Communication Access Accommodations

Captioning is an accommodation for the Deaf/HOH. It required on all media presented publicly, such as the UMass website. Public media consists of any access that does not require a login and ID. It is wise to caption all media as a method of universal design. Many people benefit from captions beyond the Deaf/HOH community. When a student requires captioning as an accommodation, all media must be close captioned for in class assignments, homework, etc. The library is an excellent resource for pre-captioned media. Media can also be sent out for captioning from a vendor, such as 3 Play Media. One cannot rely on captioning that is not "close captioned" (such as YouTube captions) as they are often incorrect and there are no standards for compliance.

Captioning is one form of receptive communication access whereby Deaf or Hard-of Hearing consumers read a real-time transcription of all verbalized information being presented. Examples include Voice Captioning, Captioning, C-Print and CART. Access can be obtained by means of an individual laptop or small screen if there are two or more consumers in an event. Most captioning users tend to be late-deafened, cannot benefit from amplification devices, do not know ASL, do not have strong speech-reading skills but have excellent expressive English skills and often speak for themselves. The goal of CART is 100% verbatim (word-for-word) of the spoken message. Captioning is word for phrase-by-phrase, as you see in television captioning. "Message" equivalency is the goal for C-Print but more experienced C-Print captioners are capable of 100% verbatim transcription.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and oral transliterators are available. These communication access services are only effective if the student is experienced in the methodology provided. For example, someone who does not know ASL will not benefit from an ASL interpreter as will someone who is a native ASL user not benefiting from the communication style practiced by Oral Transliterators. Either methodology can be successfully utilized by a student with early-onset hearing loss.

A sign language interpreter listens to a spoken language and interprets the message into a visual language - American Sign Language. Sign language interpreters are certified by the Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf (RID), a national organization which tests practitioners for qualifications, maintains records of professional development and continuing education and monitors practices in the profession. The ASL Deaf student must be fluently receptive and understand American Sign Language in order to receive the spoken message as interpreted into ASL.

Oral Transliterators take the message and make it visible on the lips and with supporting body movement or gestures, convey the speaker's message. It is essential that the deaf student be able to speech read, understand subtle nuances of facial expression and body movement/placement to fully comprehend the spoken message.

Late deafened students tend not be skilled in either ASL or OT methodologies — preferring instead to use captioning services. However, this is not to say that a late-deafened deaf individual cannot learn to speech read or to learn ASL.