What is the role of an educational interpreter?

Communication Access Support

Educational interpreters provide communication access to students who are deaf or hard of hearing by faithfully and accurately representing the instruction, dialogue and/or sound information in the mode of communication used by the dhh student. There are different types of interpreters based on the mode, or language, and/or the method the child uses to communicate, such as American Sign Language, SimCom, Signed Exact English, Oral, Cued Speech, PSE, CASE, etc... The interpreter’s role is to assure that the student can fully and effectively access all sound information. Interpreters can convey both “receptive” (incoming) and “expressive” (what the student has to say or sign) communication.

In the school setting, an interpreter’s role takes on greater complexity because this human being is not just a “mini adult” who is deaf or hard of hearing. Their charge is to act in the best interests of the child. As such, the educational interpreter will be constantly weighing a host of individual student considerations including language-level, academic competency, social/emotional, interpersonal, developmental, professional and ethical factors. So the interpreter wears many hats, but some should definitely not be donned.

Not a personal disciplinarian

Maintaining a healthy student/interpreter relationship is also dependent on the shared understanding of each other’s role, and mutual respect. for some teachers, educational interpreters are delegated the role of “classroom cop” when a general educator lacks the competence or confidence to communicate directly with the deaf or hard of hearing student about problem behavior. Since the interpreter is an adult in a position of authority with an established relationship and has the ability to communicate with the child, an assumption is often made (consciously or unconsciously) that discipline will be handled by him/her.

This can send a mixed message to the dhh student who realizes s/he is being treated differently than the other kids. It subjectifies the connection between student and interpreter, i.e., “she’s upset with my behavior, should I even tell her I don’t understand what the teacher is saying?” In other words, the student may perceive his/her right to communication access as variable depending on his/her behavior. This scenario usually results in serious dysfunction for the interpreter and the student, and the stakes are high. Fall-out between interpreter and student results in a breakdown in communication access and flow for the deaf or hard of hearing learner. This must be avoided by a proactive strategy to which all parties agree that maintains focus on the classroom teacher as authoritarian and disciplinarian.

A Changing Role Based on Student Age/Grade

The interpreter’s role is a changing one—not only from student to student, but from early elementary age kids to high schoolers. As the child matures into adolescent and teenager, the educational interpreter can play a significant role in empowering the student into self-advocacy. Encouraging the student to take a more active role in determining his/her access needs is crucial. Interpreters can assist in this process by shifting responsibility for communication access to the student. By high school, a deaf or hard of hearing student should be expected to know how to request interpreter support for classes and extra-curricular activities.

What are the rights, role, and responsibilities of the student?

Student Rights: Students who are eligible for an IEP due to deafness or hearing loss have a legal right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Their rights are set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) through Procedural Safeguards that serve as a mechanism to protect and assure the delivery of FAPE to the student. Eligible deaf or hard of hearing students have a right to communication access in school and at school-sponsored extra-curricular activities. They have a right to educational interpreters for communication access and related services as determined by the IEP team. And they have a right to expect their educational interpreter to act as all other professionals on an educational team. For a more in-depth look at legal rights visit “what does special education law say about educational interpreters?”

The role of the student evolves as s/he grows from more dependent preschooler to self-determined high schooler. The role of the educational interpreter should “devolve” as the student ages—with responsibility shifting to the student as s/he matures and is more capable of self-advocacy and autonomy. Whereas an interpreter may have been the point-person who gave the general classroom teacher the scoop on “little Timmy’s” communication needs during the elementary school years, by middle and high school, Timmy should be increasingly responsible for communicating directly (even if interpreted) with his classroom teachers that he’s deaf or hard of hearing, and what accommodations will be necessary in order for him to access what’s going on in the classroom.

Another important responsibility all deaf or hard of hearing students must take on is quality control over their own communication access. If an interpreter isn’t up to snuff, or there are problems that consistently impede the student’s access to instruction and communication, s/he must advocate appropriately toward resolution. Unfortunately, many schools lack policies or procedures for dhh students to follow if they are having problems with their educational interpreters. Younger students may have difficulty realizing that the educational interpreter is not providing good communication access. This can be avoided with good preparation and planning by parents and the student during the IEP.

Formal policies can provide the necessary structure for students to take their concerns to a designated higher authority who will treat them with respect and work towards solution. These should be communicated to the student to enable him/her to manage the interpreter as is age-appropriate. Training for students to become effective users of educational interpreters must be provided.

