Captioning Services (CART)

CART or Communication Access Real-time Translation (also can be referred to as real-time captioning) is used primarily by hard of hearing and deaf people who use English as their first language and/or their language of communication.  Most often, the hard of hearing or deaf person can voice for himself or herself (expressive communication) and uses CART to understand what others are saying, especially in meetings, classrooms or large events (receptive communication).

A CART captioner, like court reporters, utilize a stenotype machine, as well as a notebook computer and real-time computer software. The CART captioner types the spoken word into a stenotype machine, and the shorthand is then instantly transferred to the computer, which then produces the English text. The text is projected onto a large screen or a computer/laptop monitor to provide real-time captioning of the spoken words to the deaf and hard of hearing person.

CART is available and provided anywhere in the State of Rhode Island. Public venues include religious and civic events, speeches, seminars, and college classrooms.  This service can be provided either on-site or remotely.

A common professional certification from the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) includes the RPR (Registered Professional Reporter) and the CRC (Certified Realtime Captioner).

For information regarding the CART captioner’s role when performing his/her job, please visit the following links:

• National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
• Court Reporter Edu.org