Disability Services for Students (DSS) provides RealTime Captioning (RTC) to students whose
disability interferes with hearing or processing audible information.
RTC immediately converts speech to text that is displayed on a monitor. RTC will be provided
for classroom lectures and discussion but typically not for videos or field trips.
To ensure timely delivery of the accommodation, students are expected to request RTC immediately
after they have registered for classes.
If the student does not follow the RTC policy and procedures, RTC may be suspended until the
student has contacted their Disability Specialist and cleared up any difficulties or misunderstandings.
DISABILITY SERVICES RESPONSIBILITIES
Determine if RTC is an appropriate accommodation for an individual student.
Arrange for the equipment to be available in the classroom.
Assist the student in identifying a back-up plan, if RTC does not occur due to unforeseen circumstances
or technical difficulties.
Consult with faculty about RTC.
Hire, train and evaluate the captionists.
CAPTIONIST RESPONSIBILITIES
Obtain lists of vocabulary and technical terms specific to the course.
Provide RTC on class days and test days until the test begins.
Exception: Students must make a separate request for RTC for captioning class-related activities
after the last day of class, i.e. a review session on Reading and Review Day or captioning before
the final exam.
Make no modifications or changes in the provision of this service, unless instructed by Disability Services for Students.
FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide the captionist with a list of vocabulary and technical terms specific to the course.
Be sure videos are captioned, and films are scripted.
Maintain a classroom environment in which the captionist can hear what is spoken.
Use another means of communicating when RTC is not available. For example, when making announcements,
also write them on the board.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Request RTC from DSS.
RTC service is not available after the last day of class unless specifically requested. Students
wanting RTC for class-related activities during finals week or for the final exam must make a separate request.
Notify DSS of any schedule changes.
Follow the RTC policy and procedures as outlined in this document.
Talk to your Disability Specialist about how to access the lecture when RTC is not available.
Talk with the professor about using an alternate means of communicating when RTC is not available.
Report any problems to DSS immediately, so appropriate steps can be taken to correct the
situation. (DSS will not support requests for changing test or assignment due dates if the problem
was not reported in a timely manner.)
Disability Services for Students (DSS) provides RealTime Captioning (RTC) to students whose
disability interferes with hearing or processing audible information.
RTC immediately converts speech to text that is displayed on a monitor. RTC will be provided for
classroom lectures and discussion, but not typically for videos or field trips. There is no printed
record of this information unless the student has been authorized to use transcripts as class notes.
If the student does not follow the RTC policy and procedures, RTC may be suspended until the student
has contacted their Disability Specialist and cleared up any difficulties or misunderstandings.
OBTAIN THE ACCOMMODATION FOR YOUR COURSES
Register for classes on the first day of
early registration.
Each semester DSS notifies students who use RTC that they can register on the first day of early
registration. Registering early benefits you, because DSS has the greatest amount of time possible
to schedule captionists for your classes.
Contact your Disability Specialist immediately after registering to request RTC service.
Students can email their Disability Specialist or submit a copy of their class schedule with the
classes circled in which RTC is requested.
Notify DSS immediately of any changes in
your course schedule, i.e. classroom locations, meeting times, and when dropping or adding courses.
RTC usually begins on the first day of class. However, if you change your schedule shortly
before the semester starts, DSS cannot guarantee that RTC will be available. RTC will begin as
soon as DSS finds a trained captionist available during the new class time.
RTC service is not available after the last day of class unless specifically requested.
Students wanting RTC for class-related activities during finals week or for the final exam must
make a separate request.
If you no longer need RTC,
notify DSS immediately.
Using RTC
Choose a seat in the classroom where
you can read the monitor.
Talk with your professor about an
alternative way of communicating when RTC is not available, i.e. during a test or on a field trip.
If you have been authorized to receive
transcripts of the lectures instead of notes, you are
expected to follow class notes policies and procedures.
OBTAIN THE ACCOMMODATION FOR ACTIVITIES NOT REQUIRED FOR COURSES
Request RTC by either contacting DSS or by contacting the University department or student
organization sponsoring the program or service.
Make requests at least one week before the event, so there is ample time to schedule a
captionist.
Be willing to consider using a reasonable and effective alternative if RTC cannot be provided.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Inform DSS immediately of any problems. It
is important to act as soon as a problem arises. It is more difficult to correct a situation that
has been going on longer than a week.
DSS will not support requests for changing test or assignment due dates if the problem
was not reported in a timely manner.
Have a back-up plan in place in case
RTC is unavailable. Talking with your Disability Specialist about how to handle those situations
will prevent interruptions in service from becoming big problems.