Washoe County’s Board of County Commissioners meeting on December 17 will debut a new live transcription tool that will allow those with hearing impairments or language accessibility needs follow the dialogue visually and in their preferred language.
Washoe County is implementing WordlyAI to transcribe public meetings in real-time. Meeting attendees can follow the dialogue displayed on a large monitor at the front of the Commission Chambers or on their personal device such as a smartphone or tablet.
The public display will be in both English and Spanish, but those using personal devices can choose from a list of over 50 of the world’s most commonly used languages if needing a different preferred language. Wordly will include audio on personal devices, so those who want to listen with headphones may do so as well. There will be a limited number of iPads available for the public to check out during meetings if needed.
Washoe County is piloting this tool at Board of County Commissioner meetings and will begin to implement it in other public meetings across departments.
“We have made significant strides in making local government more accessible to everyone, physically and digitally,” Elizabeth Jourdin, HR Manager of Organizational Effectiveness, said. “At Washoe County we are offering more of our commonly referenced materials in Spanish, implementing a Language Access Plan and have added virtual public comment to our meetings. Additionally, through our digital accessibility team, a digital interactive map and wayfaring kiosk was installed in our main lobby, and we are overhauling our website to meet ADA standards. We are proud to make our public meetings more accessible so participation in government is not limited by accessibility or language barriers.”
To use the Wordly tool on a personal device, users will simply scan a QR code from their personal internet enabled device that will open up the web-based software. There will be no need to download an app or create an account. The December 17 agenda can be found here, and the meeting can be viewed online at www.YouTube.com/WashoeCountytv.