Parents - What are the rights and responsibilities of parents?

Parents of deaf or hard of hearing students also have rights under the IDEA. Parents are equal members of their child’s IEP team, and their input and meaningful participation in the development of their child’s IEP is an IDEA requirement. Also, parents can apply the remedies set forth in the IDEA’s Procedural Safeguards if they disagree with the school over what their child needs, and/or how special education services are delivered to their child. For a more in-depth look at legal rights visit “what does special education law say about educational interpreters?”

Parents also have responsibilities to assure that their child will benefit from his/her education. Toward the fulfillment of these responsibilities, parents can receive Parent Counseling and Training as a Related Service on their child’s IEP if it is determined to be a necessary at-home support for the child to benefit from his/her education. The purpose of Parent Counseling and Training is help parents understand the special needs of their child, provide them with information about child development, and help parents acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of their child’s IEP. This may involve helping the parent gain skills needed to support IEP goals at home. (IDEA Sec. 300.34 (b) (8) (i,ii,iii) Typically, these services are sought from qualified teachers, school counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, parent groups, disability organizations and/or professionals or representatives of community organizations.

Parent Counseling & Training

A common example often used to exemplify the purpose of IDEA’s Parent Counseling and Training is sign language instruction for hearing families of deaf or hard of hearing students. If the student is learning sign language and using an educational interpreter at school--but the family uses spoken English at home--there can be a huge communication breakdown between the child and his/her parents. That communication breakdown could inhibit a student’s ability to complete homework, practice new vocabulary, discuss what s/he’s learning, and process new information. Ultimately, it could even prevent the student from progressing educationally. Given the research that supports the importance of parental involvement in their children’s education, the spirit of the IDEA upholds this value through the provision of Parent Counseling and Training as a Related Service. The bottom line is that you can request sign language support for your family.

Expectations for Interpreter Quality and Proficiency

Parents should ask about the educational interpreters’ certification and proficiency at every IEP meeting. This question is usually met with a head nod and “don’t worry, she’s great” response from the principal who probably hired the interpreter. So the parent’s next question must be about the demonstrated proficiency of the interpreters. What is their EIPA rating? Are they certified? Who evaluated their qualifications, and what expertise did the evaluator have to do so? For more information: What Kind of Training is Required to Become an Interpreter, and for Students to use an Interpreter?

What kind of training is required to become an interpreter, and for students to use an interpreter?

Educational Interpreter Training and Qualifications

All educational interpreters should have training, certification, and basic qualifications as required by the regulations of their state, and by the interpreting industry in general. Interpreter training programs are offered through institutions of higher education nationwide, and a prospective interpreter can nowadays receive a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Interpreting. Although this is not usually a requirement for certification in most states, a few states are implementing this requirement (e.g., Colorado and Michigan)

The Educational Interpreter’s Performance Assessment (EIPA) is a nationally recognized evaluation test of interpreter skill. Most state departments of education rely on the interpreter’s EIPA certification as an indication of sign proficiency. Parents are encouraged to ask if their child’s educational interpreter is “certified” in the mode of communication to be used, and if applicable, what the interpreter’s EIPA score is. Generally, a 3.5 on the EIPA is considered a minimum qualification for an educational interpreter. In lay terms, this score indicates an 80% accuracy rating, or eight out of ten words on average are interpreted correctly. If that’s not good enough, then it becomes an issue for advocacy from the parents and student. And, it is important to remember that even if the school district says that the state has a minimum requirement, it doesn’t always mean that all of the interpreters meet that level.

Teachers of the Deaf Aren’t Interpreters

It’s also worth noting that many deaf or hard of hearing students receive resource services from Teachers of the Deaf (ToD) who may have no sign language qualifications whatsoever. Teachers of the Deaf are generally not required to have interpreter-level sign skills. Ironically, when deaf or hard of hearing students are placed in a Deaf Education Resource Room for instruction by a ToD, interpreters are not assigned in that setting. Parents should be wary of this scenario, and, if applicable to their child, should ask directly about the sign skills of the ToD. It may be necessary to have the appropriate interpreter in a Deaf Ed Resource Room as an access support if the ToD is not proficient in the communication mode of the child. But don’t assume this will happen. Parents must specify this accommodation on the IEP.

