Webex Teams or Zoom ASL – Which One is Better for the Deaf?

Which video conferencing platform is better for deaf participants, Webex Teams or Zoom? If you are a deaf person or need to conduct a video conference call with someone who is deaf, you’re probably trying to find the best platform for the discussion. 

 

What you’ll want to look for is accessibility. Which video conferencing platform offers the most accessibility to disabled users, especially those who are hard of hearing? That is the question we will attempt to answer in this article.  

 

The two most popular platforms right now are Webex Teams and Zoom. They became very popular during the recent pandemic because more people were stuck at home. Let’s see which one is better for deaf people. 

 

Webex Teams 

 

Cisco Webex calls itself the leading enterprise software solution for conducting online meetups and video conferences. It is closely connected to Microsoft Outlook via the Webex Productivity Tools package. With a combination of these tools, Webex provides users with several different levels of accessibility. Hearing and seeing impaired users can both benefit from it.  

 

When you have a deaf person on a Webex video conference call, you can have a human captioner type all the spoken words into the media viewer window on the screen. You can use this as an alternative to a live interpreter or as an extra way for the deaf person to see the words that were spoken.  

 

Sometimes a deaf person might want to look back at the captions to review what was said. Webex offers transcription services to any user who has enabled the “Network-Based Recordings” feature. But if the deaf person prefers to look at the ASL interpreter’s hands only, they will have a clear picture of them.  

 

When someone speaks on a video call, the software automatically will show their video over everyone else’s video feed. But if you want to keep the interpreter’s video feed on the top to see their hands, you can “pin” the video to stay on top. Then you can still hear the words of the speaker while watching the hands of the interpreter.  

 

Zoom 

 

Zoom is rated number one for accessibility. It has a plethora of features to make it more accessible to the disabled community. Firstly, it has an automated captions feature, which translates the spoken words without the need for a human captioner or translator. Of course, the automated captioner feature is not 100% accurate. You’re much better off with a human ASL interpreter to ensure the accuracy of what was spoken.  

 

Zoom makes it easy for deaf participants to see the interpreter’s hands. It lets participants adjust the size of their video feeds, so the interpreter’s video feed is larger than the other feeds. And if they want to look back on what was interpreted, they can record the live feeds and play them later. Use the cloud recording option for the best playback quality.  

 

To make the interpreter’s video larger, right-click on the window and choose “Spotlight Video.” If you want to switch back to the speaker, right-click on the window and choose “Remove Spotlight.” Then go to the speaker’s window and choose “Spotlight Video.” It is a very straightforward process and should be simple enough for anyone to understand. 

 

If you want to turn on the automatic captioner for the speaker’s video and look at the interpreter’s window simultaneously, you can resize both windows to be the same size next to each other. There are just so many options to utilise for deaf people like Languagers provides.  

 

The Verdict 

 

In the end, the choice comes down to which platform people are comfortable with the most. Since Zoom continues to be the dominate video conferencing platform, you’ll come across more people who use it. So, you mine as well learn how to use it yourself.  

 

Demand for Translation Services in NYC Schools is Rising

The demand for translation services in NYC is about to start rising. At least, this will be the case if the New York City Department of Education (DOE) makes good on a recent promise to provide better interpretation and translation services to NYC schools. 

 

Earlier this year, a lawsuit brought forward by Legal Services NYC, claimed that the DOE was failing to provide adequate interpretation and translation services to the parents of children in New York schools. Thankfully, this is now changing. 

 

 

 

Why are Translation Services in NYC Schools Important? 

 

 

As an English-speaking parent, you likely take it for granted that you can call your child’s school at any time to discuss their welfare. However, imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t. Worse, imagine what it would feel like to be notified of an accident at school if you were unable to understand the full contents of a phone call. 

 

As it stands, not being able to communicate directly with educators and school representatives, is a very real problem for many parents.  

• Often, parents who are not native English speakers feel excluded from being able to participate in their child’s education. 
• According to Legal Services NYC, some parents have difficulty accessing important information concerning everything from their child’s academic performance to what hospital children have been sent to after serious accidents. 
• Parents of children with disabilities who do not speak English, find it particularity difficult to ensure their child’s safety at school. 

Thankfully, NYC parents who are not native English speakers are entitled by law to access to interpretation and translation services in NYC. 

 

 

How Can Parents Make Use of Translation Services in NYC? 

 

As brought to light by the recent New York City DOE lawsuit, it often isn’t easy for parents to access interpretation or translation services when communicating with schools. However, contrary to what many parents think, schools are legally bound to offer interpretation and translation support to parents. 

 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits any U.S. institution that receives federal funds from discriminating on the basis of national origin. What this means for parents is simple. 

• As a parent, you have the right to ask that NYC schools translate any written correspondence to you to your native language.
• In meetings with educators and school representatives, parents can request that interpreters are present. 
• When schools need to contact parents in emergencies, parents have the right to have important messages translated or interpreted.

Admittedly, exercising these rights has been difficult in the past. However, this year's New York City DOE lawsuit is hanging this.  

 

How Should Educators Now be Utilizing Translation Services in NYC? 

 

Are you an educator in New York City? If so, you might have concerns about how to practically cater to non-English speaking parents. However, this needn’t be the case. 

 

While it can be costly to hire full-time interpreters and translators, we at Languagers make it easy to make use of interpreters and translator services in NYC on an as-needed basis. This means that you can work with us any time 24/7 to arrange phone, video, or face-to-face interpreting. When preparing written correspondences for parents, we can also translate these for you in under 24-hours. 

 

Does your school or learning center need to do more to cater to non-English speaking children and their parents? If so, let us help you keep costs low as you do so. Simply reach out to one of our team today to find out how we can help.