by Sylvia Laurel
My name is Sylvia Laurel, and I live in San Antonio, Texas. I've just received word that CART service is being taken away from six students at the Miami-Dade Community College. I am writing in the hopes that my doing so will reinstate the use of CART for these students.
As an oral deaf/hard-of-hearing person, I have used CART since its beginning here in San Antonio. It is the only method of interpreter service that I am able to utilize. I do not know sign language or oral interpreting. Although I use a cochlear implant to help me hear, I still need the use of CART to help me understand the spoken word.
CART is my only mode of communication. It enables me to keep up with what is being said when it is being said. I can see facial expressions and gestures to understand the real meanings of some statements, and I am better able to participate in lectures, workshops or meetings. I encourage the use of CART for these students rather than notetaking. With CART they will have a more accurate record of the classroom proceedings and the notes they need are available to them on disk from the CART reporter. Oftentimes note takers' notes are not very accurate, whereas with CART everything is recorded verbatim. CART is accepted in courts of law as a legal transcript of court proceedings. Need I say more?
If you have had an experience with captioning or CART that you would like to share, please e-mail it to Peter Wacht, pwacht@ncrahq.org, or mail it to his attention at NCRA, 8224 Old Courthouse Road, Vienna, VA 22312.