NCRA Code of Professional Ethics
August 17th, 2008
Preamble
President Bush SignsTraining for Realtime Writers Language
On August 14, President Bush signed into law the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which was passed by both houses of Congress on July 31. Included in the Act is NCRA’s Training for Realtime Writers language, which creates a competitive grant program to train realtime writers to provide both captioned information and communication access for the 30 million Americans who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.
The passage of the bill marks a triumphant end to eight years of effort put in by NCRA and our partners in Congress. Many legislators, especially Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), have been advocates of this language since it was first introduced. NCRA has worked hand-in-hand with these lawmakers to ensure that this vital language reached the President’s desk.
“As a certified broadcast captioner and realtime writer who works with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community week in and week out, I laud Congress’s passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act with the inclusion of the Training for Realtime Writers Act language,” said NCRA President Karen Yates, CRR, CBC, CCP. “Through my daily work, I see firsthand the needs of people with hearing loss and the difficulties that some in the community have in fully accessing communication. This funding will encourage more individuals to enter the realtime writing workforce and deliver positive changes to the 30 million Americans who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. On behalf of the 23,000 members of the National Court Reporters Association, we thank Congress and our congressional champions for moving this vital piece of legislation forward.
“Moreover, I’d like to thank the thousands of NCRA members who have worked diligently on this issue – visiting Capitol Hill, writing e-mails and letters, advocating for almost a decade. This is a great victory not only for people with hearing loss, but also for the profession and the association.”
The passage of this legislation is a major step in ensuring equal access to information for those people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. In addition, this legislation enables the growth of the court reporting profession in order to keep up with the increasing demand for trained realtime court reporters.
*Article published under the “Issues and Advocacy” section of the NCRA Web site: http://ncraonline.org/PubPolicyAdvoc/fed_init/pres_fen_init/HEA+passage.htm
Court Reporting Designated One of the Fastest Growing Professions by Federal Government, Although Number of Graduates is Trending Downward
August 17th, 2008The “Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009,” recently released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), said court reporter employment will grow by 25 percent through 2016, because of “increasing numbers of civil and criminal cases” coupled with federal telecommunications legislation that requires television captioning and the increasing demand for real-time communication access for people who are deaf and hard of hearing under the American with Disabilities Act.
In recent speeches, U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said with the country transitioning to a knowledge-based economy, workers with higher skills “are being paid a premium,” while she said the strongest demand is for workers “in technical occupations.” Her words are borne out by the BLS projection for court reporting and by a 2006 NCRA survey that determined an average net income after expenses of $65,242 for freelance (deposition) reporters and $72,072 for court reporters who work for local, state or federal courts and agencies.
“Our efforts to increase the number of court reporters and training opportunities are beginning to pay off,” says Mark Golden, CAE, NCRA’s executive director. “Last year, nine new schools opened to teach court reporting, while maintaining high performance standards and a challenging academic curriculum. Yet we still have a long way to go before the supply even starts to meet the demand.”
Golden noted that the training is challenging. “It demands a great deal of practice to develop skills of dexterity and concentration,” he says, “but for those who become guardians of the record and providers of communication access, the rewards and sense of making a real contribution make it all worthwhile.”
To further meet the future need for court reporters, NCRA is reaching out to potential students at http://www.bestfuture.com. In addition, legislation now before Congress calls for competitive grants to train captioners and reporters who specialize in realtime and Communication Access Realtime Translation. CART provides an immediate translation of all spoken words and environmental sounds in academic, civic, religious or cultural events for people who are deaf, have hearing loss or are learning English as a second language.
NCRA, a 23,000-member nonprofit organization, represents the judicial reporting and captioning professions. Members include official court reporters, deposition reporters, broadcast captioners, providers of realtime communication access services for deaf and hard-of-hearing people and others who capture and convert the spoken word into information bases and readable formats.
National Court Reporters Association CONTACT: Pete Wacht of the National Court Reporters Association,
+1-703-556-6272 ext. 169, +1-571-228-7346, pwacht@ncrahq.org
J Collins Lunch and Learn Continues
August 8th, 2008J Collins Reporting, LLC announces the continuation of the monthly Lunch and Learn series. This series is designed to bring together all those interested in pursuing the profession of Court Reporting, its expanding fields, and to share ideas, get to know one another, and to plan for the future.
The third Lunch and Learn will be held from 12:00pm until 2:30pm on August 21st, 2008 at the Harbour Club, 35 Prioleau Street, Charleston, SC. The invitation is open to all clients and students of J Collins Reporting, as well as anyone interested in learning more about court reporting and what J Collins Reporting can offer them. As is the case with this venue, lunch and parking are compliments of J Colilns.
“Team-building is so crucial to developing and maintaining a successful business, but unfortunately it’s not something that is taught in traditional court reporting schools or practiced in established businesses,” Janet says. “I think it’s important for us to have the opportunity to meet regularly to discuss the issues affecting court reporters, both positive and negative, and to have a forum where we can all play a role in planning and implementing our future together.”
Anyone interested, please RSVP to 843.881.8435 or email Janet by 5pm on August 19th. As always, your questions are always welcomed.
We are grateful for your interest.
My Instructor, Janet Collins
August 7th, 2008
Is there a person in your life that brings out the “very best” in you, or can see “the best” in you? If so, then you already know a little bit about Janet Collins, the President of and principal instructor at J. Collins Reporting, located in the Charleston, SC area.
I have been told that court reporting is comparable to learning nine foreign languages all at the same time; but don’t let that scare you. Janet’s ability to assess her students’ progress and individualize lesson plans in order to encourage and inspire her students is her greatest strength. You’ll be thinking and writing in court reporter’s lingo in short order.
