Remote Services

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.

Special Topics: Remote Services

Use this tool to guide you through the process of providing remote access services. Answer each question with a “YES” (left) or a “NO” (right). Once complete, you should have a comprehensive plan for implementing services. If at any point your answer is unknown, determine whom to ask and note that on your to-do list.
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Type(s): Overviews
Deaf students enrolling in colleges across the country are on the rise and securing access services can be difficult for institutions.
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Speech-to-text services can be provided onsite or remotely. Onsite speech-to-text services refers to the service provider and consumer being in the same location. Remote speech-to-text services refers to the service provider and consumer being in different locations.
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Video remote interpreting (VRI) is a fee-based service that delivers interpreting services, often on demand, through a web-based platform on a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
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One option to offering remote services is contracting with a professional and reputable agency. Selecting a reliable and experienced vendor can positively contribute to the quality and effectiveness of the use of remote services. Consider asking the questions in this document as you seek a provider.
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Successful and effective services comes with cooperative contributions and efforts by all. Here are a few tips for students to encourage a positive experience using remote services.
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Student evaluation of remote services is critical to ensure effectiveness of services received. This evaluation template helps institutions to gather structured input from students regarding the quality of the technology as well as the communication access services received (i.e., interpreting or speech-to-text services).
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Type(s): Guides
When teaching online, instructors have an important role in supporting and ensuring the success of students — especially deaf students. Online courses need to be accessible for deaf students. This resource outlines some key tips to think about when designing online courses and planning for course materials that are a good fit for online instruction.
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Type(s): Tip Sheet
Disability service professionals are on the front lines — bringing their specialized knowledge, unique strengths, and necessary insights — to ensure that all classes are accessible to deaf and hard of hearing students as colleges and schools move them online in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
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