All great tips! I'd add something extremely important for teachers to know. The interpreter is only there to interpret and facilitate communication. They are not there to be the teacher's assistant, or to help supervise the classroom if the teacher needs to leave for something. There's been problems with this, where the teacher assumes the interpreter will intervene with students who are acting up or anything of the kind. That is not the interpreter's job. Yes, there are some who don't mind doing that, but it still isn't part of their job. Another important thing in addition to your tip about the lag time - if the teacher asks the question to the class in general, they should wait a little so the interpreter can catch up. That way, the deaf student has an equal opportunity to respond to the question.
K-12, should be sure what's in your job description. You're an adult district employee in the room. Your job most likely includes "other duties" which may include monitoring a class for a few moment, hallway traffic control (no running), bus duty, and a variety of other things that are not your primary role but may be necessary from time to time.
Thank you very much! As a Graduate from Gallaudet University’s School Psych. Program (Psy.S. - 1993) and now Profoundly DeafBlind myself, I have used (and still do!) MANY interpreters over my career in a wide variety of settings and circumstances. Often, they have had to explain their role and function. Thus, for new people to the World of ASL, TASL, and/or Pro-Tactile ASL such Tips are great for them to have! Again, thanks fo;r doing this!
Wonderful video! I wish more teachers/professors would wait a few seconds after asking a question for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing student to be able to answer. I know that my experience with my interpreters so far has been good, although most of my professors don't know the proper etiquette with interpreters. Thanks for sharing this!
I just wanted to say thank you for these videos - they're really interesting and provide great insight into deaf culture. I know someone (hard of hearing) who watches your videos and knows BSL - another great reason to provide CC!!
I wish this video had existed a week ago, when I had a ridiculously embarrassing experience in a college communications class. I don't use an ASL interpreter but I do use a Typewell transcriber as a deaf student. If you didn't know, basically my transcriber interprets spoken English into written English in real time, and I have my laptop set up so that I can read the transcription in real time and have full equal access. First day of class, my system gets set up (I know my transcriber really well so we never have issues), and then the teacher starts her lecture after being introduced to my transcriber. I'm using my system like normal, when the professor suddenly approached me in front of everyone and tried to close my laptop and said "No laptops in class, put it away or I'll send you out." And my transcriber didn't catch what she was saying so I took a moment to figure it out before having to explain in front of everyone that I am the deaf student and I need the laptop for equal access to the class. Even after that, she continued to look at me like I was being rude if I wouldn't hold eye contact with her and would look at my screen instead. Still, this video is really helpful and I may show it to her anyway.
Cassie that's horrible of your professor to do to you, I'm so sorry :( but I'm sure that what happened violates title IX and disability laws I'm pretty sure, did you get this resolved or take this to higher authority with a complaint? Were you able to continue using the transcriber and everything? I'm sure it's not easy but you deserve equal access to education and not have to have these problems :/
KAP I was able to continue using my transcriber through the class, but it was a very embarrassing and jarring experience for me to be called out in front of everyone and for them to laugh because I didn't know what was going on. She vaguely apologized but
The teacher should get notification email from the special need office about the student's accommodation needs for transcriber or interpreter ahead of time according to ADA law.
Golden Hands- The college is not allowed by law to disclose my disabled or Deaf status to anyone. That includes professors. They provide me with a letter that I have to give to the professors to notify them, but the list does say "Typewell transcriber" on it.
Sounds like the teacher ignored the list of communications. It's true they can't go blabbing to teachers what your disability is but that sheet proves you need accomendations.
Thanks for the great video with a lot of good tips. Waiting a while for a student to answer is always good--in fact, it's a teaching best practice *in any situation.* Some students gather their thoughts as they go along; others need some time to gather their thoughts before asking or answering a question. Instructors should accommodate all types of learners.
I go to a smaller community college, and I am friends with the 3 deaf students who go there. Today, one of my friends' boss (he works in the tutorial center) came to me with a concern. He informed me that the school only has 1 interpreter for the 3 students, so she is not available for all of their classes, in which case they use an interpreter on a computer, who interprets what the professor says, but to my understanding, in this case, they don't have an interpreter for any questions they, as students, have for the professor during that class period. I believe his concern is that my friends don't have equal access compared to other students, his main reason being that the other community college in our same district has 2 interpreters for 1 student, while we have 1 interpreter for 3. He asked me to talk to my friends about it, but I'm not sure how to approach this situation?
