ADA Title II Action Guide for State and Local Governments

Auxiliary Aids and Services

Often ensuring effective communication requires public entities to provide “auxiliary aids and services” which may include the following:

For people who are deaf or have hearing loss:

• qualified interpreters on-site or through video remote interpreting (VRI) services

• real-time computer-aided transcription services  (CART)

• written materials

• exchange of written notes

• typing on a tablet or computer

• assistive listening devices

• open and closed captioning, including real-time captioning

• videophones

• videotext displays

For people who are blind or have vision loss:

• large print materials

• audio recordings

• Brailled materials

• screen reader software

• magnification software

• notetakers

• qualified readers

• optical readers

• secondary auditory programs (SAP)

For people who have speech disabilities:

• exchange of written notes or typed communication

• qualified speech-to-speech transliterators (a person trained to recognize unclear speech and repeat it clearly)

The type of auxiliary aid or service will vary in accordance with the method of communication used by the person; the nature, length, and complexity of the communication and the context in which the communication occurs. What is required to communicate effectively when a person is registering for classes at a public university is very different from what is required to communicate effectively in a court proceeding.