By Kelanie Cuadrado, Staff Writer
Being a deaf student in college can be challenging, but it is not impossible. If deaf students work hard and seek hearing assistance, they can reach their goals. There are two main resources for students that need assistance hearing their instructors and classmates. They can enlist the help of ASL Interpreters (American Sign Language Interpreters) and CART Services (Communication Access Real-Time Translation Services). Both resources have different ways of helping a deaf individual.
ASL Interpreters are very helpful to have in classes. They are the more personal option with the ability to convey the emotion and substance of the lesson. An interpreter is also ideal for classroom discussions because they have a quick response time. The interpreter can help you keep up so that you can be more involved in the class.
CART services have a bit of a delay that can be inconvenient for active involvement in class. Also, some people cannot look at a computer screen for a long period of time without headaches. For these people, watching an interpreter is a better option.
There are some potential downsides to the use of interpreters. They can be downright unprofessional. I have seen interpreters show up wearing sweats and stained shirts. It’s embarrassing for the deaf client because the interpreter is a reflection on the deaf person they are helping. There are even times when a deaf student is approached by another person in regards to the interpreter being too distracting.
CART services can be a great tool to use if you are in a small class or if an interpreter is unavailable. CART services records speech and translates it to written text. Captions are great to use for notes. Having a transcript of everything the instructor said during class on paper is great because if you forget what your class was about you can look at the captions. CART gives you the freedom of slacking a bit.
Captions are still not as good at hearing things. They often miss what students are trying to say. This will cause the student to miss out on important information.
CART Services will also have some technology problems. If your internet connection is lost, you will not have any way of hearing what is going on around you. It is also very easy for you to lose your work.
