TypeWell vs. CART
How to Choose A Service: TypeWell vs. CART
A hard of hearing (HOH) individual comes to you to request speech-to-text services for an upcoming meeting or class. Generally, your first thought would be to contact one of the local CART providers in your area to see if they are available. However, you recently heard about a new service from a colleague: TypeWell. You did your research, and feel confident that TypeWell is an equivalent accommodation for this situation and you make arrangements for a provider in your area. How did you come to your conclusion? Did you make “the right” choice? What information does a coordinator need to consider when choosing between TypeWell and C.A.R.T services?
Let’s get something out of the way – there is no “one size fits all”. This is certainly no more true than with communication access. Not only does individual preference come into play, but so does subject matter and content, provider availability in a given location, cost, service provider skill level, consumer comprehension and reading level, and the list goes on. So, how do you make the call: TypeWell or C.A.R.T?
The following is a decision tree of sorts; a few questions to ask yourself or the person responsible at your organization for coordinating speech-to-text services.
1. Does the client have a preference? If so, what is it?
- If Yes, give that weight in your decision.
-If No, consider TypeWell.
2. Is the material to be considered highly technical in nature? For example, medical, legal or heavy jargon?
- If Yes, choose C.A.R.T.
- If NO, consider TypeWell.
Meaning-for-meaning is an excellent choice for general meetings or classes like history or English. Math and science are especially accessible with TypeWell because of the TypeWell Math Mode which allows a transcriber to produce formulas and math problems exactly as they are written. However, classes where the exact definition for vocabulary is important are better served with verbatim services.
3. Does the consumer read and comprehend English with ease?
-If Yes, either service may be considered.
-If NO, consider TypeWell.
TypeWell’s minimum requirement for ease of use is 5th grade reading comprehension. The meaning-for-meaning nature of the transcript means that it will be easier and cleaner to read. There will not be fragmented sentences and non-content containing utterances.
4. Does the consumer have any cognitive processing or auditory processing issues?
-If Yes, consider TypeWell.
-If NO, use either C.A.R.T. or TypeWell.
By design, TypeWell is made for quick and easy comprehension. Features of a TypeWell transcript that contribute to this are the use of white space, font choice, chunking of information, and the grammatically correct written format. For a person with cognitive or auditory processing issues where they experience a kind of internal lag, these built in features of TypeWell provide them with the quickest access to information around them.
5. Is cost a consideration?
If Yes, consider TypeWell.
If NO, choose either C.A.R.T. or TypeWell .
In an Ideal World, this would not be a factor. But in the Real World, it is. In general, C.A.R.T. fees range from $75 – $150+ per hour, often with a 2 or 3 hour minimum. TypeWell fees range from $35 -$100+ per hour often with a 2 or 3 hour minimum. Fees depend on geographic location. Remote service rates vary, but fall within the same range. Often, TypeWell services are less than half the cost of C.A.R.T services for the equivalent number of hours.
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TypeWell transcription can meet the needs of about 80% of any transcribing needs an organization might normally have. This excludes of course, legal or medical settings where C.A.R.T services are always recommended.
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