Interpreters facilitate communication between a deaf and hearing person.  This can be done in a number of modalities identified by the deaf person including:

• ASL interpretation

• Transliteration

• Tactile interpretation

• Oral transliteration

• Cued Speech Transliteration

Visit the Interpreting page for more information.

Speech-to-text services (STTS) is an umbrella term used to describe an accommodation where spoken communication, as well as other auditory information, is translated into text in real-time. A service provider types what is heard, and the text appears on a screen for the consumer to read.  There are three main types of STTS:

• Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)

• C-Print®

• TypeWell

Visit the Speech-to-Text Services page  for more information.

Assistive listening systems are designed to enhance the understanding of speech for deaf individuals who want to access information through their residual hearing and/or personal device (e.g., hearing aid or cochlear implant). There are different types of assistive listening systems that have their pros and cons and can support communication in a wide variety of settings.

There are three main systems used:

• Frequency Modulation (FM)/Digital Modulation (DM)

• Infrared

• Induction loops.

Visit the Assistive Listening Systems topic page for more information.

Note taking is an accommodation that captures important pieces of information in a systematic way. While most commonly used in the classroom, it can be used in any situation requiring learning, including job sites and internships. Deaf students benefit from receiving notes from a trained note taker as they already split their attention between other simultaneous accommodations (e.g. speech-to-text services, interpreting and captioned media), the instructor, group discussions and/or other information presented.

For more information, review our resource Note Taking: An Introduction.

Captioning media is the process of making pre-recorded videos accessible. Captions represent all of the audio content including spoken dialogue, sound effects, and speaker identification. Video captions benefit everyone including deaf students, emerging readers, visual learners, non-native English speakers, and many others.

Visit the Captioned Media Services page for more information.

Test accommodations should allow deaf students to demonstrate content knowledge by reducing barriers due to testing design, wording and format.  While accommodations are individualized, some commonly used accommodations include:

• Assistive listening devices

• Captioned media

• Extended time

• Glossaries or dictionaries

• Individual administration

• Frequent breaks

• Sign language interpreters

• Scribes to record signed or dictated responses

Visit the Testing page for more information.

Deaf students enrolling in colleges across the country are on the rise and securing access services can be difficult for institutions. Remote interpreting and speech-to-text services are viable options for institutions experiencing shortages of qualified providers, specific interpreting or captioning needs for a course, or last-minute requests for urgent situations. Remote services can be a beneficial supplement or a mainstay way of providing access for students in a variety of situations. Institutions must have the knowledge necessary to evaluate requests, resources to arrange services, and the infrastructure to maintain quality and effective services.

Visit the Remote Services page for more information.