Accommodations:
(Interpreting Service Questions)

 
  Interpreting Service

• What is a qualified interpreter?
  The ADA states that a qualified interpreter is one who is able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially, using any specialized vocabulary necessary. The interpreter must be able to sign to the individual who is deaf what is being said by the hearing person and voice to the hearing person what the individual who is deaf is signing. Visit the website of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf at http://www.rid.org for more information about interpreting.
  
     
  
  
• How do I evaluate interpreters if I don't know sign language myself?
  In this case, it would be best for the Disability Services office to bring in a consultant to help evaluate the interpreters. Sources for consultants may include personnel from the state office of vocational rehabilitation, faculty from interpreter training programs, staff from other college disability services offices, or deaf education consultants.
  
     
  
  
• How do I assess the effectiveness of the communication accommodations?
  Disability Services professionals should always communicate directly with the student who is deaf/hard of hearing, verifying that accommodations provided are meeting his/her needs. Ask specific questions about the interactions that the student has with the instructor, classmates, and with the interpreter. Also ask about the student’s feeling about the class. Is the student adequately prepared for each session? What may seem to be a communication problem may indeed be difficulty with a particular class. If you are not knowledgeable about the particular accommodation the student is using, contact a professional who is.
  
     
  
  
• Who exactly is this person in my classroom signing next to me?  Is he or she a student volunteering to do this for the deaf student?
  The staff or freelance interpreter employed by your university or college is a professional sign language interpreter. Interpreters come from varied backgrounds. Some of them have received degrees in Interpreting - Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and/or Master’s. Some universities offer interpreter training programs, and you may even have some interpreting or American Sign Language students in your classroom. Other interpreters may not have degrees in the field but have studied interpreting on their own and may have even grown up around people who are deaf who used American Sign Language. These interpreters have had many years of experience in the field and can become certified.
  
     
  
  
• Certified?  In what?
  The field of interpreting is represented by an organization called the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID). This is the only national association dedicated solely to the professional development of interpreters and transliterators. RID plays a leading role in establishing national standards of quality for interpreters and functions as a certifying body. An interpreter can obtain Certificates of Transliteration and Interpretation and afterwards will be as excited as a lawyer who just passed the Bar. The interpreters with whom you work may be at various stages in their attempts to become certified - some may have just passed the Written test, making them Candidates for Certification; some may be studying and preparing for the interpreting and transliterating tests; and others may have passed one or both of them.
  
  The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) also certifies sign language interpreters via their Interpreter Assessment and Certification Program, which was established in 1991. They evaluate and certify qualified candidates to serve as sign language interpreters, and they do so within five levels of Interpreter Assessment. To become certified by NAD, it is necessary for the candidate to attain a rating of Level 3 or better.
  
     
  
  
• What are standard practices in postsecondary education in paying interpreters (minimums, portal to portal, etc.)?
  An interpreter’s pay will depend on one or all of the following: educational background, certification, and years of experience. Most agencies and institutions that contract interpreters on a term basis will pay the interpreter for the first hour if the student who is deaf does not attend the scheduled event. Contract interpreters will be compensated for travel to and from the assignment. Staff interpreters who are provided a salary have varying incomes, depending on the institution for which they work. For more information, contact the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf at http://www.rid.org or a representative from your state RID chapter.
  
     
  
  
• What do I do if I can't find an interpreter?
  Another type of accommodation should be used while your institution tries to locate a qualified interpreter. It is vital that an interpreter be found; notetaking alone will not suffice for an accommodation. Notetaking services for a student who is deaf allow the student to focus on the interpreter without having to look down to take notes. However, notetaking services typically do not allow the student immediate access to the information discussion during the class, limiting the student’s opportunity to participate in the class.
  
  If there is not an interpreting agency in your town, the Disability Services office at your institution must contact the agency closest to you in order to schedule and contract an interpreter for the student. Other resources may include local K-12 programs, social service agencies, or the state office of vocational rehabilitation.
  
     
  
  
• Do private colleges have to provide interpreters?
  Private colleges must provide access to students with disabilities. According to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended through 1998), “no otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in Section7(20), shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency.” The Americans with Disabilities Act also supports the requirement that both private and public educational institutions must be accessible for persons with disabilities. Sharaine J. Rawlinson and Jeanne M. Kincaid (in Americans with Disabilities Act: Responsibilities for Postsecondary Institutions Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, 2nd Edition, http://www.mcpo.org/products.asp ) state that “a private institution . . . must provide interpreting services if such is necessary to enable the student to access educational opportunities” (p. 15).
  
     
  
  
• Can you suspend the interpreter if the student doesn't show up for class?
  A university or college “may impose reasonable conditions upon student access to and usage of accommodations,” according to Rawlinson and Kincaid (p. 15). The conditions for suspension of an interpreter must be necessary and reasonable, documented clearly in written form, and reviewed by the student who is deaf/hard of hearing before receiving interpreting services. Rawlinson and Kincaid also suggest the development of a written statement that asks for the student’s signature, acknowledging the consequences of these unmet conditions. The college should provide the opportunity - if necessary - for the student to grieve the suspension.
  
