Innovative Use of Adobe Connect to Provide Interpreting
Summary: At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
• List 3 benefits of using Connect to deliver interpreting online
• Identify 3 factors that affect the quality of a webcam video image when interpreting
• Produce a Connect meeting room layout that includes an appropriately sized interpreter window
Description:
There are many challenges to obtaining highly-skilled and credentialed sign language interpreters for the Purdue University community. One possible solution to this problem is to use video remote interpreting (VRI), whereby a sign language user can view an interpreter in a remote location via a video relay. However, most VRI systems require specialized hardware and software that would be difficult and expensive to provide throughout the Purdue community. Working with a staff member of the Disability Resource Center, we sought a lower-cost and more ubiquitous alternative to commercially available VRI systems.
Adobe Connect is an online meeting software package available to all faculty, staff and students at Purdue University. It supports sharing of multiple web camera video streams, and a person can attend a Connect meeting from any location with only a computer, an Internet connection, and a web browser. For these reasons, we chose to conduct testing on Adobe Connect to determine how effectively it could provide video remote interpreting.
A pilot project was conducted when a deaf faculty member registered for an online training session that was making use of Adobe Connect. Instructional Development Center staff worked with the Coordinator of Deaf Services to determine the appropriate size and location of the “interpreter window” within the Adobe Connect training layout. The session was successful in including an interpreter as a part of the online training. Feedback from two deaf participants was positive, and they indicated that they want to use the technology again. Future plans include testing how well the system works for two-way interpreting, such as in a classroom setting.
Adobe Connect is an online meeting software package available to all faculty, staff and students at Purdue University. It supports sharing of multiple web camera video streams, and a person can attend a Connect meeting from any location with only a computer, an Internet connection, and a web browser. For these reasons, we chose to conduct testing on Adobe Connect to determine how effectively it could provide video remote interpreting.
A pilot project was conducted when a deaf faculty member registered for an online training session that was making use of Adobe Connect. Instructional Development Center staff worked with the Coordinator of Deaf Services to determine the appropriate size and location of the “interpreter window” within the Adobe Connect training layout. The session was successful in including an interpreter as a part of the online training. Feedback from two deaf participants was positive, and they indicated that they want to use the technology again. Future plans include testing how well the system works for two-way interpreting, such as in a classroom setting.
Dean Brusnighan
Assistive Technology Specialist
Purdue University
Assistive Technology Specialist
Purdue University
Dean Brusnighan is an Assistive Technology Specialist at Purdue University-West Lafayette, where he is responsible for ensuring that information technology is accessible to individuals with disabilities. He has worked in the field of disability services since 1991. He has made presentations at national and state conferences, including those of the national Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), the Technology and Persons with Disabilities, and the Indiana Council for Continuing Education.
Allison Humbert
Assistive Technology Center staff
Purdue University
Assistive Technology Center staff
Purdue University
Allison Humbert is a student employee of the Assistive Technology Center at Purdue University-West Lafayette. She has been involved from the beginning in our efforts to use Connect software to deliver video remote interpreting.