Global Alliance of Speech-to-Text Captioning
Universal accessibility to the spoken word via all forms of captioning
Imagine what it would feel like not to be able to enjoy a hosted museum tour about your favorite artifacts, to miss out on key lessons during class, or to have trouble understanding the host of an important business presentation. You would likely feel many different emotions, including frustration and embarrassment.
These types of situations are far too common, especially considering that one out of seven people experience some degree of hearing loss. Everyone has a right to communication access, and hearing loss should not equate to missed meetings and opportunities.
Captioning is one of the primary ways to make content inclusive for all viewers, opening the door to understanding and removing barriers to hearing. It provides equal access to learning and job opportunities and, most importantly, reduces social isolation and feelings of frustration or depression.
Increased demand for captioning over the last few years has made the development of quality captioning more important than ever. Providing better accessibility benchmarks in the workplace should be part of every business strategy, from marketing materials to internal hiring and employment processes.
To support these initiatives, the Global Alliance of Speech-to-Text Captioning seeks to provide captioning industry support, create advocacy campaigns for quality captioning, and develop a greater public understanding on the importance of accessibility for our society.
What is Global Alliance?
Founded in 2020, Global Alliance is a nonprofit corporation that focuses on being a leading authority on speech-to-text captioning and an advocate for quality captioning and accessibility. The organization provides its members with education and networking opportunities, NER-certified Speech-to-Text Provider certification, and works to spread awareness about equal and effective access to communication to the general public.
Global Alliance represents captioners’ professional interests while partnering with consumers and the tech industry to provide feedback and improve captioning tools, services, and standards. Their goal is to bring together professionals, consumers, and advocates to create more effective change.
Benefits of a Global Alliance Membership
Because Global Alliance represents captioners, consumers, and the captioning industry, anyone involved with captioning or hearing loss advocacy can join! There are many benefits to becoming a Global Alliance member, including:
- Career Building Perks: GA Members have the opportunity to attend annual conferences, have access to educational videos about the captioning industry, and are listed in our public captioning directory.
- Advocacy and Outreach Opportunities: GA Members also have the opportunity to develop assessment methods to improve caption quality, work on advocacy campaigns and white papers for future legislation, create education strategies for the general public, and receive support on how to start grassroots advocacy for better accessibility in their area,
Global Alliance Members can BYOF (Bring Your Own Friend!)
It is a great time for current members to encourage colleagues, employers, and friends to sign up for a Global Alliance membership. For every confirmed new member referral, you will receive a free month of membership. There is no limit to how many months of free membership you can receive, so if you refer 12 new members, you will get a whole year of membership for free! Help Global Alliance continue their advocacy for communication access and quality captions by sending referrals to https://speechtotextcaptioning.org/join
Caption Pros Proudly Sponsors Global Alliance
At Caption Pros, we believe in embracing the challenges that come with disabilities and are advocates for accessibility. That is why we offer various captioning services to improve communication access and make all events accessible to individuals who are deaf or experiencing hearing issues.
Jennifer Schuck, President of Caption Pros and founding member and current chair of the Global Alliance, is passionate about making the spoken word accessible through captioning. As an advocate for those with hearing loss, she supports the Hearing Loss Association of America, and her company sponsors the Arizona Walk4Hearing every year.
Communication access is a right, and having a more inclusive culture is vital for a fully functioning and successful society. Learn more about our award-winning captioning services.
