Characteristics and Practices of Sign Language Interpreters in Inclusive Education Programs

1997 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhardt E. Jones ◽  
Gary M. Clark ◽  
Donald F. Soltz
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
School System ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public School System ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Sign Language Interpreters ◽  
K 12

This study was designed to determine (a) the demographic characteristics and responsibilities of educational sign language interpreters within the K-12 public school system in the United States; (b) the mode of communication they use most frequently; and (c) their education and certification levels. Surveys were completed by 222 educational sign language interpreters in three states. Results showed the lack of certification and adequate training for the majority of respondents, as well as inadequate minority/gender representation, among other concerns. The study raised questions about the dependence of students who are deaf or hard of hearing on the educational interpreter support system. Recommendations for educational practice are presented.

Pre-Referral Procedures: Meeting Unique Needs of English Language Learners

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Joanna Burton ◽  
Betsy Wendt
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
School System ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public School System ◽  
Language Difference ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
School Team

An increasingly large number of children receiving education in the United States public school system do not speak English as their first language. As educators adjust to the changing educational demographics, speech-language pathologists will be called on with increasing frequency to address concerns regarding language difference and language disorders. This paper illustrates the pre-referral assessment-to-intervention processes and products designed by one school team to meet the unique needs of English Language Learners (ELL).

scholarly journals Human Life, Human Organizations and Education

1994 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Coulson
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School System ◽  
Human Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Public School System ◽  
Incentive Structure ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
States Data

The social structures within which we live and work have a profound effect on the success of our pursuits. These effects are too often poorly understood by those who shape public policy, leading to organizations that are antagonistic to the very goals they are meant to achieve. Unfortunately, this has been the case with public education in the United States. Data are presented that illustrate the way in which the incentive structure of our public school system leads the goals of its employees to diverge from those of the families it is intended to serve. Arguments in support of government-run schooling are discussed and refuted. An alternative system of mutually beneficial cooperation within a competitive market is proposed, based on its proven success in the more liberal parts of our economy. It is demonstrated that such a market system would unite the goals of educators and families, encourage innovation, and discourage many of the inefficient and educationally irrelevant practices engendered by the public school system.

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha A. Sheridan ◽  
Barbara J. White
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
American Sign Language ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Language Communication

Effective social work practice with deaf and hard-of-hearing people requires a unique, and diverse, collection of knowledge, values, skills, and ethical considerations. Salient issues among this population are language, communication, and educational choices, interpreting, assistive devices, cochlear implants, genetics, culture, and access to community resources. Competencies at micro, mezzo, and macro levels with a deaf or hard-of-hearing population include knowledge of the psychosocial and developmental aspects of hearing loss, fluency in the national sign language, and an understanding of deaf cultural values and norms. In the United States, the use of American Sign Language (ASL) is the single most distinguishing factor that identifies deaf people as a linguistic minority group. This entry presents an overview of the practice competencies and intervention approaches that should be considered in working with deaf and hard-of-hearing people, their families, communities, and organizations. It introduces the knowledge base, diversity in community and cultural orientations, social constructions, and international perspectives, current research and best practices, interdisciplinary connections, trends, challenges, and implications for effective social work practice with this population. An integrative strengths-based transactional paradigm is suggested.

Legal and Ethical Imperatives for Using Certified Sign Language Interpreters in Health Care Settings: How to “Do No Harm” When “It’s (All) Greek” (Sign Language) to You

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 114-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Nonaka
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Sign Language Interpreters ◽  
Health Care Settings ◽  
Sign Language Interpreting

Communication obstacles in health care settings adversely impact patient–practitioner interactions by impeding service efficiency, reducing mutual trust and satisfaction, or even endangering health outcomes. When interlocutors are separated by language, interpreters are required. The efficacy of interpreting, however, is constrained not just by interpreters’ competence but also by health care providers’ facility working with interpreters. Deaf individuals whose preferred form of communication is a signed language often encounter communicative barriers in health care settings. In those environments, signing Deaf people are entitled to equal communicative access via sign language interpreting services according to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Executive Order 13166, the Limited English Proficiency Initiative. Yet, litigation in states across the United States suggests that individual and institutional providers remain uncertain about their legal obligations to provide equal communicative access. This article discusses the legal and ethical imperatives for using professionally certified (vs. ad hoc) sign language interpreters in health care settings. First outlining the legal terrain governing provision of sign language interpreting services, the article then describes different types of “sign language” (e.g., American Sign Language vs. manually coded English) and different forms of “sign language interpreting” (e.g., interpretation vs. transliteration vs. translation; simultaneous vs. consecutive interpreting; individual vs. team interpreting). This is followed by reviews of the formal credentialing process and of specialized forms of sign language interpreting—that is, certified deaf interpreting, trilingual interpreting, and court interpreting. After discussing practical steps for contracting professional sign language interpreters and addressing ethical issues of confidentiality, this article concludes by offering suggestions for working more effectively with Deaf clients via professional sign language interpreters.

Educational Challenges for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children in Morocco

2019 ◽  
pp. 161-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelhadi Soudi ◽  
Corinne Vinopol
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Development ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
The Government ◽  
Recent Project ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Hearing Children

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals have long struggled to be fully included, educationally, socially, and career-wise, in the mainstream of Moroccan society. Although the government has demonstrated philosophically that provision of education to children with disabilities K-12 is within their purview, they have yet to take substantive steps to effect this change. This chapter provides an overview of the state of education of DHH in Morocco and ongoing efforts to address challenges to full educational opportunities. More specifically, this chapter describes how a recent project funded by the United States Aid for International Development (USAID) has had a significant impact on education of the deaf there.

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