[Jenna] That is really unfortunate and definitely unequal access. You could discuss with the deaf students and see how they feel about the situation. You can say you notice they only have one interpreter and ask for their opinion. You can be a good ally/advocate for them if they want to pursue more equal access.
Hey Jill and Jenna! Love all your videos! They're so helpful and informative! Could you do one about mouth morphemes? Like how you speak, shape your mouth, and noises that might be associated with signs?
[Jenna] Thank you! Glad our videos are helpful for you. Mouth morphemes is more of a ASL linguistic lesson which is not in our area. I would suggest you to look into ASL teachers' lessons on it or ask them about it.
Hey, I was wondering if you could do a video for people like me who are EMTs or paramedics, because we don't have the luxury of having interpreters, which can lead to an uncomfortable lack of communication between us and our patient. I have a pretty good idea on how to ask about how they are feeling, but how would I ask things like, "Is it okay if I..." or "do you have a medical history I should know about." Also, how would I say "Point to..." (as in where it hurts). And what happened. I could have the patient write things down on paper, but I feel the process is more comforting if we can communicate more naturally.
[Jill] We are not making "teaching sign language" videos right now. You should check out Bill Vicars RUclips channel or ASL University for help in learning sign language. He is an amazing teacher!
can you talk about in a video working with 2 interpreters and more than one deaf student and the professor is deaf too. in my case. im in deaf ed class and there is currently 2 interpreters and 3 deaf students and the teacher deaf. a few students prefer to use sign to speak so there like 5 or more ASL conversations and 2 interpreters we going to get at least 1 more interpreter 4 that class. we asked to sand to speak or sign cause of the other deaf people and the way the room set up.
[Jill] Well, that sound complicated. If you means how do interpreters work in a sign to voice environment, then I can add that to the list. It really depends on the situation.
I'm a visually impaired college student so I always end up following the interpreters signs as they easily distract me. who do I look at to ask the deaf person a question,initially?
Yes directly to the Deaf Person - Persons First etiquette , same as focusing on a person who is blind/visually impaired instead of addressing his/her guide dog/person. Thanks for asking
Hey so I take ASL at a deaf school but I’m confused because I’ve seen remember tapped twice on the thumb and I asked my teacher and he said it’s only once. This might sound weird but is there a masculine and way to signing words on ASL? I noticed that girls tend to tap twice and guys only tap once for remember
[Jill] I would say no you should not take a professional interpreters role if you are not a professional interpreter, especially in an educational setting.
hey I wanna go to Gallaudet to become an interpreter. asl is such and beautiful language and its my #1 passion, but the thing is I need to be able to make a good living for myself off of it . I'm deffinetly not going to be working as and edu interpreter because I don't wanna spend years going to colledge to make just 30k a year , I was wondering what jobs fields pay interpreters the most like law , medical or cia . I live in Washington state .maybe even freelance make the most ? I'm trying to get as much money possible doing what I love so if you can help that would be great !! I asked my asl teacher at school and she said if you work for an agency you can make $100 an hour but the agency takes some of it . . please help because I'm not even getting straight answers for google .
[Jill] I would say you should do what you love, not follow the money. I understand that you have to make a living and sometimes that means you have to do work you don't want, but the job that pays the most is not always the most important. I don't think there is anything wrong with getting your degree and doing educational interpreting. Those children need the best interpreters out there. I'm not sure which will pay the most because each areas differs. In general VRS pays more than most places in my experience. I have never in my life heard of anyone getting paid $100/hr. That is insane! You will never get a straight answer because the amounts vary so much. I get paid different rates at different agencies in the same area. Some will pay more w/o benefits and others will pay less w/benefits. I'm sorry but it's going to depend on your area, skill level, what field, which agency/company, etc. Again the money (other than being able to pay bills) should not be your top concern.
All great tips! I'd add something extremely important for teachers to know. The interpreter is only there to interpret and facilitate communication. They are not there to be the teacher's assistant, or to help supervise the classroom if the teacher needs to leave for something. There's been problems with this, where the teacher assumes the interpreter will intervene with students who are acting up or anything of the kind. That is not the interpreter's job. Yes, there are some who don't mind doing that, but it still isn't part of their job.
Another important thing in addition to your tip about the lag time - if the teacher asks the question to the class in general, they should wait a little so the interpreter can catch up. That way, the deaf student has an equal opportunity to respond to the question.
[Jill] Yes, Rogan that can be a problem, especially in K-12. Yes, that would be nice if teachers would wait for everyone to answer at the same time.
