Resources Main Page

Need captioning or CART of any sort? Please visit http://CaptionMatch.com, a new service of the CCAC, aiming to make it easier for anyone to ASK for captioning anytime. Consumers and Providers using CaptionMatch support the CCAC volunteers and the CCAC non-profit organization. Email info@captionmatch.com with any questions. 

Background of CCAC Mission

Globally, 1/5 persons has a hearing loss or deafness. It adds up to mega-millions of citizens. Captioning in their country language is the language these millions depend on, not only for television and the Internet, but also everyday for education, employment, and much more. To witness the vitality and necessity for inclusion of quality captioning universally, see http://tinyurl.com/bnw74vb to learn more. 

Also, millions of others, hearing people included, depend on captioning for learning languages, literacy, other learning differences, and business reasons. Without captioning, millions are excluded and disrespected.

(See: http://tinyurl.com/csrkj67 for the Johns Hopkins research)

This literature review http://research.gallaudet.edu/Publications/ASL_Users.pdf, estimates the number of people using Sign Language in the USA (deaf/hoh and also others who are not deaf or hoh, e.g. families, teachers, interpreters) – to vary from 100,000 to 15 million – a huge range. Even taking the very high estimate, it is smaller than “popular” understanding when compared to a total of about 48 million in the USA alone now with hearing loss. Using an estimate that 5% of this total of 48  million (2.6 million, fitting into the range mentioned) may use signing primarily (new research needed), in the USA alone, over 45 million citizens can benefit from quality captioning in many everyday situations. Other countries will have similar percentages. There’s a huge and unfulfilled need to include captioning universally.

CCAC offers several resources to help people advocate for more captioning and also a library of articles and films for education and raising awareness. New submissions invited. Be sure to open many of the links (tabs) under this main page.

Resources to help people advocate for captioning include the following (some on sub-tabs also, yet not all): :

2013: Two new advocacy articles from the CCAC for distribution (please include CCAC web address, http://ccacaptioning.org):

1. The Hearing Journal: http://tinyurl.com/d6cff2o Benefits of Captioning.

2. Hearing Health & Technology Matters; http://tinyurl.com/d6cff2o The Case for Captioning 

NEW CCAC Flyer (Poster) ready now (April 2013 update). Please Email now. It’s for distribution at any and all your meetings. Copies fine in black and white also. Please use it in conference packages and mention the CCAC to all interested in joining. Membership remains free.

FOR CART ADVOCACY – Important 2013 court case here: http://us8thcircuitcourtofappealsopinions.justia.com/2013/01/15/argenyi-v-creighton-university/ - there are very few court cases about CART that we know about. One other is in process now. If you have additional information, please email to us, CCACaptioning@gmail.com

A summary of CCAC objectives and activities that you can use in your own blog or newsletter. Newer articles on the main advocacy page on this website.

Information about disability rights.

APRIL 2013: Television also on the Internet! Given the importance of the CVAA and rules that apply starting now for Internet captioning, we put this good summary from the FCC about TV captioning here: http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/closedcaption.pdf. You are invited into CCAC membership discussions going on now, and updates or corrections to this welcome via email to the CCAC. And this important page also for the schedule: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/captioning-internet-video-programming extending out to 2016 for implementation.

==

CCAC Library of Articles (and films) on subordinate pages include the following:

  1. Articles relating to do-it-yourself (DIY) captioning.
  2. Articles about the technologies and processes related to CART (STTR) and captioning.
  3. Articles about CART (STTR) and captioning needs and applications.

DIY Captioning

Tools for DIY Captioning

See also http://ccacaptioning.com/CCAC%20CART%20Captioning%20Technologies%20Database%20January%202012.htm on our site

New submissions invited. Submit to ccacaptioning@gmail.com

How Steno Machine works, with court reporter and captioner - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__JkYUrIglg

CART (STTR in Europe) and Captioning Technology and Processes

FAQs about CART

REMOTE CART Information from CCAC Volunteers – Good Information for Remote CART Planning, for Consumers (Users) and Providers:

On the consumer’s side:

* An internet connection, preferably wired to send audio. Can be
wireless to receive captions.
* At least one computer, though two (one connected to sound system to
send audio, one close to consumer to receive captions via web browser)
is often ideal.
* A direct line in to a sound system or, in a pinch, a good quality microphone.
* Voice over IP software such as Skype or Google Chat

On the provider’s side:

* An internet connection. Wired is strongly preferred.
* Steno machine and software (e.g. Streamtext, though there are other options)
* Good quality headphones
* The same voice over IP software used on the consumer’s side

If there are multiple consumers, they can each view captions on their
own computers/tablets/smartphones, or the captions can be displayed to
the entire room via a projection screen. There is usually no
additional charge from Streamtext unless there are more than 50 views
from separate devices at one time.

