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Thought it would be a good idea to take a minute to explain exactly what CART is and what makes it such a great tool for making your content more accessible to not only the deaf and hard of hearing but for all of your attendees and viewers.  

CART, Communication Access Realtime Translation, is a service in which the spoken word is converted text by, most often by a trained stenographer.  A stenographer is capable of accurately translating up to 250 words per minute and can keep up with event the fastest talkers.  CART is the most widely used technology for providing instant translation of the spoken word into English text.  Using a text streaming platform, the translated text can be viewed in real time on a computer monitor, television screen or projection screen, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, iOS, Android, Tablet or Kindle.

There are several CART options:

• Onsite CART
  Requires the real time writer to travel to your location. Consumers view the translation from a laptop computer, television screen or projection screen. 
• Remote CART
  The real time writer is at another location and connected via the internet. The consumer needs only a computer with an internet connection located in the room where the meeting or event will take place. The streamed text is sent to the consumers computer over the internet in real time.
• Overhead CART
  Designed to provide communication access for large groups. This service is frequently used at conferences and special events to project text onto large screens or monitors placed throughout the room.

Benefits of CART:

• Flexible
  CART can be used in a variety of settings, whether one-on-one, or in small or large groups.
• Versatile
  The consumer has the ability to change the font size, background and text colors to suit their needs.
• Accessible
  Easy to set up and use. No cables required.
• Convenient
  The consumer can view the real-time streaming text on a laptop, tablet or smartphone.
• Full participation
  The consumer has the opportunity to be involved due to word-for-word translation with all environmental sounds rather than a summary of the conversation.
• Total communication
  CART provider can be the voice for the consumer.
• Transcript of event
  Draft transcript available immediately following the event.

Examples of remote and onsite CART include, but are not limited to, the following: