Technology will aid high school students at mock Congressional hearing
November 11, 2011
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. and SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Students from Washington High School in South Bend will have the opportunity to develop a better understanding of constitutional principles by attending a civics event supported by information displayed in real time through the efforts of a Purdue Research Park-based firm.
Kathy Cortopassi, president of Voice to Print Captioning LLC, will project spoken information during a mock Congressional hearing held as part of the "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution" program. Voice to Print Captioning is a tenant in the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana.
The hearing will be held at 9 a.m. Monday (Nov. 14) at in the St. Joseph Circuit Court Courtroom, 101 S. Main St., South Bend.
Victoria S. Dudeck, official court reporter at the St. Joseph Circuit Court, said students will get a glimpse of how a hearing works during the event.
"Students 'testify' before a panel of judges at the hearing," she said. "It provides the opportunity for them to evaluate, take and defend positions on relevant historic and contemporary issues."
Cortopassi said Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART), also known as realtime, is commonly provided during hearings and trials. During the Monday (Nov. 14) hearing she will display her realtime screen via a projector, similar to how people use laptop computers to display a presentation.
"Students will better understand the legal process and the role the court reporter plays because of the realtime projection," she said. "Attorneys in attendance will better understand how court reporters with realtime skills can benefit their practice."
Dudeck said most mock Congressional hearings take place in high school classrooms, but the Monday (Nov. 14) hearing will be comparable to a real hearing because it is being held in a courtroom and a court reporter will attend.
"By projecting the hearing's commentary, attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing will be able to better understand the proceedings," she said. "People without hearing loss may also benefit through stronger comprehension of what is being said."
The mock Congressional hearing is open to the public and the media.
About Voice to Print Captioning LLC
Before opening Voice to Print, Kathy Cortopassi owned C & S Reporting, a court reporting agency with offices in Chicago and Hammond. Voice to Print works with people in Indiana and throughout the world to provide service to its clients. Voice to Print is an Ethics First company. Contact us at 219-644-3220 or scheduling@voicetoprint.com to learn more - or Follow us/Friend us/Link to us.
About Purdue Research Park
The Purdue Research Park has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The park has four sites in the state of Indiana located in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, Merrillville and New Albany. The nearly 200 companies located in the park network employ about 4,000 people.
Purdue Research Park contact: Steve Martin, 765-588-3342, sgmartin@prf.org
Sources: Kathy Cortopassi, 219-865-7837, scheduling@voicetoprint.com
Victoria S. Dudeck, 574-235-9551, victoriadudeck@gmail.com