Using a phone line is being phased out in favor of VOIP connections due to lower cost and better quality (voice over Internet) though sometimes at the expense of dependability (since connections can drop more easily than over phone line).

If a school or other event has an AV system also (audiovisual), it is preferred in terms of audio quality and usually an AV person can handle the connections without too much difficulty. The AV person needs to stay and monitor the connection to make sure that
the connection hasn’t dropped; if it does, they’ll need to accept the
new connection when the CART provider redials. When the consumer is
using the computer sending the audio, they’re able to accept the
redial by themselves, and are usually a little quicker on the uptake,
since they’re essentially monitoring the captions themselves already.

Thanks to Mirabai Knight, StenoKnight.com, for above information. She is a CCAC Member and Professional Provider in the New York area and also provides Remote

UNOFFICIAL CCAC LISTING OF SYSTEMS USED BY PROVIDERS FOR REMOTE CART, April 2013. Provider is at a distance anyplace, using Internet (cellular or wireless) and consumer reading real time text on laptop, ipad, iphone, or similar): Streamtext, 1CapApp, Teamviewer, Total Eclipse, Teleview, Gather Place 4; free  screenleap.com, joinme.com. Skype is often used for audio.

Another older resource about Remote CART is here: http://cart-info.org/remotecart.htmlt

(We invite updates or further information about CART, Remote CART, or any captioning systems.)

=============================================================

From a CCAC Provider Member - For the record, CART providers are certified starting at 180 WPM, but most professionals believe this is far too slow a speed for a competent provider…220 WPM with 99.9% accuracy (or one
error/omission every four pages) is a good baseline, though for more
challenging jobs, a solid 240 WPM is even better. Some speakers go
as high as 260 or 280 WPM (usually in short bursts)…when that happens, most CART providers will have to condense or paraphrase somewhat to get the most important material, similarly to what C-Print or Typewell does. CART providers are able to maintain verbatim accuracy until that threshold, nearly 100 WPM higher than the text-expansion services can manage.

Re-speaking and voice recognition “CART” is also being used now. Whether this is to be called CART/STTR also remains controversial and undecided. These are automated systems using a person and a machine trained to the one person’s voice.

CCAC ARTICLES TO HELP YOU ADVOCATE IN MANY CCAC “CATEGORIES OF LIFE”

CART and Captioning Needs and Applications

Research and Data: The CCAC also engages in research activities and collects data related to captioning services, needs, or advocacy. One result of this is the database of CART and Captioning Technologies, available on the link here.

CCAC Member Poem for Distribution:

Words Lost!

© LINDA HULL 2013

A word hangs in the air
for a split second
the sound of a tree falling
is lost
if there is no one that can hear it
a word translated to text
can be read by all people
does it vanish?
slide away
before you catch it
before the one who spoke has said a thousand more words
it can be as quick as that!
spoken, not heard
never remembered
or it can be printed electronically
and everyone can use it
for notes
book writing
to read after the children
or the wife is asleep
it can be touched and handled
remembered
some people want dark words
to vanish
to be kept by the lips and ears
of its hearers only
They fear the memories
fear what knowing the words
can do to them
yet -
they send faxes
emails
carry cellphones
keep them at their desks
but
don’t want anyone
to have a record
of meetings
their speeches
to hear what they said
and
have a record
that might hurt them – but the 3 letter agencies do!
HIPPA
keeps your friends
and family
from being able to know
being able to help you
(You could tell your doctor not to listen to uncle Bob.)
How many
really smart people
can’t hear?
or can’t understand
without
CART?
Please
make TEXT TRANSLATION
a priority
for your next meeting!