BRITISH COLUMBIA POST-SECONDARY REAL-TIME CAPTIONING Guidelines/Terms of Reference (May 2013)

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1 BRITISH COLUMBIA POST-SECONDARY REAL-TIME CAPTIONING Guidelines/Terms of Reference (May 2013) The following are Guidelines for the provision of real-time captioning services at post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. This document is meant to facilitate an ongoing dialogue of collaborative decision-making between students, captioners and Disability Services Staff. (PCAS) is available for consultation and assistance. Institutions are encouraged to consult with PCAS when issues regarding educationally sound delivery of service arise. ***A captioner (often trained as a court reporter or stenographer) uses a stenotype machine with a phonetic keyboard and specialized software. A computer translates the phonetic symbols into English text almost instantaneously and displays them on a computer. The system is often referred to as CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation). A) Students Responsibilities Post-secondary institutions agree that the following are the responsibilities of students in relation to captioning services. Eligibility Criteria: Eligibility for captioning services is governed by individual postsecondary policies. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the policies of the institution they plan to attend and for complying with any procedural rules set out by those institutions. In addition, to be eligible for the provision of captioning services at post-secondary institutions, a student must: Provide documentation that, at a minimum, demonstrates the need for captioning service based on the level/degree of hearing loss. Be registered at a public post-secondary institution. Demonstrate sufficient literacy to benefit from real-time captioning. A student who does not provide the necessary information required by an institution in a timely manner may risk a delay in the provision of services. Establishment of Services: 1

2 To facilitate service provision, the student should: Meet with Disability Services to discuss captioning requirements four months in advance of class start date(s). Meet deadlines for priority registration, if available. Notify Disability Services of program, schedule and anticipated services needs at the time of admission to help ensure an appropriately qualified captioner will be available. Notify Disability Services of any schedule changes. Introduce himself or herself to the instructor and review the services which will be required. Discuss communication and set-up preferences with the captioner. Notify Disability Services if service is not meeting his/her needs. Request captioning services through Disability Services for outof-class activities such as meetings with instructors, group meetings, etc. indicating date, time, location and nature of activity. As much lead time as possible should be provided. Class Preparation and Class Time The student should also: At the beginning of the term establish an optimal way to maintain contact with the captioner, including providing an address for transcripts and a cell phone number for texting. Ensure that his or her account has sufficient space for receiving transcripts or arrange with the captioner an alternate system for accessing transcripts. Take responsibility for immediately notifying the institution and captioner about transcript receipt issues. Advise the captioner when captioning is not understood or is insufficient. 2

3 Instead of requesting clarification regarding course content from the captioner, ask the instructor to explain points from the lecture. Provide Disability Services a list of required class texts and instructor contact information. Ensure the captioner has received the syllabus, and preparation material for class presentations, lectures and assignments. Work with the captioner and instructor on communication strategies for technical and other specialized language components. Refrain from distributing or publishing any notes received from the captioner. Refrain from private conversations with the captioner during service provision in the class. Attendance Service providers will begin captioning upon the arrival of the student. The student should: Contact the captioner and Disability Services with as much notice as possible, preferably not less than 24 hours in advance, when she or he expects to be late, sick or unable to attend class, the class has been cancelled, or the room location has been changed. If the student has not notified the captioner and does not attend class, the captioner will wait for a student 15 minutes for a onehour class and 30 minutes for a class longer than one hour. Meet with Disability Services to discuss service delivery if he or she has cancelled captioning services without 24 hours' notice two or more times in accordance with institute, department or program policies. Contact Disability Services immediately before deciding to withdraw from a course or no longer attend a course for which captioning services are being provided. Monitoring The student needs to: 3

