Red Willow County Court Judge Anne Paine and Clerk Magistrate Gretchen Wiebe graciously collaborated with the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide language access to a litigant with a hearing impairment for two court proceedings on May 31, 2019, via CART services. 

CART stands for Communication Access Real-time Translation; which is also referred to as real-time captioning. CART is an accommodation available for court users who are hard of hearing or deaf and whom use English as their first language.

How it works: Typically, the individual with the hearing impairment can voice for him or herself (expressive communication) and uses CART to read what others are saying (receptive communication). CART providers use a stenography machine, a computer, and software to display on a tablet screen everything said in the court proceeding for the individual relying upon the service.

The CART provider does not generate an official record of court proceedings, as the words spoken by the individual who is deaf or hard of hearing are not transmitted to the screen.

Remote CART services are also possible using WebEx conferencing. After the court proceedings, court stenographer Margaret Heaney demonstrated Remote CART services from Judge Paine’s chambers while counsel and court staff spoke in the Red Willow County courtroom. Those in the courtroom were able to read the written text on a screen. Local attorneys, Nebraska State Court Interpreter Coordinator Irma Watt, and Statewide Language Access Coordinator Jennifer Verhein participated in this effective demonstration. 

Photo 1: CART provider Margaret Heaney provides language access in  Red Willow County Court on May 31, 2019.

Photo 2: Nebraska State Court Interpreter Coordinator Irma Watt and Statewide Language Access Coordinator Jennifer Verhein observe Margaret Heaney as she demonstrates CART services.