“It’s more than access. It’s being seen, understood, and included in real time.”
— Melody Stein, Co-Founder, Pi00a
Meet Melody Stein
Melody Stein is a Deaf entrepreneur and co-founder of pi00a, a family-run business handcrafting frozen globally-inspired Neapolitan pizzas for grocery and food service markets. As she steps into the competitive world of consumer packaged goods (CPG), Melody is diving into Zoom meetings, collaborating with industry experts, and learning the ropes of grocery retail.
The Challenge
Breaking into the CPG space meant joining programs built for hearing professionals. Most sessions happened on Zoom. Some included captions, but interpreters were rarely available. Melody often had to rely on her children—also her business partners—to interpret. She knew that wasn’t sustainable or fair.
Family of Melody Stein. L to R: Taysia, Russ, Rylan, Melody.
The Turning Point: Convo for Zoom
When Melody requested an interpreter for a series of virtual classes with over 50 participants, the event host suggested using AI interpreting instead. Realizing this wouldn’t provide the full access she needed, Melody voiced her concerns. That’s when Joseph Tsai from Convo introduced her to a new solution: Convo for Zoom. Two weeks later, it launched—and everything changed
“It was night and day between my experiences with and without Convo for Zoom.”
With on-demand interpreters directly in Zoom, Melody could finally take part in every session—without relying on family or navigating awkward captions. (The costs are 100% covered by a fund managed by the FCC. To learn more, click here.) She also upgraded to Zoom Pro so she could host and manage her meetings independently. That step was directly inspired by her experience with Convo for Zoom.
The pi00a team. L to R: Sabrina, Melody, Bryana, Taysia, Rylan, and Yordi.
Reactions from the Hearing World
Program managers, participants, and government representatives, including those from Southern California Vocational Rehabilitation, were amazed. For many, it was their first time seeing real-time interpreting in a virtual business setting.
“They’ve seen it at music festivals, but now in a business session? It was new. It’s just good exposure.”
When Melody asked to spotlight the interpreter, the hosts didn’t hesitate. No red tape. Just support.
“They realized, yeah, accessibility is important. They recognize the value in access.”
Why This Matters
Melody’s story reflects the core of the Convo Ecosystem:
- Self-agency: She didn’t wait for access—she chose it.
- Efficiency and speed: Convo for Zoom activated in minutes—saving time, stress, and money.
- Human-first design: Relationships mattered. Interpreter continuity built trust and understanding.
- Shared impact: Her use of Convo raised awareness among hearing professionals.
Access Starts Here
If you host Zoom workshops, trainings, or events, let your Deaf participants know about Convo for Zoom—a fast, FCC-covered way to access real-time interpreters. With Convo for Zoom, you can:
- Make your events more inclusive without extra planning
- Share a tool Deaf participants can activate on their own
- Remove the stress of scheduling interpreters for every meeting
Ready to make your meetings more inclusive?
Learn more about Convo for Zoom and discover how easy it is to bring real-time ASL interpreting into your virtual spaces.
