Governor Signs Legislation to Enable Deaf or Hard of Hearing Individuals to Receive Realtime Court Reporting Services

Senator John A. DeFrancisco announced that his bill (S 5533-B), which would enable individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to better participate in court proceedings, has been signed by Governor Cuomo. This act shall take effect 13 days after it becomes a law.

This new law will require that state-funded courts provide the option of Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. CART is the instant translation of the spoken word into text. Through CART, everything said and transcribed by the court reporter during a court proceeding would be translated through a software feed into real-time captioning, then displayed on an individual computer screen or monitor for the deaf or hard of hearing person to view.

"I am very pleased that Governor Cuomo decided to sign my bill. The right to participate in court proceedings is among the most fundamental in our legal system. Courts must take the necessary steps to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing individuals are not denied the right to be fully heard,” said Senator DeFrancisco.

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