NCRA Vice President Tiva Wood, RDR, CMRS, from Mechanicsburg, Pa., brought her expertise in courtroom management and CART in a legal setting to a panel on assistive technologies for the court. The panel discussion was hosted by the Center for Legal and Court Technology during a May 19 conference.
Wood was joined on the panel by Fred Lederer from the CLCT and a representative from Freedom Scientific, a company that develops video magnifiers, braille displays, and screen magnification software. Discussion began with the premise that courts need to put more effort into addressing the needs of people with special needs under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The audience consisted mostly of IT specialists working in some area of the judicial system. They were extremely engaged and, at the conclusion of my segment, asked excellent questions,” Wood said. “During the wrap-up, there were many additional questions addressed to me. Many of them dealt with court reporting overall and not just as an assistive technology.”
Other sessions during the conference addressed the issues of changing software from analog to digital, wireless solutions for evidence presentations, applying national video hearing standards to court proceedings, and social media in the courtroom.
