They’re Just Hearing Your Pleas For Help

This is the first semester of required masking at my college. I have a hearing-impaired student, and I’m getting set up with an office that coordinates accommodations. I’m told that the student would formerly lip-read, but now with masking, they need to use a third-party transcription service to be able to read what I’m saying in real-time during class. I have no idea how this is set up, but I follow all instructions and am willing to be as flexible as I need to be.

First, I’m given a microphone that plugs into the classroom computer. I’m a little unsure how this will go, so I try it out. No good; the way the classroom is set up, I can’t access the board without taking the microphone off.

They tell me I can purchase a wireless microphone, but I’m a part-time lecturer so I wouldn’t be reimbursed. I push back on this; I’ll do what I need to do, but I’m not willing to spend money when the university has the equipment. IT provides me with a wireless mic, so it seems fine.

Then, I ask for help getting the transcribers to work with the microphone: in other words, I have the mic and I have the computer, but who is hearing me to type it in? I don’t know what the transcription service company is, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to connect with them so they can hear me through the microphone.

I ask the accommodations coordinator how I contact the transcription service.

Coordinator: “We’ll send IT down to help you with that. They’ll be there about fifteen minutes before your class starts.”

I’m thinking, “IT connects me with the transcription service? That’s unexpected; that seems like an accommodation office thing.”

The next class meeting approaches. I’m there twenty minutes early, waiting for IT. IT emails that something’s come up and they’re sending a different person. The IT person arrives about ten minutes after class has started.

IT: “Here’s the mic plug. You just plug it into the USB drive here, open up this program, and now talk… Okay, you’re good to go. Your microphone is set up!”

Me: *Pauses* “Yes, but how do I talk to the transcription people?”

IT: “The who?”

Me: “The transcription people? The people listening to me, the reason I have this microphone?”

IT: “I… have no idea. Who are you using?”

Me: “No clue. I haven’t been told. Yeah, I thought it was strange that IT would be in charge of connecting with the transcription service.”

We share an eye-roll.

I email the accommodations coordinator right away that I have the mic set up, but I don’t know how to connect with the transcription people. I get no response until the next day.

Coordinator: “Did IT set up the microphone, though?”

Well, yes, but with no one listening, what’s the point?!

I did wear the microphone during class. With no one listening. For the half-hour we had left.

My poor student also had no idea how to connect with the transcribers; this was their first time using the service. Lip-reading was always sufficient so they never needed transcription.

Also, this NEVER got resolved. I never did find out how to connect with the transcribers. The student passed the class, fortunately.