K-12, should be sure what's in your job description. You're an adult district employee in the room. Your job most likely includes "other duties" which may include monitoring a class for a few moment, hallway traffic control (no running), bus duty, and a variety of other things that are not your primary role but may be necessary from time to time.
Apt and fitly shared👌 thank you
You give me the inspiration to because a ASL interpreter even though i am still in high school.
She inspires me too!
[Jill] Thanks! :)
[Jill] Thanks so much!
Thank you very much! As a Graduate from Gallaudet University’s School Psych. Program (Psy.S. - 1993) and now Profoundly DeafBlind myself, I have used (and still do!) MANY interpreters over my career in a wide variety of settings and circumstances. Often, they have had to explain their role and function. Thus, for new people to the World of ASL, TASL, and/or Pro-Tactile ASL such Tips are great for them to have! Again, thanks fo;r doing this!
So glad you enjoyed the video!
Wonderful video! I wish more teachers/professors would wait a few seconds after asking a question for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing student to be able to answer. I know that my experience with my interpreters so far has been good, although most of my professors don't know the proper etiquette with interpreters. Thanks for sharing this!
[Jill] Yes, don't we all lol. Glad you enjoyed the video.
A learned skill really👌
I just wanted to say thank you for these videos - they're really interesting and provide great insight into deaf culture. I know someone (hard of hearing) who watches your videos and knows BSL - another great reason to provide CC!!
[Jill] Thanks, glad you enjoy the videos. :)
Thank you for these valuable nuggets and channel 👌🙏💪🤟really appreciate the sending of notes ahead to the interpreter 👏
Such a great video! I jusr finished student teaching this week, so I'm really glad to have this information as I start teaching!
[Jill] Glad you liked the video. Good luck teaching!
I wish this video had existed a week ago, when I had a ridiculously embarrassing experience in a college communications class. I don't use an ASL interpreter but I do use a Typewell transcriber as a deaf student. If you didn't know, basically my transcriber interprets spoken English into written English in real time, and I have my laptop set up so that I can read the transcription in real time and have full equal access. First day of class, my system gets set up (I know my transcriber really well so we never have issues), and then the teacher starts her lecture after being introduced to my transcriber. I'm using my system like normal, when the professor suddenly approached me in front of everyone and tried to close my laptop and said "No laptops in class, put it away or I'll send you out." And my transcriber didn't catch what she was saying so I took a moment to figure it out before having to explain in front of everyone that I am the deaf student and I need the laptop for equal access to the class. Even after that, she continued to look at me like I was being rude if I wouldn't hold eye contact with her and would look at my screen instead. Still, this video is really helpful and I may show it to her anyway.
Cassie that's horrible of your professor to do to you, I'm so sorry :( but I'm sure that what happened violates title IX and disability laws I'm pretty sure, did you get this resolved or take this to higher authority with a complaint? Were you able to continue using the transcriber and everything? I'm sure it's not easy but you deserve equal access to education and not have to have these problems :/
KAP I was able to continue using my transcriber through the class, but it was a very embarrassing and jarring experience for me to be called out in front of everyone and for them to laugh because I didn't know what was going on. She vaguely apologized but
The teacher should get notification email from the special need office about the student's accommodation needs for transcriber or interpreter ahead of time according to ADA law.
Golden Hands- The college is not allowed by law to disclose my disabled or Deaf status to anyone. That includes professors. They provide me with a letter that I have to give to the professors to notify them, but the list does say "Typewell transcriber" on it.
Sounds like the teacher ignored the list of communications. It's true they can't go blabbing to teachers what your disability is but that sheet proves you need accomendations.
Thanks for the great video with a lot of good tips.
Waiting a while for a student to answer is always good--in fact, it's a teaching best practice *in any situation.* Some students gather their thoughts as they go along; others need some time to gather their thoughts before asking or answering a question. Instructors should accommodate all types of learners.
hi Jenna and jill wow!!!!
I go to a smaller community college, and I am friends with the 3 deaf students who go there. Today, one of my friends' boss (he works in the tutorial center) came to me with a concern. He informed me that the school only has 1 interpreter for the 3 students, so she is not available for all of their classes, in which case they use an interpreter on a computer, who interprets what the professor says, but to my understanding, in this case, they don't have an interpreter for any questions they, as students, have for the professor during that class period. I believe his concern is that my friends don't have equal access compared to other students, his main reason being that the other community college in our same district has 2 interpreters for 1 student, while we have 1 interpreter for 3. He asked me to talk to my friends about it, but I'm not sure how to approach this situation?