Student Specific Applications

Beyond the required qualifications, educational interpreters must be trained for specific applications based on individual student needs. For example, if a high school student is taking advanced mathematics or computer programming courses, the interpreter must gain specialized knowledge of the vocabulary and concepts that are being taught. Special terms must be conveyed ahead of time to the student so s/he doesn’t lag behind hearing peers trying to figure out a complicated word or concept in signs never seen before. This training is typically accomplished by working directly with the teacher during planning time so it can be pre-taught then re-taught as necessary, (with support from a teacher of the deaf who may be providing resource and remediation assistance). Additionally, preparation and professional development are necessary to maintain competency with interpreting skills relative to all curricula.

Student Preparation to Use Educational Interpreters

Like educational interpreters, most deaf or hard of hearing students learn how this dynamic works. Very few students have any formal preparation, which is a grave oversight considering the daily impact of this relationship. Schools should take this on pro-actively, and provide training to students from a qualified third party (not the interpreter or the teacher of the deaf, but a coordinator of interpreter services/administrator) that addresses:

Age-appropriate mutual expectations including:

• Young children need to know that their interpreter is not their teacher.
• Interpreters need to promote direct communication (even if interpreted) to teachers and peers
• Students need to follow stated policies about requesting interpreter support—not just assume interpreters will be wherever the student is.

Managing the interpreter:

• As the student matures, it’s appropriate for him/her to share expectations of the interpreter as they relate to information priority, ambient sound information, and clarification cues.
• If the interpreter doesn’t show, the student needs to know how to advocate for his/her access in the moment—what’s the policy?
• In some settings the student may prefer one mode of communication, but that could change in other environments/classes. This can be communicated to the interpreter.

Consumer resources:

• Connecting a deaf or hard of hearing student with an adult who is deaf or hard of hearing is an excellent way to teach interpreter-use via a role model example. There is no substitute for life experience from someone who’s already navigated further along the route.
• Providing trained deaf or hard of hearing mentors who can address interpreter-use issues as well as other lifeskills is the most credible resource available.

What to do when things don’t go well:

• The IEP team should include discussion of a policy for troubleshooting problems that can arise between interpreters and students.
• The deaf or hard of hearing student should have the opportunity to provide input to the policy as it’s being developed, as should the interpreter.
• A disinterested third-party should be designated with authority over the situation; this person must have knowledge in the area of educational interpreting.
• At any and all meetings during which the issue will be discussed, an outside interpreter should be present so the educational interpreter may participate, and so the student may rely on the objectivity of the interpreter.

Building parent/interpreters partnerships to assure full and effective communication access for dhh students in school.

What is full and effective communication access for a deaf or hard of hearing child in school? This may be easier to conceive of in contrast—what is school like without accessible communication? Where are the gaps? If they can be identified, can they be met? This can be a challenge for hearing parents who’ve never experienced life without a sound signal. Hearing people are so inundated by sound input that much of it is taken for granted. The sources of what’s coming in hardly register; the sound is just immediately assimilated with meaning through an auditory cognitive process that’s usually effortless for people with normal hearing. As such, most hearing parents rarely have to consider how they’ll access auditory information, so planning for full and effective communication access for their dhh children is skill that must be acquired.

Fortunately, parents can get some help here, and interpreters are a great resource. Parents and interpreters have the most contact with the child who is deaf or hard of hearing, and as allies, they can create the best potential for the student to enjoy full and effective communication access in school.

Mutual Trust and Respect

Historically, parents and educational interpreters have not had regular contact with one another. In fact, educational interpreters were often excluded from IEP meetings out of some antiquated notion that they were only automatons in the classroom--human machines that simply translate language from one mode to another--with nothing to contribute to the dynamic development of an IEP. And some interpreters have incorrectly concluded that they may not discuss the student’s communication and learning, Then, too, parents have been called uncaring and uninvolved if their sign skills were sub-par. Interpreters claim to know the kids better than their parents, while parents rage over their child’s academic failures due to poor interpreting. These stereotypes have created a climate of mutual mistrust.

For the sake of the kids, a greater understanding of and appreciation for what each party has to offer the other is critical. The best approach is now a legally sanctioned one: with the IDEA’s 2004 Reauthorization, educational interpreters are an acknowledged provider of “Related Services,” which brings them to the IEP table. Qualified, proficient interpreters can contribute valuable insight and expertise to the discussion. Interpreters and parents, as the two parties who likely know the child the best, often bring a sense of passion to their ideas and insights. In alliance, they deserve a lion’s share of the credit for the functionality of communication access for a deaf or hard of hearing student at school. It all starts with a jointly developed access plan.

