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LSU Disability Services One of the Nation's Leading Programs for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Students
College classes are supposed to be hard. Lectures, term papers, abstracts, tons of reading material and discussions, discussions, discussions. But imagine how much more difficult they can be when you are deaf.
LSU is one of the nation’s leaders in providing services to deaf and hard of hearing students, including both real-time captioning services and sign language interpreting. LSU Disability Services is home to one of the largest C-Print real-time captioning programs in the United States, behind only the software’s developer, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
“We typically have around 25 students per semester that we work with,” said Jennifer Bourgeois, the program’s coordinator. Many of those students utilize the university’s real-time captioning services. A captionist accompanies the student to their classes and uses a laptop computer with the specialized software to caption in real-time what gets said in class. The C-Print software translates a short-hand typing system from the captionist into full sentences for the student.
Alternatively, some students choose to employ sign-language interpreters, who translate lectures or what is said in classes into American Sign Language. Disability Services also provides interpreters or captionists for all university functions upon request such as commencement ceremonies, plays and lectures.
The program’s success recently took Bourgeois to the University of Tennessee, where she was taped for an upcoming training seminar on speech-to-text technology for use nationally at the secondary and postsecondary level. The seminar is being sponsored by the Postsecondary Education Programs Network, or PEPNet, which provides resources and expertise that enhance educational opportunities for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. LSU’s Disability Services serves as one of the national outreach centers for PEPNet, which is sponsored by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs.
“Our biggest challenge is just the logistics of making sure we have captionists or interpreters in every class where services are required,” said Bourgeois. “We have to accommodate our students’ schedules, which means our people have to be able to get around campus quickly sometimes in between classes.”
For the captionists themselves, each class can present its own unique challenge, such as foreign language classes.
“The student was under the impression that I knew French,” said captionist Gwen Cacioppo. “You just have to try and type out the words phonetically as best that you can. You and the student find a way to adapt to the way the instructor teaches.”
“I don’t have to understand the subject matter technically, if the professor is a good, clear speaker,” added Dawn Couvillion. “Occasionally, I may ask a professor to repeat themselves. But usually if we don’t understand what was said, other students don’t as well.”
Discussion classes, where students will add their own thoughts and opinions in addition to the professor, are also challenging.
“For those, we just try to indicate who is speaking as best as we can, and we can add cues to the transcripts, such as ‘reading a book’ or ‘writing on the board,” said Couvillion.
Captionists undergo several months of training, and most have previous experience in working with the deaf and hard of hearing communities. The C-Print software allows for constant expanding of the shorthand words that it recognizes. But the rewards can be almost an education in and of itself for the captionists.
“I just love it,” said Cacioppo. “I love being in the classroom. And it’s a change of pace every semester, you’re never locked into any one thing, and you can learn along with the student.”
“I actually once had a teacher jokingly tell me, ‘if I’m out, you can just teach the class,’ because I’d been through it several times with different students,” said Couvillion.
For the students, the services can be not only a way to get through college, but an inspiration for what to do after it. Rebecca Jesgar Reed, a 2005 graduate in education, came to LSU as a student with a substantial hearing loss, worked as a student worker in the disability services office and is now a teacher at the Louisiana School for the Deaf, just a few miles from LSU’s campus.
“I actually came to LSU for the program,” said Reed, a native of St. Louis. “When I showed up at LSU, I didn’t even know sign language. They taught me how to sign.”
Another former student, James Landry, called the program a godsend. “Jennifer actually came to me,” he laughed. “She kept up with me in my classes, and she kept on me to stick with the service. It really kept me studying in classes.” A 2004 graduate, Landry now works for the LSU Athletic Department as a facilities manager.
“The people here are wonderful,” said Karoline Hernandez, a current student in the program, majoring in German Literature. “This program has really kept me going.”
For more information on LSU Disability Services, visit www.lsu.edu/disability, and for more information on PEPNet, visit www.pepnet.org.
August 20, 2009
Thursday, August 20 is the 2009-10 move-in day for new and returning students moving into on-campus residence halls and apartments! We call this exciting event Roaring into the Halls! Hundreds of volunteers from the campus community will be on hand to help students move into their new on-campus homes at LSU.
 
What to expect on move-in day, August 20, 2009: Upon arrival, students will go to well-marked sign-in areas for their assigned residence hall to pick up their room key. This website will have a list of the sign-in locations for all residence halls.
An Unloading Access pass will be given to each resident at check-in. This pass allows vehicles to be parked close to the entrances for 15 minutes, where friendly volunteers will help unload heavy items and move them into the room. After 15 minutes, we ask students and families to move their cars further back into the parking lots where more volunteers will be available to assist with moving in all other belongings.
Staggered Check-in (new this year)
This year we are implementing a more efficient approach on move-in day – staggered check-in. By spreading out the check-in times throughout the day, we expect shorter lines than we have had in the past.
Students with last names beginning with L-Z should check in between 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Students with last names beginning with A-K should check in between 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
After parents say good-byes, there is an ice cream social in each community from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. to help students get acquainted and comfortable in their new homes at LSU.
Early Arrival for Greek Recruitment Week, LSU Bands, Academic Summer Camps, and STRIPES: Students that are participating in Greek Recruitment Week, LSU Bands, Academic Summer Camps, and out-of-state STRIPES (second session) may move into their rooms before August 20 so they can be on campus in time for their program’s start date. Students participating in the above or other authorized programs must contact Greek Life, the LSU Band Office, the STRIPES program office, or their academic colleges to register for early arrival.
Please continue watching this website over the next few weeks for more information on Roaring into the Halls.
In the meantime, for detailed information on what to bring and what is permitted in the rooms, you can download the Living on Campus Handbook by going to our homepage and selecting Incoming Students, and then selecting the Living on Campus Handbook.
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