Bowling Green, Ky. - The Department of Communication Disorders in the College of Health and Human Services at Western Kentucky University, in collaboration with the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, announce the inauguration of a Deaf Access Station at WKU’s Bowling Green Community College.

Deaf Access Stations, or DAS, utilize videoconferencing technology to facilitate communication for the deaf and hard of hearing individuals, allowing them to access interpreting services, use real time captioners and communicate freely in their native language, American Sign Language. This technology also ensures that interpreting services can be provided statewide because available interpreters do not have to consider travel time when accepting assignments.

The BGCC site, the first in the Barren River Area Development District, will ensure that deaf or hard of hearing individuals, family, friends, teachers, service providers, university administrators, faculty, staff and students have equal access to communication.

The public is invited to an open house, demonstration and introduction to the DAS on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. at the BGCC, 2355 Nashville Road. Comments and questions will be accepted after the hands-on demonstration. For more information, contact Communication Disorders at (270) 745-4541, the BGCC at (270) 780-2550, or Joyce Wilder at (270) 745-2315.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For more information, contact Joyce Wilder at (270) 745-2315.