The Guardian
College of Court Reporting, EST. 1984
Stenographers: Unsung Essential Workers of COVID-19
By: Joe Duarte, Co-CEO at InnoCaption
The pandemic has imposed a multitude of challenges to people who are deaf and hard of
hearing that those outside of that community would likely never consider. Social distancing and mask mandates have created unforeseen barriers to communication, preventing people who are hard of hearing from reading lips and further muffling the quality of sound in conversations.
These restrictions have caused many individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing to rely on
phone calls to stay connected to loved ones, a form of communication made possible through a mobile captioning service that utilizes stenographers.
Michael Conley, a San Diego resident who is deaf, has heavily relied on the InnoCaption app
during this time of strained communication. When the pandemic hit, Michael lost his job, missed his aunt’s funeral due to difficulties communicating while traveling, and had complications getting prescribed the medication he needs due to social distancing measures.
InnoCaption, a free mobile app that provides real-time captioning for phone calls, has provided Michael with the freedom he needed to go about his daily life. Social connection is already deeply difficult during this time, and live captioning has allowed Michael to stay connected with those he needs to communicate with, despite the tough situation. Michael has said himself that InnoCaption, and the work of live stenographers, has immensely improved his quality of life. While Michael’s story is both moving and inspiring, it is important to acknowledge that he is only one of many impacted daily by the work of the stenographers who enable InnoCaption’s service.
There are approximately 48 million Americans who are hard of hearing, many of whom rely on
mobile phone captioning for their everyday communication needs, with stories similar to
Michael’s. Real-time captioners have provided a true lifeline between friends and family, getting those treasured ‘I love you’s’ from point A to point B during a time when communication only takes place at a distance.
Around the clock, stenographers work in service to others, solely responsible for enabling a
mother to tell her son she is safe and healthy, a doctor to prescribe a patient the correct
medication, an employee to successfully communicate with a manager while working from
home, and friends to simply check in with each other during this unsettled period.
One live stenographer, Rachel, shared her experience captioning for InnoCaption below:
“This experience has been what I have been yearning to do with my skill: Reach the community that has an immediate need. I wasn’t meant to make transcripts that will stay in a courthouse database, many never being seen again after the proceedings that occur. I have always had a strong pull to serve others.”
The skills learned to engage in this profession transcend courtrooms into doctors' offices, airport terminals, home offices, and every space in between. Live stenographers truly change the lives of those that use mobile phone captioning by using their skills to serve a community in need every day.
Curious About Voice Writing?
This video provides an excellent demonstration of the voice method.
CCR's next voice class starts soon. Contact the admissions department at info@ccr.edu for more information.
What is Voice Writing?
Voice writers receive skill-focused training on how to use their voices to capture the record. Upon completion of training, voice writers are then tested for audibility and accuracy. The National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA) upholds and maintains the gold standard for voice writer court reporters. This standard is equivalent to those set by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) for stenographers.
What the world needs now are random acts of kindness
A recent grassroots effort launched in the wake of circulating dissension in the court reporting profession has succeeded in successfully establishing a place where drama and negativity have been replaced by support for students by promoting random acts of kindness.
A recently launched Facebook group that began with just a handful of friends has grown in just four weeks to include 1,200 members and monetary donations totaling more than $21,500. The effort has also attracted donations of used steno machines, books, laptops, and more.
“It’s basically a paying-it-forward stenographic initiative,” said NCRA member Allie Hall, RMR, CRR, a full-time official court reporter and court reporting instructor from Tulsa, Okla., who started the effort. She said in the past several weeks, students both from her own programs as well as other programs have been reaching out, asking why they should continue in their studies when there has been so much talk recently, especially on social media, about the value of stenographic reporters going by the wayside.
Broadcast captioner and court reporter make top list of well-paying jobs
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Melvin Brewing Scholarship
NCRA A to Z Scholarship
The Veritext Court Reporting Student Scholarship
Horace Webb Scholarship
The National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA) awards this scholarship to voice court reporting students. The application deadline is usually in April. The 2020 application has not been posted yet.
ABC, NBC, CBS?? Nah...we have your fav channels right here!
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Semester Start Date: November 16, 2020.
Contact Nicky Rodriquez at 866-294-3974 ext. 222 or nicky.rodriquez@ccr.edu for more information.
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