Access Planning

A methodical strategy of considering all the waking hours of the child, especially in school, and registering all anticipated sound messages can be an eye-opening experience for mom and dad. Parents with interpreters should identify the gaps throughout; everything should be tested for how the child will access this communication and sound information.

During group discussion in the classroom, does the interpreter translate everything or just the main message? When it’s so fast-paced, how will the student keep up?

Prioritizing messages and information will always be a challenge for interpreted education. Parents should ask their child’s interpreter directly about this to learn what strategies the interpreter plans to use. As the student gets older, his/her participation in the prioritization of information should be taken into consideration. If classmate “Jon” always asks the best questions, then maybe Jon needs a name sign and a designated priority during free-flowing conversation in the classroom.

If the deaf or hard of hearing student needs the pace to slow down so s/he can assimilate the information and ask questions, the IEP could reflect such an accommodation. This is why a general classroom teacher(s) is such an important member of the IEP team. Knowing the plan ahead of time invests that teacher in its implementation. This can keep the student from sitting quietly in confusion because s/he is too afraid to raise a hand and ask for clarification—the bane of deaf students in the mainstream.

Much social learning transpires in non-academic settings. How will a dhh child communicate with other children at lunch, on the school bus or playground? During sports and extracurricular activities?

Normal, healthy social development depends on meaningful communication with peers. It is essential for parents and interpreters to discuss the role of the interpreter as a facilitator of peer communication, when necessary. This should be a consideration for any deaf or hard of hearing child mainstreamed in a school with hearing peers. What information should be interpreted to the child? If the bully on the playground is calling him/her names, or using foul language, does the interpreter convey this…to a 4 year old…to a 14 year old? Is the gossip around the lunch table shared by the interpreter? Is the interpreter even at the lunch table?

These are tough questions, and the best way to address them is through direct, open and on-going dialogue between parents and interpreters. Social access strategies will (and should) vary from family to family, based on their values and the input from interpreters who see the student in the school setting. This perspective is invaluable in the development of ideas for enhancing opportunities for more complex communication between deaf or hard of hearing and hearing peers.

When the bell rings, how will the deaf or hard of hearing child know? If the rules change spontaneously during lunchtime pick-up basketball, who tells the deaf or hard of hearing player? Is it ok to always depend on a hearing peer? What about conflict resolution with peers?

Interpreters are not always going to be available to kids across every minute of the school day. Other access strategies must be used, and a hearing/deaf or hard of hearing buddy-system is often employed. When it works well, it has tremendous social advantages. But the day comes when “Buddy” is sick, or just sick and tired of the job. A deaf or hard of hearing child can be excluded, ostracized, or even endangered by reliance on peers alone for access to communication and sound information.

Lunchroom and playground supervisors must be specifically trained to intervene when issues arise for deaf or hard of hearing students in their domain. All too often, the hearing child wins the argument because the other child had no effective way to communicate his/her position. Many deaf adults recall painful memories from their days in school that track back to being misunderstood or dismissed because they communicated differently than the hearing majority. This demoralizing experience can be avoided by proactive planning. Should these supervisors be invited to a portion of the IEP meeting where this plan will be discussed? You bet! Can the plan include the educational interpreter being called upon to troubleshoot with the supervisor during a playground crisis? Absolutely!

Together, parents and interpreters can also explore and recommend available technology for the school to utilize. Bells and alarms can combine with flashing lights to alert dhh students. TTYs, video relay service, phones, and pagers are available at little to no cost to schools so the student has an equal opportunity to communicate with parents or others as necessary. Captioned movies or video presentations should be standard operating procedures at all schools with dhh student populations. Remote classroom captioning is a viable option for some schools. All public address announcements must be interpreted and, ideally, posted. Since many schools wait until breaks between classes to make announcements on the PA (to avoid interrupting classes), this information is often missed by dhh students, so postings are important.

What if the student is fooling around, not watching the interpreter, or just snoozing through class? If the student is not choosing to access the communication around him/her, what’s the interpreter’s obligation then?

