[Athen] In house captioning software

[Joshua Hori]

We have 3 in house CART staff, and another 3 in house interpreters. 

*Software*: Rapidtext (unknown version, no longer available)

*Pros*: Works, CART team who knows STEM terminology and has Huge CART libraries saved into subjects. 
*Cons*: It's old software which works within word and is no longer available, but which my CART team still gets support for (works better in Word 2013 than in previous versions of word, on Windows 8.1). I can't convince my CART team to move to other software or cloud services such as InClassNotes\other systems. They prefer using the software they are used to (which I don't blame them, their libraries are extensive for Med, Law, and STEM courses) and GoToMeeting for remote requests. 

For software upgrades, I can't blame them for not wanting to change, these guys/gals took decades building their libraries. The youngest CART provider just hit their 10 year mark last October. 

**Other**

*Software*: Dragon Naturally Speaking Pro (VoiceMeeter if Martel Mask is used for audio feedback purposes)
VoiceMeeter download: http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Voicemeeter/
*Hardware*: Martel Mask/Dragon Microphone (HP i5, 12G RAM, 120G SSD+750G HDD)

*Pros*: Can work great once you are established.
*Cons*: Can cause you to lose all of your hair in the process of becoming established. I dislike the martel mask due to it getting hot and moist the longer you use it (tissues work best in the mask) and you have to semi-whisper the whole time. Works pretty good for videos where I can wear headphones and talk into a regular microphone, although I haven't tried it at a live event. Have been attempting to train some people on how to use the service, but they have soft voices and it has proven to be difficult. 

VoiceWriting requires a person with a deep voice who enunciates like a radio broadcaster for athletic events. It can take a lot of practice to speak at the same level all the time, but at least you don't have to train Dragon anymore with version 13...

Best, 

Joshua Hori
Accessible Technology Analyst
Student Disability Center
University of California, Davis


-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Maria Bohn
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2015 10:38 AM
To: athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu
Subject: [Athen] In house captioning software

For those who use in house captioning software can you tell me what you use and pros/cons? We are investigating getting something and want to see what other colleges and universities are using.

Maria Bohn
Resource Accommodations Specialist
Office of Specialized Services
Bergen Community College


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