Stanford
Office of Accessible Education

Live Captioning and Sign Language Interpreting

Courses & Academically Related Events

There are a variety of live interpreting and captioning services available through the OAE for courses, office hours, and other academically related events such as department-sponsored lectures. These services include:

Live Captioning/CART
CART, also known as Communication Access Real-time Translation, is a speech-to-text service that uses a professional captioner in order to provide a text format for auditory information (such as your professor’s voice in a classroom lecture). This captioner uses specialized software and a display device in order to capture all spoken information and type it in near-real time so that you as the student are able to read the lecture or class discussion on the monitor. Live captioning is extremely accurate and only has a 2-3 second delay.


The Office of Accessible Education offers two kinds of CART, in-person and remote. With in-person CART, a professional captioner is physically in the classroom with you, listening to all audio content in the room and converting it to text on a computer monitor. Remote captioning is also an option, using a small, discrete microphone to send the audio content to a captioner who is not physically in the room. The captioner then converts the content as per usual onto a tablet that the OAE will provide for you.
 

Sign Language Interpreting
For students who prefer Sign Language as their method of receiving information, the OAE offers in-person and remote options in American Sign Language, Pidgin Signed English, and Signed Exact English. With in-person interpreting, a professional interpreter will be in your classroom with you, usually at the front of the classroom so that you can observe both the interpreter as well as any media content that the professor is displaying (for example, a powerpoint presentation.) Remote interpreting is also an option, wherein the interpreter uses a small, discrete microphone in order to receive audio content. You as the student are then able to view the interpreting through your own computer.
 

How do I request CART or Sign Language Interpreting for my academic needs?
In order to be eligible to request CART or Sign Language Interpreting within your course, you must first be registered with the OAE and have Deaf Services as an approved accommodation. If you are not yet registered with our office, you can find detailed steps on how to register here. If you are registered with the OAE but not yet approved for Deaf Services, please reach out to your Disability Adviser.

Review the Sign Language/CART Agreement to understand your responsibilities as a student. If you have been approved for Deaf Services an accommodation, you can submit a request at OAE|CONNECT by selecting Academic Request Forms and following the instructions within.


Advanced Notice
Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible as timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations.  Similarly, it is the student's responsibility to notify the OAE as early as possible as to any problems experienced in the obtaining of academic accommodations and services.

Sign Language/CART Agreement

All users of the Interpreter and CART services are required to read and agree to the following conditions. Please indicate that you agree on the online submission form before submitting.

As a user of Interpreter or CART services, I agree that:

  • I will submit my request to the Accommodation Coordinator as soon as possible.
  • I understand that while “last minute” requests (those submitted less than 48 hours in advance of the event) will be accepted and while reasonable attempts will be made to honor these requests, the OAE cannot guarantee service provider availability.
  • I will ensure that the information I include on the service request form is accurate and complete so as to both speed and simplify the process of locating an Interpreter or CART service provider.
  • I will inform the Accommodations Coordinator of any changes in my schedule within 24 hours. These changes include adding or dropping classes, change of meeting time, place, or section number, or modifications in enrollment status such as a leave of absence.
  • I understand that if I am absent from three class sessions without notifying the OAE, my Interpreter or CART services may be interrupted and need to be reinstated.
  • I will inform the Accommodations Coordinator of any difficulty or inconsistencies in Interpreter or CART services as soon as they occur.
  • I will submit all requests through the OAE and not establish services directly with the Interpreter or CART service provider.  The OAE is not responsible for services established outside of its process (i.e., for services arranged by the student directly with the service provider).
  • I realize that if I fail to inform the Accommodations Coordinator in a timely manner of any problems with the Interpreter or CART services, or with changes in my schedule or status, or otherwise fail to meet the requirements of this agreement, the Coordinator may not be able to resolve the situation in a timely manner (e.g., by midterm, finals).

Non-Academic & Extracurricular Activities

For captioning or interpreting services involving University sponsored non-academic activities (e.g., residence hall meeting) or public events (e.g., graduation), please contact the Diversity and Access Office or fill out their Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Request.