Realtime captioning is sometimes referred to as Communication Access Realtime Translation [CART].

Over 28 million Americans have significant hearing loss.  While the use of sign language is common, many people who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on English to communicate.  The development of broadcast captioning opened the world of television news and entertainment to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.  But that new technology was left behind in their living rooms when they ventured out into their communities.

Now there is realtime Internet captioning to take communication access wherever it is needed.  CART providers offer realtime captioning at events like religious services, conventions, business meetings, public hearings, or in classrooms.

Trained as stenographic reporters, CART providers are able to type the words of a sermon, seminar, testimony or lecture on steno machines. The stenographic notes are translated instantly into word-for-word text on a computer screen and then simultaneously streamed seamlessly over the Internet to the consumer’s computer screen.

CART not only allows people with hearing loss to understand what is being said, but also to understand the interaction within an environment, such as a question from a student to a professor or jokes or environmental sounds such as cell phones ringing and laughter at the back of the room.  This allows the individual who is deaf or hard of hearing to be an active participant rather than just a silent observer.

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