How do you ensure your attendees with hearing loss have equal access to your live presentations? Live CART Captioning is one of the most effective ways to offer accessibility to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing in real-time. Read on to learn how real-time CART Captioning services work and why they are necessary for fostering true diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Where does Real-time CART Captioning fit in?
No matter where you work or attend school, you, your colleagues, and classmates should never have to miss out on an event because of a disability. Luckily, technology has made it easier than ever to make sure everyone can access information, even if they have hearing loss. Using Real-time CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services, Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals will be able to read along as a CART operator transcribes each word of a lecture or presentation into open- or closed-captioning.
How do you provide CART Captioning for conferences or meetings?
There are two ways to provide real-time CART captioning services during your event. One is to hire an in-person CART provider who will work on-site transcribing verbatim captions based on what they hear, both spoken messages and environmental noise. An alternative approach is to connect a virtual remote CART caption provider via an internet-enabled device. CART Captioning services can be rendered using a projector to display the captions to all event participants (known as “open-captioning”) or using mobile devices to provide captions to only those who require the accommodation (known as “closed-captioning”).
It’s worth mentioning that automatic computer programs that convert spoken word into captions are not an adequate substitute for this service. While these apps and programs have been shown to work, their application is limited to one-on-one settings with minimal tolerance for accents or environmental noise. Using automated captioning programs for meetings and conferences will inevitably lead to miscommunication due to the technology incorrectly transcribing difficult-to-understand content. If the event is important enough for you to be there, then entrust the caption services to a real human, not a robot!
In addition to being effective means of accommodating attendees with hearing loss, live CART captioning and sign language interpreters are considered a form of accommodation under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under Title III, it is unlawful to deny access to any services offered by a business that are available to customers or clients. Whether or not an
organization provides real-time captioning and/or sign language interpretation services as an ADA accommodation depends on their specific circumstances, budget, and DE&I efforts.
Our goal is full inclusion for everyone
At Inclusive Communication Services, we believe everyone should have equal access to all events and media content, regardless of their abilities. In fact, since 2016, our company has made it our mission to provide equal access to our local communities for those with hearing and vision loss through premium accommodation services such CART captioning, sign language interpreting, and media accessibility services. We’ve partnered with over 150 organizations to provide equal-access accommodations for their workforce and customers. Through our initiative, Village Hands, we broaden our impact by providing affordable accessibility services for low-budget and nonprofit entities.
Inclusion Starts with You!
If you have a business or facility that is open to members of your community, it’s essential to provide equal access to persons with disabilities. Real-time CART captioning is one of many excellent ADA accommodations that allow the Deaf and hard-of-hearing equal-access to their community. Don’t be caught unprepared and inaccessible; form a partnership today with a reputable accommodations agency like Inclusive Communication Services.
