Interviewing a deaf or hard of hearing person using remote CART as an accommodation can be intimidating for those unfamiliar with the process. It can make what can be a high stress situation for the candidate even more challenging. As an interviewer, you want to get the best out of the candidate which often means helping them to relax and feel comfortable while they are visiting your company. Here is what you can expect as an interviewer along with a few best practices and tips to help get the most out of your interview candidates.
How remote CART works
CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) uses a human captioner assisted by computer-based captioning technology to transcribe spoken dialogue word-for-word into written sentences. Essentially, the captioner, listening remotely via Skype or other collaboration software, will be typing everything you speak and projecting it onto a screen, typically a laptop, for the candidate to read. During the interviews, the candidate typically will sit across from you with the laptop in front of them so they can see the screen. As you speak, they will be looking at the screen to see what you are saying so don't feel as though the candidate is not focused on you; they are!
Additional tips:
- Introduce yourself and shake the candidate’s hand upon arrival to the interview.
- Be sure to speak at a normal pace; slowing your rate of speaking can often make it more difficult for a captioner.
- Focus on and direct questions to the candidate, not the captioner. The captioner can hear you.
- Be mindful of when you choose to address the candidate. Remember that CART is the primary means of communication between you and the candidate. Try not to speak to the candidate if they are not in front of the screen with the translation. For example, if the candidate is coding on a whiteboard during the interview or carrying a tray during lunch, they will not have the screen directly available, and speaking to the candidate during this time may be ineffective.
- Try not to interrupt the candidate or interject while the candidate is answering a question. If you do interrupt, the candidate will then need to look at their screen which can interrupt their answer.
Hopefully this information is helpful.
If you have questions about using remote CART in the workplace as a means of making your business more inclusive, don't hesitate to reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
