STC’s deaf interpreter program is music to my ears
Chris Ardis
May 12, 2009
PAH! In Deaf culture, this expression indicates that “finally”
something significant has occurred. It is the perfect way to describe
how many people in the Rio Grande Valley feel about South Texas
College’s new Interpreter Training Program.
The idea for an ITP began about eight years ago when the college
began offering courses in American Sign Language; however, at that
time, Robert Cantu, World Languages Instructor at the college, found
it difficult to produce hard evidence of the demand for it. He set the
idea aside,2 0knowing the perfect time for it would come.
Now, documentation of the need for an ITP is overwhelming. The Texas
Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) Deaf and
Hard of Hearing Services estimates that approximately 8,000 deaf
people live in the Valley. Of these, 6,000 use sign language as their
primary mode of communication and require an interpreter for such
things as going to the doctor, to court or to school. That creates a
real problem because the Valley is home to only 44 certified
interpreters, 34 of whom are only certified at the entry level.
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition,
published by the U.S. Department of Labor, the need for interpreters
and translators is projected to increase by 24 percent between now and
2016. This increase is driven by Video Relay Service, which allows a
Deaf person to make phone calls through the use of high speed internet
with a videophone or a computer equipped with a web cam. A sign
language interpreter appears on the screen. The Deaf person signs to
the interpreter, and the interpreter then voices to the hearing person
on the other end of the line. As that person speaks, the interpreter
signs what is being said to the Deaf person.
Earlier this year, Sorenson Communications, a leader in VRS, opened a
call center in McAllen. They have initiated a tri-lingual interpreting
position that allows individuals fluent in English, American Sign
Language and Spanish to conduct VRS calls between Deaf people and
hearing people who use either English or Spanish.
Final approval from STC’s Board of Trustees and the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board has been granted, opening the door for
the first group of ITP students to begin in August. An Associate of
Applied Science Degree in American Sign Language and Interpreter
Studies will have two specializations: Sign Language Interpreter
Specialization or Deaf Support Specialist. STC will also offer an
Enhanced Skills Certificate in Trilingual Interpreting.
Full-time students are expected to complete the program in two years
and will immediately be workforce-ready. Graduates of the ITP may find
work with Sorenson or other VRS providers, the public school system or
institutes of higher learning. They may also choose to work for
independent interpreting companies. Those who take the Deaf Support
Specialist route may seek employment as an advocate, job coach, mentor
or paraprofessional working with the Deaf community.
If you would like to learn more about the only ITP in the Valley,
contact Robert Cantu at [email protected] as soon as
possible. Deadline for applications for the first cohort of students
is May 20.
Finally, an ITP has arrived in the Rio Grande Valley. PAH!!!
Chris Ardis is a teacher with the McAllen school district. To reach
her, send e-mail to [email protected].
Source:
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/deaf-26432-interpreter-itp.html