John Schick, a physician assistant studies student who has a hearing impairment, uses a captioning software program that remotely translates conversations into the written word on his computer screen.
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Learning is the top goal for UT Health Science Center San Antonio students. And providing tools that help students with learning disabilities or special needs achieve their academic dreams is a major goal of the university.

“Each of our students has unique, different and individual needs and abilities,” said Patricia Brewer, Ph.D., associate professor of physical therapy and assistant dean for student affairs in the School of Health Professions. One student may need a sign language interpreter, while another may prefer technology services, and yet another may not wish to utilize any resources.

For example, John Schick, a physician assistant studies student, recently requested university assistance due to his hearing impairment. Schick was born with hearing abilities, but lost his hearing completely in one ear and partially in another when he was a boy. In 2004, he received a cochlear implant which has aided in his hearing faculties. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas Christian University and worked for many years as a computer programmer.

Captioning software assists learning for some hearing-impaired students
After he was laid off, Schick learned about the strong employment opportunities in the health care field. He attended radiology school at a hospital in Dallas and while on a rotation in the emergency department, he met two physician assistants and became interested in their field. When he enrolled in prerequisite classes, one of the members of his church suggested he look into Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), a captioning software program that remotely translates conversations into the written word on a computer screen. After completing his prerequisite courses, he was accepted into the UT Health Science Center.

Upon his arrival, Schick inquired at the Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Office about assistive technology. After visiting with Dr. Brewer, who contacted the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), the Office of Academic Technology Services and the chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, it was decided that providing the CART translation service would be the best way to accommodate Schick’s needs.

Using Communication Access Realtime Translation technology, including an audio/tehephone connection and instant messaging, a translator in Illinois types the classroom discussion verbatim on John Schick’s computer screen.

Now, before class begins, Schick activates the CART program by contacting his interpreter in Jacksonville, Ill. via Microsoft Instant Messenger (IM). The interpreter connects to the classroom’s audio system via telephone, then sends Schick an IM with a link that connects to a screen on his laptop. The screen displays the words spoken by Schick’s instructor. Now that Schick is taking some of his classes with medical students, the interpreter is becoming savvier with pharmacology and medical terms.

“I was stressed before knowing about CART,” Schick said. “Now I just worry about understanding the course material, rather than trying to hear the instructor.”

Schick’s initiative has heightened awareness of other students in his classes, and today, he serves as the student representative on the university’s Americans with Disabilities Act Committee. With the confidence he is gaining through his classes, Schick is considering working in the emergency medicine, dermatology or family care specialties after graduation in May 2011. He also plans to share his accomplishments with students at the Sunshine Cottage, a San Antonio school for children with hearing disabilities, to motivate them about possible career opportunities.

Schick said, “I want to tell them that if I can become a physician assistant, anything is possible for them.”