     
  
  
• Am I required to provide both an interpreter and a real-time captionist?
  According to Rawlinson and Kincaid, providing both an interpreter and a captionist would be justified “in only the most extraordinary circumstances” (p. 25). The ADA does not require that the student be given every accommodation that exists. It is, however, common practice for a student who is deaf to have both a notetaker and an interpreter so that the s/he can focus on the interpreter without missing interpreted information by looking down at his/her notes.
  
  Get to know the student and understand his/her degree of hearing loss and communication preferences. Ongoing communication with the student is important as well. Be sure to regularly assess whether or not the primary accommodation provided is effective.
  
     
  
  
• What are the pros and cons of hiring interpreters/captionists staff vs. hourly?
  There are many benefits to having staff interpreters in a postsecondary setting. Scheduling them can be easier and more flexible, as some hourly interpreters may have to place restrictions on their schedules, due to other freelancing assignments they have accepted. Staff interpreters are also in the position to establish a strong rapport with the faculty, staff, and students who are deaf and hard of hearing, because these people see the staff interpreters every semester. To boot, staff interpreters who often repeat interpret a course will be more familiar with the material in and terminology of the course. This can aid in a smooth interpretation, which will benefit the student. Consistency is another benefit; an interpreter coordinator with a staff of interpreters will know that these interpreters will be there to work a certain number of hours per week. They also benefit from the fact that staff interpreters working in an office setting can fulfill the responsibilities of the coordinator when s/he has to be out. The level of responsibility of a staff interpreter, therefore, can be greater. Finally, a staff interpreter will be more vested in the office of disability support services’ goals and mission. They can be more willing to provide input and discuss solutions for problems. An hourly interpreter’s primary responsibility typically is interpreting only. Also, when using staff interpreters, a higher cost-effectiveness can result when the number of students using interpreting services increases substantially. It can be costly - when such an increase occurs - to rely on contract interpreters only.
  
  Several advantages to hiring contractual or freelance interpreters also exist. First, having a long list of freelance interpreters to access in order to fill assignments provides more diversity in many institutions. A staff of interpreters will have variety as well, but most institutions have a greater number of hourly interpreters than staff interpreters, and this allows for more variety. Another benefit lies in the fact that the institution in need of interpreters does not have to provide benefits to hourly interpreters; therefore, hourly interpreters are less expensive. It also may be easier for an institution to terminate employment when necessary for an hourly interpreter, as they are less vested in the institution than a staff interpreter. Using contract interpreters most often occurs in an institution where there are fewer students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Contract interpreters will also most likely be used when students who are deaf are taking courses sporadically, as opposed to many courses clumped together, if you will, in which interpreters are needed.
  
     
  
  
• Do I have to provide communication accommodations for out-of-class activities?
  The general rule is that any out-of-class activity should be made accessible, as long as it is sponsored by the college or university for whom you work.
  
     
  
  
• A student who is deaf enrolled in a course that is offered via the college’s distance learning network. Classes are located at various sites across the state and have a scheduled meeting time each week. The student has requested a sign language interpreter for this class. This class is also offered in an online format with no requirement for class meetings (and therefore, no need for an interpreter). Can we tell the student that s/he must take the course in the online format?
  Assuming that all students have the opportunity to choose among the formats available, it would be considered discriminatory to require the deaf student to not have the same choice. Students with disabilities must have the same options as other students.
  
     
  
  
• An adult who is deaf is taking a photography class through the local technical institute.  The technical institute said that since it is not an academic course, the school does not have to pay for interpreting services.  The individual paid for the class; does he have to also pay for the interpreter?
  The student who is deaf pays the course fee (like all students in the class), and the institution is responsible for providing any accommodations. Students who are deaf and enroll in community education programs (like this photography class) are not responsible for providing their own interpreters. It does not matter that it is not an academic class. Since this is a course that is open to anyone in the community, it needs to be accessible for people with disabilities. Even if the course is being offered for free, classes that are sponsored by the institution or held on the property of the institution must be accessible, and the technical institute is responsible for this. It would not be unusual for the technical institute to consult with local educational programs or other community agencies to locate possible interpreters; however, it is the technical institute’s responsibility to make sure the serve is provided (i.e., pay for it).
  
     
  
  
• Is there anything special I need to do when I plan to show a film?
  Videotapes and films can be a source of great frustration for interpreters and students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Most movies and programs made recently are closed captioned, which means that -- with a few simple modifications -- the words will appear at the bottom of the screen for the student to read. Almost all programs taped from television are captioned, even though you can’t see it without a decoder. Again, with a few simple modifications, the captioning can be opened. However, these adjustments take time, so it would be helpful to the interpreters to have a few days notice that you will be using a videotape. Unfortunately, not all films are close captioned, so making the video available for interpreters to preview is extremely beneficial, because this allows them time to prepare and become familiar with the material that will be presented on the tape.
  
     
  
  
• What if I need to turn out the lights?
  Imagine watching television with the mute button on. As people who receive information with our ears, this is not a pleasant experience. Similarly, students who are deaf are receiving information visually, which is impossible in a dark room. Please allow for adequate lighting during videotapes, slides, overheads, etc.
  
