Speech-to-text systems for deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing people

In response to the report of the Commission of Enquiry into Human Aids to Communication, the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) set up a working party to look at ways of encouraging existing machine shorthand reporters working in the Crown Court System to work with deaf people. Hearing aids and lip-reading are most effective in face-to-face communication between a small number of people. Unfortunately, there are many events such as public meetings and lectures where the speaker may be poorly lit or too far away to be seen or heard clearly, or where high levels of background noise prevent the successful use of a hearing aid. It is in these circumstances when a simultaneous visual transcript of speech may be helpful. The author discusses the use of speech-to-text systems for deaf and hard of hearing people.