How Real-Time Transcription Supports My Learning in High School

By Jack Rybczyk, Washington H&V

I  was born deaf and got my first cochlear implants at the age of 2. I am now in the 10th grade.

My friends think it’s cool—sometimes they look at my notes if they miss something in class.

At school, I use real-time transcription. I started using transcription for the first time during my sophomore year. Last year, I didn’t use transcription at all and that was a little bit of a struggle for me because I had a hard time remembering the things that the teachers said.  I started using real-time transcription because I thought it would be a helpful tool for me to use for studying and it would help me pick up some things that I didn’t hear the teachers say in class. The transcription I use in class comes from a remote captionist who is online, typing all the words the teacher is saying so I can view it on my computer.

To set up my transcription for a class, I meet the transcriber in a Google meeting and pull up another app where the transcriptionist can type out the words. I then plug a microphone into my computer so the transcriptionist can hear what the teacher and kids in my class are saying. When class is over, I leave the meeting and close out of the transcription app. When I’m offline, the transcriptionist puts all my notes in files for me to keep for later use. I only use my transcription for my important classes like history, chemistry, English, math, and driver’s ed. I don’t use the transcription during classes like culinary arts, ASL, or band because my teachers don’t talk as much in those classes.

For me, real-time transcription is better than auto-captioning because all of the words are accurate, and the transcriptionist picks up most every word that my teachers are saying. There are also no typos at all. Auto-captions, on the other hand, can have typos and miss some words. You can’t save captions or go back to the things in class that you missed. Real-time transcription has made a big difference in how I learn but, it can have some problems like microphone not working or not being able to log into the Google meeting.

Real-time transcription helps me follow what the teacher is saying, especially when there are others distracting me or when I’m in noisy environments. For example, my chemistry class can get distracting because there is so much going on –  like labs, people moving around, and a lot of talking. When the teacher is lecturing and the class is noisy, it can be hard to follow, even with my Roger DM system, but I can look at my transcription and take notes from that. Transcription helps me understand lessons better by giving me notes for studying. I can review the notes later for tests, things I missed, or for homework as many times as I want.

Using real-time transcription helps me feel more confident in class because I can see the notes in front of me on my computer and if I miss something that the teacher said, I can look at the transcription notes. This helps me participate more confidently in class by helping me remember things better. During group discussions, I can read the transcript while others in the class are talking, and I don’t miss what others are saying. This helps me contribute to class conversations better. My friends think it’s cool—sometimes they look at my notes if they miss something in class. It also helps me with my schoolwork because I can use the transcription for notes to study for AP tests or unit tests. I also send some of my transcription notes to my tutor so she can help me study better. My science grades especially have gotten better this year because I have more detailed notes from class—there is a lot of vocabulary in qualitative chemistry that I need to remember.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires children who are deaf to have effective communication in school. Real-time transcription has made school easier and less stressful for me. Also, it makes me feel less tired because listening all day is exhausting. It helps me understand language and learn just like everyone else and be more independent. I’m thankful to have this support because it helps me do my best in school. I recommend this tool to other deaf/hard of hearing kids because it’s super helpful. 

My school did not at first agree to provide real time transcription. My mom had to hire an advocate to help my school team understand how important it is for kids who are deaf to have effective communication.  ~

H&V Communicator – Spring 2026