Seven Tips for Locating, Screening CART Providers
Editor: It seems that CART has grown up before our very eyes. There
are still too few reporters and other growing pains, but the field is
well on its way to becoming a profession. Here is an article by Maureen
McGuire and Pete Wacht. The article recently appeared in NVRC News. As always, we
appreciate their permission to share their information with you. For
additional information, please visit the NCRA
Listing in our Resource Directory.
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If you're deaf or hard-of-hearing, you probably already know how CART
(Communication Access Realtime Translation) technology can help you
fully participate in such activities as religious services, educational
classes and seminars, or medical appointments. But do you know the best
methods to find and screen CART providers? Below are seven tips from the
National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) to locate CART services and
determine whether a CART provider is qualified to effectively and
accurately perform realtime translation.
CART providers accompany people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to
meetings, medical appointments, religious services, schools and many
other events, and using a stenotype machine and a laptop, they instantly
transcribe the spoken words into text that a person with hearing loss
can read on a laptop computer. NCRA is the professional organization for
CART providers and other reporting-based professions such as court
reporting and broadcast captioning. Accordingly, NCRA has a vested
interest in ensuring that there are enough CART providers to meet the
growing demand and that those offering their services are qualified,
capable and competent.
NCRA is currently developing a professional certification for CART
providers that will set minimum standards for those who provide this
critical service.
SEVEN TIPS FOR LOCATING, SCREENING CART PROVIDERS
1. To find a CART provider in your area, check out "How to
Locate a CART Provider" on NCRA's Web site.
You'll find links to NCRA's Professional Services Locator, which lists
CART providers and includes their certifications, other credentials and
areas of experience, and to the membership directory of CARTWheel, which
is a voluntary association of CART providers committed to adhering to
guidelines of quality service and who have been endorsed by deaf and
hard-of-hearing consumers.
2. While you're at the NCRA Web site, you can familiarize yourself
with NCRA's CART Provider's Manual, which provides information on the
professional skills expected of qualified CART providers, and review
Sections III and IV of NCRA's Guidelines for Professional Practice,
which set out the ethical behavior expected of CART providers.
3. The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) designation at this
time is a requisite for the qualified CART provider. The RPR certifies
the entry-level reporter's ability to provide a verbatim record at
speeds ranging from 180-225 words per minute with a minimum accuracy of
95 percent. NCRA also recommends that CART providers earn the Certified
Realtime Reporter (CRR) designation, in which a CART provider has proven
his or her ability to write realtime at variable speeds ranging from
180-200 words per minute with a minimum accuracy of 96 percent.
4. A qualified CART provider must be able to provide a basic display.
Make sure any CART provider you hire has a stenotype machine with
realtime cable, a notebook computer, CAT/realtime software and
text-enlarging software. In addition to technology, a qualified CART
provider should also be able to furnish the small stuff, like an
extension cord, a surge protector with an indicator light, a 3-prong or
2-prong ground cord adapter, additional realtime cable and disks.
5. If you want projection capabilities beyond a laptop screen (i.e.,
multiple monitors, projection screen, L.E.D. message board), make sure
the CART provider is willing to test for hardware and software
compatibility, and make arrangements to do so.
6. Arrange all payment details in advance, and be sure any quote
includes hourly fees, equipment fees and charges for each rough-edit
disk. A qualified CART provider will be upfront about all charges.
7. Always ask for references. A qualified CART provider will always
share this information and will be eager to put you in touch with others
who can sing his or her praises!
