The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) is launching a new campaign to promote “awareness of captions and advocate for the increased need for accurate, understandable, and timely captions.” The movement will not only help those in need of captions but also protect the industry that provides them.

For those of us who hear well, it’s easy to forget about why closed captioning matters. On the other hand, individuals with hearing impairments and language barriers know why strong court reporters and accurate captions are necessary.

To ensure the integrity of this accommodation and the strength of our profession, NCRA is developing a four-step process that looks like this:

• Encourage Adoption of Best Practices
  – educating students, captioners, and broadcasters about the best practices in closed captioning.
• Empower Consumers Who Need Captioning
  – providing consumers with advocacy tools to encourage broadcasters to provide accurate captions
• Legislative Updates
  – creating an easy-access website for legislation that deals with captioning
• Raising Awareness
  – sharing the stories of the people who benefit from captioning services

Stay tuned for more information on how you can advocate for your profession!

Source: “NCRA Launches “Captioning Matters” Campaign,” Journal of Court Reporting November/December 2013