You Can Change a Life

By Colin Cantlie and Joe Gordon

As our community becomes more aware of how technology can help us through our daily lives, we sometimes feel that the people who produce technological products and services forget the most important component: the end user. As people become aware of their hearing loss, many ask how to be reconnected to the world of sound. Of course, there are varying degrees of loss and hearing strategies to regain hearing independence.

Many years ago, Colin Cantlie became acutely aware of his hearing loss and, like many, preferred not to show the fact that he was missing so much in the world of sound. Eventually, for the purpose of survival both in the workplace and in society in general, Cantlie invested in hearing aids and later in assistive listening devices, then finally many years later hit the jackpot with text communication through either captioning or communication access realtime translation (CART). As his hearing deteriorated, he became increasingly dependent on captioning and CART to remain productive in the world of sound. Sounds around him were decreasing in volume and comprehension. He was, as they say, losing it.

Ask yourself the question, who provides this valuable service of this form of text communication? Do they know what we want, or do they really care? After all, we are only the user of the product — the “faceless user” when speaking of captioning and remote CART. In order to do this, the providers need to meet certain standards so that consistency and quality are always present. Providers need to get their product to the “end user” and know that it is an important bridge to connecting all parties.

As time marches on, it has come to the attention of many that captioning and CART must be consistent and must be a quality product, or it will not be useful and thus not used by the intended parties. Providers should be expected to execute their skills via the available technological channels by doing the best they can. It is a myth to think that just anyone can provide this much-needed product to those who desperately require the service to remain involved and be included. In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act provided the needed legislation for accessible communication, and its intent was for accurate, consistent, and quality captioning/CART — nothing more and definitely nothing less.

Accessible communication is a TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) effort involving the provider, speakers, and audience. Without one, the other does not exist — and without effective communication the event fails. As is the case with a speaker, the person is expected to be “the expert” in the field of the presentation; therefore, the same should hold true for the provider. Consumers depend on captioning and CART. If the message is relayed incorrectly, problems will arise; even bad decisions could result. As Anthony Robbins, American advisory to leaders, points out, “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” Please remember one important fact: communication works for those who work at it.

It is important for consumers to know that captioners and CART providers receive certified training to develop their professional skills and abilities. Providers are expected to remain impartial and objective regardless of the topic or audible content. It is not the intended role of the provider to police or censor speech in their writing. Full inclusion means just that: the consumer is entitled to the full version of the audible delivery. The responsibility lies with the individual readers, and no one else as to what is wanted or not wanted — just as it is in the hearing world to accept or reject unwanted communication.

Realtime reporters’ work is vitally important to the end-user. During the course of time, it is expected that the reporters will maintain their skills through “professional development.” It is essential for providers to be aware of current trends, technological advancements, industry literature, and laws for a couple of reasons: 1) to remain up to date and knowledgeable of the industry; and 2) to know and respect the consumer needs. Professional development is essential if the providers are to remain at the top of their game, so to speak; to be the consummate professionals through quality, accuracy, and consistency. The realtime reporter should always demonstrate a strong and positive attitude to colleagues and clients alike, be proud of what they produce, and know that the end-user is in awe of their skill and most thankful to them for providing effective and accessible communication, thus allowing those who are unable to understand the spoken word inclusion to the subject matter through text. Remember when all other means of communication fail, try words; you would be amazed to see the results.

Now, not all of us realize that many providers receive training before entering the industry, and some have certification. NCRA, for instance, offers a test, the CCP, for CART providers. Some providers are trained by others with the idea of moving into the industry as soon as possible, but there is a danger in this process. Many of the “reporters” will have had time to hone their skills, while others will have very limited experience before entering the captioning and CART provider industry. They are basically thrust into an environment that affects so many people, and their product can and does have an effect on the end-user, as well as those who have spent considerable time and money to be where they are today. It is truly amazing how the realtime industry has not been able to regulate and police themselves to protect the qualified provider — and more importantly the end-user — from shoddy writing.

The consumer does not see the necessary preparation prior to any assignment, but we do see the result of a lack of preparation by means of spelling, the inconsistent flow of information and, believe it or not, the absence of information. Sometimes the skill of the captioner is not at a level to handle the challenge of a live broadcast. It must also be said here that technical problems do exist in captioning due to broadcasting difficulties that provide for a hieroglyphics rather than displayed readable text. This cannot and should not be levied at the provider. But at the same time the provider needs to be aware of the problems and report it to the broadcaster as soon as possible. In other words there needs to be quality control of the product by the industry and the clients, such as the broadcast industry, the meeting planners, and so forth. This has already started with the support of your professional association, NCRA. Once again, there is a TEAM effort to ensure quality product delivery.

As New York State Chapter Coordinator for Hearing Loss Association of America, Joe Gordon is the go-to person for any comments or complaints on captions. And members do like to let off their frustrations by contacting him. Comments overlap because members understand availability and quality of captions involves the regulator, the producers, the TV channel, the cable provider, as well as the person doing the captions.
Gordon correctly says, “We need captions. We love captions. You know the expression ‘love at first sight?’ Well, for people with hearing loss, it is love at first sight and love eternally. Without captions it would be impossible for us to be well informed, impossible to be current on news, impossible for us to be aware of and enjoy all parts of our diverse culture.”

If the information going across the screen is inaccurate, filled with garble, and/or spotty (not free flowing with the audible communication), the viewer remains isolated and frustrated.

Prerecorded and precaptioned programs are the best, according to Gordon. There are fewer problems with the captions. But members question why some prerecorded TV shows have realtime captions, which is a problem. This question needs to be asked by and of the NCRA members who have direct contact with producers and networks to pass along our need and our frustration.

Realtime captions can be difficult. Frequently captions do not keep pace with dialogue to the point of distractions, while other times pacing or timing is fine. Sometimes a captioner misspells a word. In an attempt to correct the misspelled word, there is trouble. Lots of dialogue can be missed. Remember, “we love captions” and we don’t want to miss anything. All we ask is that you remember people are reading what is said and they are appreciative of the service you are performing. We understand that errors will crop up at times, but all we ask is be the professional you were trained to be and to do your best. What more can we ask of you? Nothing.

Surely you want to provide the best captions. At times, captions cover graphics that we are interested in seeing. It may be the guest’s name, title, contact info, Web address, or 800 telephone number that we want to know. Occasionally graphics or captions are placed on top of the screen, so they do not interfere with each other — but not frequently enough.

It’s not just about writing and doing a job; it is knowing people out there depend on the information. When speaking of CART in the educational scene, there are other factors to think about but, most of all, think about students who pay for their education and deserve to have equal and full access to the curriculum, the same as a hearing student. It’s not only a job but a commitment and passion that allows others equal access to society.

In closing we are amazed at the tremendous skill of captioners and CART providers. Your fingers move skillfully and quickly over a very few keys, spelling the most unusual words, words we would not understand if it were not for your captions. So again, thank you for your skill and for bringing all the wonderful entertainment, sports, news, and current events to people with hearing loss. Without you we would feel isolated and apart. Thank you for the effective communication.