This issue should be discussed as an IEP team with the student, preferably ahead of time. Student inattention can be due to fatigue, lack of sign comprehension, or other underlying factors that should be addressed proactively. Planned downtime, comprehension checks, and other strategies can help. It’s just plain hard and even unnatural to keep your eyes on one information source for hours every day. Hearing children can shift their eye gaze to visual aids, the speaker’s non-verbal communication, or even close their eyes completely and still remain connected to the instruction. Most deaf or hard of hearing students don’t have that luxury. And if the instruction includes a lot of new language that scaffolds into higher concepts, a dhh student who missed the first level meaning will be lost for the whole lesson. If s/he lacks the confidence to ask for remediation, the student may detach instead. Disengaged learners often manifest with undesirable behavior, so it’s not always appropriate to assume that the dhh students is not choosing to access communication.

That said, dhh kids are just as likely to demonstrate squirrely behavior as hearing kids are. Does the interpreter go on signing? The answer to that may vary according the interpreter’s assessment of the situation, with anticipatory input from the parents. Whatever the decision may be, the policy must be relayed to the deaf or hard of hearing student ahead of time so the consequences of poor choice-making on his/her part are objectified in the interests of good student/interpreter relations.

If the student has great oral skills or is using a cochlear implant (CI), does s/he need an educational interpreter for communication access support?

Students who are hard of hearing, using cochlear implants (CI), or skilled with listening and oral speaking can also experience challenges in accessing communication. Hearing aids and cochlear implants, have not solved the problems associated with distance or background noise. Accommodations may be in order. But when parents request a sign language interpreter to help their hh, oral or CI-implanted children access communication, they should be very clear as to their goals. Does their child have a progressive loss? Do they want him/her to become competent signers while they’re young before the academic stakes get too high? (Learning sign language while it’s being used to convey a trig or physics lesson is not a good plan.) Does the family have bilingual (ASL/English) goals for their child? Does the IEP stipulate that the interpreter will convey only new vocabulary and concepts so the CI or oral student will rely on his/her hearing ability alone as a means of sound habilitation?

There are many sound reasons for using educational interpreters with hh students. Parents and interpreters need to discuss the reasons and rationale, and create access support strategies that can work to meet the hh, oral or CI-implanted students’ needs.

Case Studies: Exploring Different Perspectives on Educational Interpreting

The DesGeorges Family: Why We Wanted a Sign Interpreter for our Hard of Hearing Daughter

Jennifer Pfau: How Deaf Parents Prepare Their Deaf Children to Use Interpreters

Barbara Galoob: Using Oral Interpreters

Priscilla Gutierrez: What if Your Child Isn’t Ready to Use an Interpreter?

Susan Dickinson: Learning to Use Interpreters After Progressive Hearing Loss: Codeswitching

Leeanne Seaver: What’s Missing in the Mainstream?

Kenya Lowe: An Empowered Deaf Woman Speaks About Self-Advocacy for Quality Communication Access

Who wrote this section

Leeanne Seaver, M.A., Executive Director
Hands & Voices National
www.handsandvoices.org

Leeanne Gillespie Seaver, MA, is mom to three kids, including Dane, her eldest son who is profoundly deaf.  She serves on the Advisory Board for the National Center on Low Incidence Disabilities, the American College of Educators/DHH Join-Together Executive Advisory, and for AFB/Bridge Multimedia.  She is also a Commissioner with the Colorado Commission for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. Leeanne's particular interests lie in advocacy and special education law. She speaks nationally and internationally on this topic, and about the importance of parent involvement in educational systems. She works professionally as a writer and television producer.

SOURCES CITED WITHIN THE PARENT SECTION:

FEDERAL LAWS:

Public Law 93-112 The Rehab Act (1973) Section 504

Public Law 108-446 ‘The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’ (1990),

Reauthorized 1997 & 2004)

Public Law 101-336 TheAmericans with Disabilities Act (1990)

About Us

Classroominterpreting.org is brought to you with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, awarded to Dr. Brenda Schick at the University of Colorado – Boulder. http://www.colorado.edu/slhs/slhs/faculty/schick.html]

The site is maintained by Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, an international research and treatment children with hearing loss and related communication disorders.

This website was developed by Dr. Brenda Schick and produced by Boys Town National Research Hospital, the site of the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) Center. Girls and Boys Town provided design and construction of the site who also produced www.babyhearing.org - another resource for families.

Numerous individuals contributed to this website. We thank a few of them below. Special thanks to the many comments and suggestions from parents, interpreters, and consumers across the country.

All material on the site, with exception of the section on the EIPA and sections explicitly labeled otherwise, are copyrighted by Brenda Schick.

http://www.classroominterpreting.org/About/index.asp