Alternative Communication Services (ACS)

By Cheryl Heppner

Its website proclaims that Alternative Communications Services (ACS) exists to provide the highest quality voice-to-text services possible, delivering Onsite CART, Remote CART, Captioning, Closed Captioning and Text Interpreting services to consumers throughout the world, recognizing the unique strengths of each individual in the process.

I visited with Phil Hyssong to learn more about what ACS business is like these days. Phil said that 60% of their work is now done in education settings. What’s changed, though, is the source of those requests. At one time most of the demand came from higher education institutions which were providing accommodations for graduate students. Then there was a jump in the number of requests for undergraduate students. Now the company is seeing an increasing number of requests to accommodate high school students. Can grade school and the great potential to increase reading levels be next?

See more of Cheryl Heppner reports of the 2009 Hearing Loss Association of America Convention at NVRC.

Alternative Communications Services (ACS)

Alternative Communications Services (ACS) attended the 2009 Hearing Loss Association of America Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. They provide the highest quality voice-to-text services possible, delivering these Onsite CART, Remote CART, Captioning, Closed Captioning and Text Interpreting services to consumers throughout the world, recognizing the unique strengths of each individual in the process. They even provide services in Spanish! Read on!

Alternative Communications Services (ACS) booth!

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) – The instantaneous translation of the spoken language into text and displayed in various forms. English text is produced with less than a two-second delay. For example, a CART writer sits next to a student in a classroom and listens to the professor, transcribing all that is heard, and the English text is being displayed on the computer screen so the student can read along.

• Onsite CART can be provided for meetings, classes, training sessions and special events. CART can also be provided REMOTELY.

• Remote CART is exactly the same as onsite CART except the provider is in a remote location and listens to an event through the use of a telephone or Voice Over IP (VoIP) connect.
  

Captioning - The instantaneous translation of the spoken language translated into text and merged with a video signal for broadcast or projection with less than a two-second delay. For example, the captioner's software dials via a phone line into the television station's encoder. The captioner then dials via a second phone line into an audio source at the television station. The captioner listens to the audio and transcribes what is heard.

• Closed captions are captions that can only be seen with a device called a "decoder," which is built in most televisions.
• Open captions are captions that can be seen all the time. The caption text becomes part of the video signal.

Text Interpreting – The electronic note-taking system that is designed to provide meaning-for-meaning transcription of spoken English into English text. The text interpreter listens to the professor, condenses text (meaning for meaning) and keys in the text via a short-hand method. The student and the text interpreter usually have their own laptops when the service is provided on site. This service is specifically designed for the educational setting. ACS offers Text Interpreting both onsite and remotely.

Sign Language Services -ACS is pleased to offer Sign Language services to our educational and convention planning customers. As the company that listens to you, we have heard that planners and coordinators desire a one-stop shop. We have listened to you.