Ethical Choices: Educational Sign Language Interpreters as Change Agents

The article Ethical Choices: Educational Sign Language Interpreters as Change Agents is such a refreshing look on educational interpreting. I found myself agreeing with so many points in this article and even more helpful was an outside source giving me “permission” to make some of the choices I do in the classroom. In the article, Doug Bowen-Bailey, suggests that interpreters should not only avoid the “invisibility/conduit model” but in situations that involve a power-imbalance (K-12 especially) this model can be detrimental. Bowen-Bailey provides rich examples for what this can look like, such as teaching the Deaf-student how to play a game all the other kids know how to play (instead of standing back wishing the teacher would help them). He also suggests taking advantage of tools being used in our profession such as the Demand-Control Schema and Supervision Sessions! I believe this dialogue about educational interpreting is so valuable and I can only hope it continues.

Sign Language Interpreting in Art Class

Ethical Choices: Educational Sign Language Interpreters as Change Agents

Another related article that is a wonderful read is:

Sign Language Interpreters in Mainstream Classrooms: Heartbroken and Gagged

Photo Exhibit in St. Louis Focuses on the Deaf Experience

“A multi-generational group of people with ties to the Deaf Empowerment Awareness Foundation are both the subjects and photographers for a new University of Missouri–St. Louis exhibit. Participants included St. Louis-area deaf and hard-of-hearing people, American Sign Language interpreters and teachers who work with deaf students.”

"PPRC Photography Project: DEAF Inc." at UMSL

PPRC photo exhibit focuses on DEAF Inc.

The Universal Language Is In Our Minds

UC Berkeley linguistics lecturer Patrick Boudreault, who is deaf, explains that language is a fluid thing that’s not just spoken. It’s something universal that happens in our minds, whether it’s communicated with our hands or our voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pQtrPpkCRBM

A Few Thoughts on the Use of Social Media by Interpreters

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“Don’t throw professional values out the window when you’re having a good time online”, this article states. Although written by the International Association of Conference Interpreters, a spoken language interpreter blog, this article provides helpful information that applies to sign language interpreters as well. They discuss the do’s and don’ts for professional and personal use of social media.

A few thoughts on the use of social media by interpreters

Researchers document distinctive Hawaii Sign Language

A research group at the University of Hawaii at Manoa announced Friday that they had documented — for the first time — Hawaii Sign Language, or HSL, which deaf people across the islands’ diverse ethnic groups have used for decades if not longer.

Researchers identified about 40 Hawaiians who still use it — interviewing 19 of them, plus two adult children, on four islands for their study. But they are all 80 years of age or older, making it imperative to act now in order to preserve it before it’s too late.

Read more information at CNN.com:

Researchers document distinctive Hawaii Sign Language

President Barack Obama, a native of Hawai, makes the Hawaiian symbol known as the