Settlement highlights accessibility gap for hearing impaired New Yorkers

CART transcription enables people with vision and hearing impairments to read conversations in real-time. The technology requires stenotype machines, the same devices used by court reporters. Photo courtesy of Plaza College

By Rachel Vick

An Astoria resident with low vision and severe hearing loss has won a settlement with a professional licensing agency over the organization’s failure to provide speech to text service at past events. 

Marc Safman, a professional financial fraud specialist accredited by the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, or ACAMS, contacted the New York City Commission of Human Rights after certain ACAMS events did not offer Communication Access Real-time Translation, also known as CART.  

CART provides a transcription of conversations on a screen for people with low vision and hearing impairments.

The city filed a notice of probable cause against the licensing body and the parties reached a settlement on March 11. ACAMS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Jerry Bergman, a member of the Hearing Loss Association of America, said the case highlights obstacles faced by people with hearing and vision impairments in work settings, despite laws intended to prevent barriers.

“Marc’s case is an example of one of the many difficulties working professionals face in pursuit of their careers,” Bergman said. “Although the Americans with Disabilities Act over the past 30 years has promised people with hearing loss an equal playing field, the reality is that such people earn far lower wages on average and have far higher rates of unemployment compared with the general population.”