     
  
  
• Does this interpreter follow this same student of mine around all day every day?
  Staff Interpreters usually work full-time for the University and are given a new interpreting schedule every semester. When all the students who use interpreters turn in their schedules to the office that serves students who are disabled, the Interpreting Coordinator hands the interpreters a schedule of classes to interpret for several students who are deaf or hard of hearing with a wide variety of majors. Interpreters may start out their day interpreting Chemistry, then run across campus to an Anatomy class, followed by an English Literature course, Engineering, then Latin, and end the day interpreting for a Nursing major. Staff and freelance interpreters also interpret advising sessions, plays, concerts, sorority and fraternity meetings, study sessions, etc. They also interpret for faculty and staff who are deaf and hard of hearing.
  
     
  
  
• Is the interpreter going to tutor this deaf student?
  The interpreter does not tutor or teach the deaf student. They do not ask them about their papers, projects, research, grades, or whether or not they like or dislike the professor. They may care about the student for whom they interpret and often chat with them before or after class, but they are not talking about the answers to yesterday’s quiz. Very often professors pull interpreters aside and launch into an explanation of the student’s status in the class, thinking that interpreters - in some way - tutor the student. Please remember that interpreters typically interpret for several students every day and do not keep up with each student’s individual grades. They also should not be expected to relay messages from you to the student. Please speak directly to the student about any issues or concerns you may have.
  
     
  
  
• If the interpreter is not tutoring, why does s/he need a textbook?
  Because of the variety and complexity of the courses to which they are assigned, interpreters have to prepare for classes much like professors familiarize themselves with lecture material. Because it is important that they understand where you are going with a lecture, providing them with copies of your syllabus, textbook(s), and handouts will help tremendously. These materials help them become familiar with concepts you may introduce during lectures. Studying also helps them learn to spell important terminology. Copies of your lecture notes would be helpful to and greatly appreciated by interpreters.
  
     
  
  
• Is this person who is interpreting going to be sharing his or her ideas with the rest of the class?
  Absolutely not. The interpreter is only there to facilitate communication, because two or more people share two different languages - a spoken one and a signed one. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) has established a Code of Ethics that interpreters are to follow. Interpreters are required to:
  
  
  • Keep information confidential - The information passed between student and professor will not be repeated.
    
  • Interpret everything that is said in exactly the way it was intended - They interpret whatever the professor says, and they voice exactly what the student signs. They are not there to edit or omit information, even if they disagree with what is being conveyed.
    
  • Avoid counseling and interjecting our personal opinions - Just as they are not there to omit information, they also should not add information.
    
  
  These are summaries of just a few tenets of the RID Code of Ethics. To read RID’s Code of Ethics in its entirety, check out http://www.rid.org.
  
     
  
  
• Will the interpreter be able to keep up with me?
  If you can read and lecture at a conversational rate, this will help interpreters process and deliver information accurately. If the lecture is moving too rapidly or too many people are speaking at once, the interpreter may ask for repetition or clarification. Please be patient and know that they are only trying for an accurate interpretation.
  
     
  
  
• Why are there two interpreters?
  Interpreting is physically fatiguing, not to mention the fact that the interpreters are interpreting in courses they may not have had any educational experience in themselves. Also, students who are deaf have a wide variety of needs and signing modes. Some of them use American Sign Language and some communicate using signing systems that have English as a base. If two interpreters are present, they can switch interpreting every 20 to 30 minutes. In short, length of class, course content, and student needs are all reasons why two interpreters may be sent.
  
  Team interpreters who are not actually interpreting for the moment are still on the job. They are attending to the information being presented should the lead interpreter not hear it, misunderstand it, or need clarification. They are also helpful for providing information that the professor writes on the board that the lead interpreter may not be able to see due to his/her positioning in the room.
  
     
  
  
• Great!  There's another colleague in my room.  Can I ask one or both of these interpreters to be my classroom assistant?
  Interpreters are flexible and willing to work with you as a team, and they realize that the dynamics of the classroom will change with their presence. However, it would not be appropriate to ask them to get out of their seats and distribute papers to the class or be responsible for collecting and returning student evaluations for you at the end of each semester. Even when you are not lecturing, they may still be interpreting, such as, if the classmate behind the student for whom they are interpreting has a question for the student. Interpreters may even be informing the student that a loud plane is flying overhead or students are talking very loudly in the hallway, providing an explanation as to why the students and instructor look so distracted. They also feel uncomfortable when asked to be a proctor during an examination; think of all the ethical issues if you ask them to do that, they agree, and then they catch a student cheating. Those are just a few examples of stepping out of roles as facilitators of communication. If you ask an interpreter to lean over and turn off the light for a slide presentation, they should not give you a stern lecture! They are willing to help in any way they can. But, remember that their sole function in the classroom is to interpret - interpret the lecture and voice for the student when needed.
  
     
  
  

Postsecondary Education Consortium
Center on Deafness
Claxton Complex A508
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN  37996-3454
(865) 974-0607 (v/tdd)
(865) 974-3522 (fax)
E-mail address:  pec@utk.edu