[Jenna] That is really unfortunate and definitely unequal access. You could discuss with the deaf students and see how they feel about the situation. You can say you notice they only have one interpreter and ask for their opinion. You can be a good ally/advocate for them if they want to pursue more equal access.
Hey Jill and Jenna! Love all your videos! They're so helpful and informative! Could you do one about mouth morphemes? Like how you speak, shape your mouth, and noises that might be associated with signs?
[Jenna] Thank you! Glad our videos are helpful for you. Mouth morphemes is more of a ASL linguistic lesson which is not in our area. I would suggest you to look into ASL teachers' lessons on it or ask them about it.
I love your videos so much!!! so inspiring
[Jill] Thank you!
I love your channel!
[Jill] Thank you!
Hey, I was wondering if you could do a video for people like me who are EMTs or paramedics, because we don't have the luxury of having interpreters, which can lead to an uncomfortable lack of communication between us and our patient. I have a pretty good idea on how to ask about how they are feeling, but how would I ask things like, "Is it okay if I..." or "do you have a medical history I should know about." Also, how would I say "Point to..." (as in where it hurts). And what happened. I could have the patient write things down on paper, but I feel the process is more comforting if we can communicate more naturally.
[Jill] We are not making "teaching sign language" videos right now. You should check out Bill Vicars RUclips channel or ASL University for help in learning sign language. He is an amazing teacher!
can you talk about in a video working with 2 interpreters and more than one deaf student and the professor is deaf too. in my case. im in deaf ed class and there is currently 2 interpreters and 3 deaf students and the teacher deaf. a few students prefer to use sign to speak so there like 5 or more ASL conversations and 2 interpreters we going to get at least 1 more interpreter 4 that class. we asked to sand to speak or sign cause of the other deaf people and the way the room set up.
[Jill] Well, that sound complicated. If you means how do interpreters work in a sign to voice environment, then I can add that to the list. It really depends on the situation.
yea
You need to ad what to do for the student if they are low vision or is blind.
[Jill] That could be it's own video as there is a lot to consider with low vision/DeafBlind.
I'm a visually impaired college student so I always end up following the interpreters signs as they easily distract me. who do I look at to ask the deaf person a question,initially?
You look at the Deaf person
[Jill] Yes, look at the Deaf person.
Yes directly to the Deaf Person - Persons First etiquette , same as focusing on a person who is blind/visually impaired instead of addressing his/her guide dog/person. Thanks for asking
Hey so I take ASL at a deaf school but I’m confused because I’ve seen remember tapped twice on the thumb and I asked my teacher and he said it’s only once. This might sound weird but is there a masculine and way to signing words on ASL? I noticed that girls tend to tap twice and guys only tap once for remember
There is no official way men and women sign. There are some tendencies but no grammatical difference.
@asl stew what if the interpreter didn't show up in the classroom but if u knew asl and lwould intepret for the Deaf person is that bad ?
[Jill] I would say no you should not take a professional interpreters role if you are not a professional interpreter, especially in an educational setting.
Does anyone know the sign for "smartest"? I've been looking on online dictionaries but I can't find it anywhere
You would sign the sign smart and then add a facial expression to go along with it. Also you could sign "Wow, most smart" if you wanted to
Billy Riedel thank you!! 😄
hey I wanna go to Gallaudet to become an interpreter. asl is such and beautiful language and its my #1 passion, but the thing is I need to be able to make a good living for myself off of it . I'm deffinetly not going to be working as and edu interpreter because I don't wanna spend years going to colledge to make just 30k a year , I was wondering what jobs fields pay interpreters the most like law , medical or cia . I live in Washington state .maybe even freelance make the most ? I'm trying to get as much money possible doing what I love so if you can help that would be great !! I asked my asl teacher at school and she said if you work for an agency you can make $100 an hour but the agency takes some of it . . please help because I'm not even getting straight answers for google .
[Jill] I would say you should do what you love, not follow the money. I understand that you have to make a living and sometimes that means you have to do work you don't want, but the job that pays the most is not always the most important. I don't think there is anything wrong with getting your degree and doing educational interpreting. Those children need the best interpreters out there. I'm not sure which will pay the most because each areas differs. In general VRS pays more than most places in my experience. I have never in my life heard of anyone getting paid $100/hr. That is insane! You will never get a straight answer because the amounts vary so much. I get paid different rates at different agencies in the same area. Some will pay more w/o benefits and others will pay less w/benefits. I'm sorry but it's going to depend on your area, skill level, what field, which agency/company, etc. Again the money (other than being able to pay bills) should not be your top concern.