WKU is seeking more captionists & sign language interpreters

By Shakia Harris | 26 March 2010

Student Disability Services is “now hiring” to help Western’s deaf and hard of hearing students.

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Captionist Karen Porter said once students are registered with the SDS office, if they’re familiar with ASL, they can choose to have an interpreter, or they can have a trained captionist attend classes with them to summarize or take verbatim notes during class.

As a captionist, her ultimate goal is to blend in and not draw attention to the student she’s helping. There are times when she’s mistaken for a student, but she said that she considers that a compliment.

Even though captionists are trained to use specific software for note-taking, it’s hard for them to caption movies or video clips shown in real time, Porter said. If they’re given access to the media ahead of time, it’s not as hard.

Sparta sophomore Cortney Scott is hard of hearing and uses the captioning services.

During Scott’s first semester, an SDS employee recommended that she take vocational rehabilitation classes and have a captionist travel with her to all of her classes, she said.

“When I first came here, I didn’t know how to react to that,” she said.

Once the first day of classes arrived, Scott said she realized how overwhelming classes could be without assistance.

If a teacher lectured while walking around a class or spoke with their back turned, she couldn’t read their lips and missed out on notes, Scott said.

Apart from reading lips, she uses a hearing aid during class, but at times the background noise can be overwhelming.

Scott said her captionists help to keep her motivated in class.

“The services are there,” she said. “You just have to ask for help.”

Cadiz senior Charles Rockhold IV was born deaf and has used both captioning services and interpreters.

Some courses that use symbols, such as math, are easier to comprehend with interpreters, but the lecture courses are easier with a captionist because there’s a chance to read over the notes later, he said.

Rockhold said he appreciates having both services available because he had issues while attending public school.

“It was very, very difficult at times, because most of the time I didn’t know what was going on,” he said.

Scott said it helps when teachers are aware of her hearing impairment beforehand. Sometimes they think she’s not as advanced due to her disability.

“Some people just don’t know how to respond because it’s different.” she said. “I find it fascinating.”

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Continuing to fight for Domestic Partners Benefits

Employees, students protest decision

By: Shakia Harris

As Sam McFarland, a part-time psychology professor, stood in front of Wetherby on Thursday, he was greeted with glares, thumbs-up and partial nods.

Nearly a month after the Benefits Committee voted against offering domestic partner, or other qualified dependent (OQD), benefits to Western employees, faculty and staff members are standing at the steps of Wetherby Administration Building, urging officials to change their minds.

“We’re just trying to make it known to the president that there’s substantial support for domestic partner benefits,” he said.

Domestic partner benefits are benefits an employer chooses to offer an employee’s unmarried partner, whether of the same or opposite sex, according to information from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Starting this week, a student or faculty or staff member will be standing in front of Wetherby every day holding a sign in silent protest until a change is made, said Robert Dietle, head of the history department.

“It’s nothing big and dramatic,” Dietle said. “It’s just something we need to do.”

The silent protest began Tuesday with English professor Mary Ellen Miller.

“It was cold as blazes, but I was determined to stick it out,” she said.

A few people spoke to her and offered words of encouragement, while others avoided her entirely, Miller said.

Kari Aikins, committee member and manager of employee benefits and retirement, said the committee voted 8-6 against the benefits on Feb. 16.

Human Resources Director Tony Glisson, who voted against the benefits, declined to comment. But he said previously his vote was based on data concerning tax implications and changes in the payroll system.

Kevin Smiley, president of the Student Government Association, said he’ll be at Wetherby today.

Even though only a small portion of Western’s faculty would be affected by the decision, it’s still important to treat everyone fairly, Smiley said.

“I dislike the notion that there are people here at Western that feel like they don’t belong,” he said. “As a student advocate, I feel like that’s where we have to step in.”

Bowling Green senior Skylar Baker-Jordan said despite claims that the benefits were rejected due to cost reasons or because gay marriage is illegal in Kentucky, he speculates that personal prejudices played a part in the decision.

“Just because the state of Kentucky decides to discriminate doesn’t mean that Western should,” he said. “Fifty years ago, black students couldn’t go to school with white students. 100 years ago, women couldn’t vote, but that was the law in Kentucky. That doesn’t make it right.”