This Covid-19 pandemic has hit everyone hard, but there are subgroups within society that have been hit even harder. The deaf community is one of these groups, and with a second wave now in full force and winter on the way, the next 6 months look to be even bleaker than the previous. If you’re hard of hearing and are struggling with the pandemic, then these 3 tips may help a little.
Digital Accessibility is an oft-overlooked aspect of modern-day life, and as such, it’s more important than ever to discuss and highlight. With so much of our lives being conducted online, from doctor’s appointments to food shopping, it’s essential that everyone has access to online services, and we don’t just mean having an internet connection.
Ten years ago, hardly anyone knew what a podcast was. Now there are literally millions of them, covering every topic under the sun. Around half of all homes listen to podcasts in some form, be it on the treadmill, driving in the car, or simply pottering around the house. Most podcasters have a website to go along with their broadcast, but very few of those sites have a transcript of the individual episodes. This is a huge mistake, but a very simple one to correct.
Obviously, the main function of subtitles and closed captions is for deaf and hard of hearing people to follow what’s happening on screen. There are, however, many other advantages to having captions on a video. One of the most surprising of these is a boost in SEO, helping your video, website, and business to all become more visible to the wider world.
If you think a stenographer was just for a courtroom, then think again! A stenographer is a skilled freelancer, who can work anywhere, not just in the judicial system. Many people use stenographers to help them, both individuals and companies, so we thought we’d explain how you might benefit from the help of one of these incredible professionals.
Well, unfortunately, it looks like there’s a second lockdown on the way. While rules are different across each member nation of the UK, the end result is the same; stay home if you can. For millions that means working from home, with many people just beginning to return to work after the first lockdown. But for businesses, it represents an opportunity to learn from their mistakes the first time round. With Zoom meetings, Skype calls, and online conferences taking over the business world, it makes sense to get the most out of a bad situation by implementing live captioning.
The Covid-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, with practically everything about modern life changing as a result. Some things that happened were obvious, such as the airlines having a hard time staying afloat with all flights being grounded. But other things happened that no one expected.
No one would disagree that life is difficult for those with hearing loss, but modern technology is at least making the struggle a little easier than previous generations. Since the smartphone arrived on the scene in recent years, technology has been improving at an exponential rate. Our phones can do ridiculous things now, from tracking your cholesterol to pinpointing gunshots, so it’s not surprising that there are plenty of apps for hearing loss out there for people to try. We’ve picked five free apps for you to check out, which, hopefully, make your life a little easier.
We all know that YouTube is a platform for videos, but did you know it’s also the second-largest search engine after Google? YouTube is used by millions of people every day for entertainment, education, or instructional videos, and with 100 hours of video uploaded every minute, there’s plenty to choose from. One of the best features of YouTube is the subtitles and closed captions, available on almost every video now uploaded. These subtitles help attract a wider community, increase watch time and shares, and boosts ranking.
Live captioning delivers an inclusive experience for the deaf, hard of hearing, and those who have English as a second language. As a person is speaking, a speech-to-text-reporter (STTR) types out verbatim what is being said, with the transcript appearing on a screen for everyone to read. The simple solution never interferes with what’s being said, while at the same time helps keep everyone in the loop with what’s going on. Below are the three main places where live captioning should be used.