1. Practical Strategies for Improving Communication
OPEN CAPTIONING OPTIONS
ENSURING INCLUSION OF THE HARD OF HEARING & THE ORALLY DEAF
&
Practical Strategies for Improving Communication
FOR MEETINGS AND PERSONAL PHONE CALLS
NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU HEAR
BY WINDEN ROYALTY

2. WHAT IS OPEN CAPTIONING AND C.A.R.T?
Closed Captioning is something you have the option of “turning on” and is typically used with individual purposes such as television.
Open Captioning is automatic and can be seen by everyone in the group.
C.A.R.T. stands for Communication Access Real Time Translation.
It may also be referred to as real-time captioning.

3. WHO DOES IT APPLY TO AND HOW DO I BENEFIT?
It is used by hard of hearing and deaf people who use English as their first language and/or their language of instruction.
Since the words are portrayed on a screen everyone in the room can be able to identify what is being said without drawing attention to those who do struggle with hearing.
Hearing loss is often labeled as a communication disorder and simply knowing what to do improves relationships.

4. PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS
Approximately 36 million American adults, or 1 out of 10, report some degree of hearing loss. These include:
18 percent of American adults years old
30 percent of adults years old
47 percent of adults 75 years old or older

5. CAPTIONING FOR PERSONAL USE
You can use captioning for everyday conversations if you are talking to someone and you are in a noisy room without having to write everything down.
You can also be able to watch the words appear on your phone as someone is talking.
There are even phone apps which alert you to noise in your surrounding area such as someone approaching from behind and starting a conversation.

6. CAPTIONED PHONE

7. WHY IS THIS EVEN NECESSARY?
One of the biggest concerns I experience and hear from others is the idea of competing noises.
Even with what is labeled as mild hearing loss, as the number of competing sounds increase, the ability to understand decreases.
Announcement about our company’s safety policy!
Overhead music!
People talking just outside of the open door?
Person you actually want to hear!
Thumping bass from outside!

8. HOW LOUD IS SPEECH?

9. PRACTICAL THINGS TO REMEMBER
Stay in the same room and face the person when talking to them. (Sounds obvious, but many don’t follow this rule.)

10. DON’T YELL OR SCREAM
Some hard of hearing people are extremely sensitive to loud sounds. This loss of tolerance to loud volume is common.

11. MORE HELPFUL HINTS
Everyone, especially those with hearing loss will struggle more with listening when tired or ill.
Take turns when talking and let people know when the topic changes.
Don’t chew while talking.
Remember to slow down and leave a space between words.

12. GETTING ATTENTION POLITELY
Get to where the person can see you.
Tap them on the shoulder.
Flick lights slowly (Fast is associated with emergencies.)

13. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND Good Dental Care
Keep hands away from mouth and trim any facial hair that covers lips.
Is the floor carpet or a hard surface?
Don’t be afraid to ask “what can I do?”

14. OTHER TECHNO OPTIONS
Mini Mic or equivalent
Induction loop

15. HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO HEARING DEVICE
Telecoil Remote

16. WEBSITES FOR MORE INFO REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Audiology Network Services. (June 14, 2017) Are there different levels of hearing loss? Audiology Network
Allison, C. (2015). The use of instructional videos in K-12 classrooms. Dissertation. Indiana University of
Pennsylvania. ProQuest.Services.
Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre. (2014) Communicating with a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Person. Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre.
Edelberg, E. (September 9, What is open captioning and why should you use it? 3 Play Media.
Hearing loss facts (2016). Deaf and hard of hearing forum.
Johnson, T. (1996) Deaf students in college composition courses culture and pedagogy. Dissertation. Louisiana State
Univ. ProQuest.
National Association of the Deaf. (2017) Communication access realtime translation. National Association for the Deaf. realtime-translation/
University of California San Francisco Medical Center. (2018) Communicating with people with hearing loss. University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

17. Websites for pictures
of speech banana
of captioned phone
of mini mic
of remotes for cochlear implants
- photo of man tapping shoulder of a person sitting down
-picture of man covering his ears.
picture of man with missing teeth
access symbol
-picture of four people in a business meeting.
of large induction loop
of roger pin for hearing aids and med-el cochlear implants