The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters and broadcast captioners, has announced that its 2014 National Court Reporting & Captioning Week, held Feb. 16-22, generated an array of successful and fun activities across the nation ranging from open houses at court reporting schools to proclamations by state lawmakers that officially recognized the event. The week-long celebration marked the second time NCRA has hosted the event to highlight the contributions of stenographic court reporters and captioners to society, and to showcase the growing number of career opportunities that exist in the court reporting and captioning fields.
“The annual Court Reporting and Captioning Week has really proven to be a valuable grassroots vehicle for getting the entire court reporting community engaged in activities to promote the profession to external audiences, including the consumers of reporting services and prospective students,” said Jim Cudahy, NCRA executive director and CEO.
“Throughout the week, members, captioners, state associations, schools, vendors, and others in the legal arena tapped into NCRA’s resources designed to support this event, including daily messages about the profession to share on social media outlets including Facebook and Twitter, press releases, activity ideas, and tips on securing official proclamations at the state and local level to recognize the event. Leveraging our community helped us to reach thousands and increase the public’s awareness about the profession and the many career opportunities it offers.”
To kick off to the week, NCRA announced that U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross (FL-15) recognized National Court Reporting & Captioning Week in a floor speech at the U.S. House of Representatives that acknowledged the value and importance that court reporters and captioners have made in American society. Ross noted that as an attorney with more than 25 years as a litigator and a cousin who worked as a court reporter for many years, he holds a profound respect and appreciation for those who preserve the official record.
In addition, lawmakers in 12 states as well as in a number of localities also recognized Court Reporting & Captioning Week via official proclamations or citations, including the states of: Alabama; Arizona; Georgia; Illinois; Michigan; Minnesota; New Hampshire; New York; Oklahoma; Oregon; Texas; and Wisconsin.
Other highlights included presentations at high schools across the country about the growing number of court reporting and captioning career opportunities, open houses at court reporting schools, media interviews, community demonstrations such as producing transcripts of veterans’ oral histories, displays in local libraries, speed writing challenges, and guest speakers. To mark the event, NCRA President Nancy Varallo, RDR, RDR, CRR, owner of The
Varallo Group in Worcester, Mass., sent a flyer to local high schools in her area that announced Court Reporting & Captioning Week and provided information about the profession. The flyer also included information about the correlation between talent for a musical instrument and success as a court reporter. Varallo’s company offered $50 to each school music program or music boosters club that forwarded the flyer to its music students and their parents.
“Court reporting, captioning, CART — these careers are part of the lifeblood of law and culture in our society. National Court Reporting & Captioning Week is a wonderful way for everyone in this profession to celebrate this fulfilling career and to let their enthusiasm inspire a student to explore this profession” Varallo said.
The 2015 National Court Reporting and Captioning Week will be held February 15-21.