4 Complete a feedback form on captioning services if requested. Contact Disability Services when matters related to captioning need resolution. B) Post-Secondary Institutions' Responsibilities Post-secondary institutions agree that the following are their responsibilities in relation to captioning services: Services: Where such services are deemed warranted by Disability Services and can be provided without undue hardship institutions will make reasonable attempts to provide some level of captioning services for: Classes full-time, part-time and continuing education. Appointments on campus. Labs and seminars. Field trips and co-op placements. Exams, class related meetings (e.g., appointments with instructors, group project meetings). Special events sponsored by the institution and extra-curricular institutional activities as appropriate. The level of real-time captioning services will be determined on a caseby-case basis. Establishing Services: Inform students about captioning services and their responsibilities. Assess each assignment to determine the need for additional captioners or other educational support services. This assessment will include consideration of physical demands, length and complexity of the assignment, etc. Discussion may occur with captioners, instructors, students and others as necessary. Reassess service provision, should the conditions of the class assignment change (e.g., physical demands, length and complexity of the assignment, etc.). 4

5 Determine preparation time in consultation with faculty, the student and captioner. Preparation time may vary significantly depending on the assignment, captioner experience, etc. Co-ordinate payment of captioners. Captioners: Provide captioners with relevant institution policies and procedures, including reporting lines within Disability Services. Ensure that captioners have access to the instructors names course outlines, and online materials, preferably before the course begins. Videos, textbooks/course materials and safety equipment will be provided as necessary and as available. Hire captioners who provide documentation of formal training in the field, who are members of a professional association, and who participate regularly in professional development. Instructors: Explain the role of the captioner to the students instructors at the beginning of the term. Before commencement of class, send an information package to the instructor that: Identifies the student(s). Explains the captioning service and the role of the captioner Includes tips on effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing students. Explains how having course materials in advance assists the captioner. Assures the instructor that transcripts are an access tool and will not be made available to individuals other than the student receiving the service. Encourage instructors to provide a break in their class schedule to accommodate captioners. To avoid repetitive strain injuries to the captioner, a health break is requested after 1.5 hours. If requested, provide instructors with copies of class notes on a case-by-case basis. 5

6 Equipment and Facilities: Problem-solve facility and technical issues related to equipment set-up in collaboration with captioners and instructors. Monitoring: Develop and implement a monitoring and quality assurance process for captioning services. Share feedback with the captioner regarding service delivery, with the student s written permission in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Report as required regarding service delivery. C) Captioners Responsibilities Post-secondary institutions and captioners agree that the following are the responsibilities of a captioner in relation to captioning services: Student Contact: At the beginning of the term, establish an optimal way to maintain contact with the student including an address for transcripts and a cell phone number. Class Preparation: The captioner will: Become familiar with the course material and update job dictionaries/word lists using the syllabus, textbooks and other materials provided by Disability Services. Share word lists with other captioners and interpreters, as appropriate. Set up in an effective location near an electrical outlet and where the instructor s visual delivery is clear, as well as according to student preference. Provide captioning notes only to the student and Disability Services as requested. 6

7 Begin captioning upon the arrival of the student. Attendance: The captioner will: Notify the student and Disability Services when late or unable to attend, with as much notice as possible and preferably not less than 24 hours in advance, to facilitate hiring a substitute. Wait 15 minutes for a student to arrive for a one-hour class and 30 minutes for a class longer than one hour unless previous notification has been given to the captioner. Contact Disability Services when captioning services are not required as scheduled. Equipment: The captioner will: Provide all necessary equipment for on-site captioning. Transcripts: Captioners will: Provide a verbatim (draft) transcript of all lectures as soon as possible but within 48 hours. Professionalism: The captioner will: Abide by the policies and procedures of the institution, including reporting lines within Disability Services. Direct any student/faculty concerns to Disability Services. Report any concerns to Disability Services when they arise. In consultation with Disability Services, review feedback from the student and instructors regarding the communication process in the classroom and adjust services accordingly. 7

8 Treat as confidential each captioning assignment and refrain from revealing information from the assignment. Schedule preparation time within the contracted class time, as much as possible. For example, captioners can utilize time when students are working independently for preparation. Balance the captioning role with the goal of maximizing student independence. Refrain from discussing the student s disability with instructors or other students. Participate regularly in professional development. Be a member of the British Columbia Reporters Association, or an equivalent professional organization. Participate as a member of the student s Educational Team in order to maximize educational success; directing students to Disability Services should problems arise. I agree to the above responsibilities: Student Date Captioner Date Disability Services Coordinator/Advisor Date 8