I met Janet after I had quit trying to teach myself court reporting, which, believe me, is a very difficult thing to do. Her guidance, patience, and encouragement have brought me back to my dream of working in the court reporting field.
If you’re curious at all about a career in court reporting, let Janet’s enthusiasm for the love of court reporting and her unique teaching methods bring you to a very exciting and lucrative job opportunity.
You owe it to yourself to at least meet her!
Maureen McCrorie
What are the Necessary Attributes of an Exceptional Instructor?
July 8th, 2008As part of her training to attain the designation of Certified Reporting Instructor, Janet was required to write an article for publishing. The title of this article had to be What are the Necessary Attributes of an Exceptional Instructor? Having successfully completed all necessary assignments for this designation, Janet wanted to share her article with you:
Every person who has been to school can remember that one particular teacher who stood out above the rest. What was it about them; about the way they approached the material, about the way they took an interest in us as people? What was it that made them who they are as teachers? Whatever the answer to these questions, we all felt their impact and we all know, from that day forward, we were different.
Dr. Wayne Dyer once said, “Schools must become caring places full of teachers who understand that teaching students to love themselves and feel positive about their natural curiosity ought to be given as much attention as geometry and grammar.” One of my passions in life is helping to reduce the fear in others. Through teaching the art of Court Reporting, I have the opportunity to fulfill that passion by instilling in my students the ability to truly care for themselves and to feel secure in exploring themselves. I have the opportunity to experience Dr. Dyer’s words come to life.
Exceptional teachers are gifted at finding the path to knowledge that best suits each individual. I am keenly aware of how my students approach their studies, which provides me an insight into how best to assist them, and if I can. I listen to them and interact with them in ways that allow me to construct my lesson plans around their needs without the rigidity of a strictly imposed time line. The students are praised for their accomplishments while being purposefully guided into the next level of their success.
Once being in the seat which they now occupy, I can also validate the inevitable frustration that accompanies the acquisition of this skill. In the midst of that frustration, we explore its cause and work to overcome it. Through this process, the student gains a different perspective and thus can see beyond their current situation in ways that their now-thinking mind does not allow them. This brings about renewed self-esteem, with the courage to go at it one more time. In short, I am teaching my students how to learn, and it is a beautiful thing to witness come alive.
I am thankful for what this career has allowed me to explore within myself. Passing it on to others gives me a fulfillment like no other.
J Collins Heads to Boston
July 8th, 2008In April of this year, Janet attended the Certified Reporter Instructor Orientation class in Boston, MA. This class is put on by the National Court Reporters Association and was as a part of their Mid-Year Convention.
As taken from the NCRA Web site, the required components of attaining the CRI Certification are:
“The individual must attend an NCRA Council on Approved Student Education-sponsored Orientation session for CRI.
“Required for all CRI candidates, this newly enhanced and updated program will expand your level of knowledge for becoming a more effective realtime reporting instructor. In 13 hours of intensive, interactive instruction, you will:
- have an opportunity to learn about successful teaching methods and communication with students
- gain insight into the learning process, development of course syllabi and lesson plans
- interact through role play of various classroom scenarios
“After participation in the Orientation and successful completion of the assignments, the candidate is granted the CRI designation, effective for three years from the date of completion of the seminar.”
Having successfully completed all components, Janet was awarded the distinction of Certified Reporting Instructor.
“It is important to me that I do everything in my power to lend credibility to my students and to my business venture; having the designation of “CRI,” I believe, helps me to do just that,” Janet says.
Reporting in the News
July 8th, 2008In the June 2008 edition of the National Court Reporters Association Newsflash, the following appeared in their publication:
“School is in. The May 22 Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier profiled the efforts of Janet Collins, RMR, CRR, of Mount Pleasant, SC, to start a reporting school.”
Monthly Lunch and Learns - Charleston, SC
June 5th, 2008J. Collins Reporting, LLC is announcing a monthly Lunch and Learn series designed to bring together all those interested in pursuing the profession of court reporting, its expanding fields, and to share ideas, get to know one another, and plan for the future.
The first Lunch and Learn will be held from noon till 1:30pm on June 17th 2008 at the Harbour Club, 21 Prioleau Street in downtown Charleston, SC. The invitation is open to all clients and students of J. Collins Reporting, as well as anyone interested in learning more about court reporting and what J. Collins Reporting can offer them. Lunch and parking are provided courtesy of J Collins Reporting.
“Team-building is so crucial to developing and maintaining a successful business, but unfortunately it’s not something that is taught in traditional court reporting schools or practiced in established businesses,” Janet says. “I think it’s important for us to have the opportunity to meet regularly to discuss the issues affecting court reporters, both positive and negative, and to have a forum where we can all play a role in planning and implementing our future together.”
Anyone who is interested, please RSVP to 843.881.8435 or email Janet by 5pm on June 13th.
Technology in the Law Presentation
June 5th, 2008J. Collins Reporting, LLC has developed a presentation outlining the latest innovations in court reporting and captioning technologies. Janet has given the presentation to attorney and paralegal organizations in the area to increase their understanding of what court reporters can do to help them improve their own practice.
“I am continually surprised that law firms, especially those in South Carolina, have not yet become familiar with the services offered by court reporters,” Janet says. “This presentation seeks to outline what their options are so that they can make more informed decisions when utilizing court reporting services. Again, it’s all about the team effort for the betterment of our professions.
For more information, <click here> or contact Janet at 843.881.8435 or by e-mail at janet@jcollinsreporting.com.