement interactions.
- Frost BankcoreFrost Bank uses VRI services for accessible customer banking interactions with Deaf customers.
- AACOG (Alamo Area Council of Governments)coreAACOG partners with Deaf Link for ASL interpreting and accessible video production services in the Alamo region.
- Kern CountycoreKern County uses AHAS for accessible emergency alerts serving California residents.
- Dallas AHAScoreDallas uses AHAS for accessible emergency communications serving the Dallas metropolitan area.
- FBC Alert (Fort Bend County)coreFort Bend County uses AHAS for accessible emergency alert communications.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Deaf Link competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- OnSolve: Enterprise critical event management and mass notification vendor serving government and utilities; overlaps with AHAS in emergency alerting and could add accessible modalities.
- LanguageLine Solutions: Largest interpretation provider in the U.S. across spoken and sign languages; competes with Deaf Link's VRI for enterprise and government contracts and operates at much greater scale.
- CyraCom: Major provider of interpretation services (including ASL) to healthcare, government, and business; overlaps with Deaf Link's VRI especially in HIPAA-regulated healthcare use cases.
- Stratus Video (AMN Healthcare Language Services): Video interpreting provider with ASL and spoken languages, serving healthcare systems that overlap with Deaf Link's healthcare VRI customer base.
- Everbridge: Leading mass notification and emergency alert platform used by cities, utilities, and federal agencies; competes with AHAS in the same buyer workflows for accessible emergency alerting.
- Rave Mobile Safety ( Motorola Solutions ): Mass notification system used by municipalities, counties, and universities for emergency alerts; competes with AHAS for the same procurement budgets.
Direct peers
- Sorenson Communications: Largest U.S. provider of ASL interpreting and video relay services, directly competing with Deaf Link's VRI offering and serving many of the same public-sector and enterprise accessibility buyers.
- Purple Communications: Provides VRS, VRI, and on-demand ASL interpreting services, overlapping directly with Deaf Link's VRI product for government, healthcare, and enterprise customers.
- Convo Relay: ASL-based video relay and interpreting services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing users, with overlapping VRI and accessibility communication offerings to Deaf Link.
Emerging players
- DeafTEC / National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) programs: Academic and workforce programs producing accessible technology and ASL-interpreted content that intersect with Deaf Link's accessible video production and talent pipeline.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Deaf Link social profiles
Digital presenceDeaf Link compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Deaf Link financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Deaf Link leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Deaf Link funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Deaf Link M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Deaf Link
What does Deaf Link do?
Deaf Link is a provider of accessible communication solutions built on a proprietary emergency alert platform (AHAS) supplemented by three service lines: on-demand Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Accessible Video Production (AVP), and Shelter Link mass care interpreting. The offering enables government and private sector organizations to communicate with persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, Deaf-Blind, or literacy challenged before, during, and after disasters, as well as in everyday service interactions.
Is Deaf Link a public or private company?
Deaf Link is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Deaf Link founded?
Deaf Link was founded in 2003. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Deaf Link based?
Deaf Link is headquartered in San Antonio, United States, in the North America region.
How does Deaf Link make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Accessible Hazard Alert System (AHAS) is the primary driver. The others are accessible Video Production (AVP), video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and shelter Link.
Who are Deaf Link's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are OnSolve, LanguageLine Solutions, CyraCom, Stratus Video (AMN Healthcare Language Services), Everbridge and Rave Mobile Safety ( Motorola Solutions ). Direct peers are Sorenson Communications, Purple Communications and Convo Relay. DeafTEC / National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) programs is listed as an emerging player.
Does Deaf Link have an API?
No public API is recorded for Deaf Link.
What industry is Deaf Link in?
Deaf Link's product category is Accessible Emergency Communications Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAC, Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription), with a secondary code of EDALAGAD, Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services. Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 7370.