Speech-to-text communication access
Judy Colwell · The Hearing Journal · 2002
Do you know students who are missing too much information, despite their use of hearing aids, FM systems, and interpreters? Are they lost in class discussions? Are they frustrated by inadequate notes from student note takers? It doesn't have to be that way. A relatively new support service gives students better access to the communication in their classes—both their teacher's lectures and their classmates' discussion. It is called speech-to-text transcribing (a.k.a. real-time captioning.) SPEECH-TEXT TRANSCRIBING Speech-to-text transcribing lets students read from a computer screen the words and ideas that are spoken around them, at nearly the moment they are spoken. After class, printed or electronic copies of the text can be provided as notes for study. How is this real-time text produced? A hearing transcriber with a computer and specialized software listens to what is said in class and types abbreviations for the words and ideas spoken. The text is sent along a cable or a wireless link to the student's computer, where it is expanded to the full words. The student can read the text continuously or refer to it only when he or she has missed something. This near-immediate access to what is said allows students to follow what is happening in class and to engage more fully in active learning. Students who do not speak for themselves can type their questions and comments to the transcriber. The transcriber will then voice the remarks to the teacher and class. Speech-to-text services are especially valued by students who do not know sign language. Often for the first time in their educational careers, they can spend their time thinking about the information being presented, instead of working hard just to perceive it. Many signing students also value speech-to-text services, because the information is “frozen” on the screen, instead of being fleetingly available on the hands of an interpreter. Schools also appreciate these services, because they improve student learning, meet staffing challenges, and are cost-effective. Only about a month is needed to train a transcriber. Thus, transcribers can provide needed services where the shortage of trained interpreters is a problem. The typewell system The text a student reads can be produced either by a trained court stenographer or by a trained TypeWell transcriber. The TypeWell Transcription system consists of two parts: state-of-the-art transcribing software and training of the transcriber. Details of the service are available at the TypeWell web site, www.typewell.com.Figure: As the teacher and students in the class speak, the transcriber types a detailed transcript of what is said. The text is immediately sent to the supported student's computer screen. This gives the student a greater sense of independence and of being an integral part of the mainstreamed class.The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantee a person's right to equal communication access. Speech-to-text transcribing is an excellent tool for providing this equal access, and one that more and more students are enjoying every day.