Speech-to-Text-Services:
Variables to Consider

	Harriett Clark, Jennie Bourgeois & Cindy Camp
	Postsecondary Education Consortium

What are Speech-to-Text Services?

	Speech-to-Text  Services include any method of
	relaying spoken information into a text format.
	Some examples of Speech-to-Text Services include:
	Steno Captioning
	Typewell
	C-Print
	iCommunicator
	CaptionMic
	CART

What communication issues should
I consider in using Speech-to-Text Services
for a student who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

	Is the student a user of Sign Language or Cued Speech?
	Does the student use a sign language other than ASL (such as home signs, SEE, etc.)?
	Is the student stronger in English or in ASL?
	Does the student have at least a 4th grade reading level?

What classroom format issues should
I consider in using Speech-to-Text Services
for a student who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

	Are there multiple students with different preferences (ASL/PSE/SEE) in the same class?
	Is the class conducted in a discussion-based or lecture-based format?
	Does the classroom have excessive background noise?

What environmental issues should
I consider in using Speech-to-Text Services
for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

	Are lights dimmed or turned out at times in this class?
	Are electrical outlets readily accessible in this classroom?
	Is there a distracting lighting source in this classroom such as from a window or projector?

What administrative issues should I consider in using Speech-to-Text Services for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

	What is the availability of interpreting, transliterating and captioning services in your area?
	Do you have FM Systems readily available to your department with appropriately trained individuals to fit and/or adjust FM Systems to individual students’ hearing aids?
	Do you have adequate equipment and technical support required for Speech-to-Text technology?

What other administrative issues
should I consider when using
Speech-to-Text Services?

	What policies are in place for requesting services and/or requesting preferences of accommodations?
	What is the cancellation and/or no-show policy?
	Establish criteria specific to your institution in the determination of service provision.

Common Questions Regarding the
Provision of Speech-to-Text Services:

	If I have an equitable accommodation available, do I HAVE to provide the student with their preferred mode of communication?
	What is considered to be an EQUITABLE accommodation?
	Can a student or volunteer notetaker take the place of a professional Speech-to-Text provider?
	Should students’ preferences of accommodations be considered?  If so, to what extent?

Slide 9

When might FM Systems
not be an appropriate
accommodation option?

	The class is discussion based.
	Classroom background noise interferes with comprehension.
	The student’s hearing aid is incompatible with an FM system.
	The student is not accustomed or trained in using an FM System.
	The student has not had positive experiences in the past with an FM System.
	Appropriate personnel are not available to assist in fitting and adjusting the FM System to the individual student’s needs.

Resources

	National Court Reporters Association www.ncraonline.org/infonews/ethics/index.shtml
	Court Reporters Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct www.ncraonline.org/infonews/ethics/index.shtml#adindex
	Speech-to-Text Services Network – www.stsn.org
	Typewell – www.typewell.com
	C-Print – www.cprint.rit.edu

Postsecondary Education Consortium

	This presentation was funded in part through an
	agreement with the U.S. Department of Education,
	Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
	Services.
	For more resources, materials and information, visit
	www.pepnet.org.
	(2005)

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