Rural Interpreter Service Program (RISP)



Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind The Navigator April 2019 IssueHouse Bill 19-1069: Concerning the certification of sign language interpreters for the purpose of title protectionThe Independence Center of Colorado Springs and Disabled Resource Services of Ft. Collins initiated a legislative bill, known as House Bill (HB) 19-1069, to address a severe shortage of certified American Sign Language/English interpreters over the past three years in the state of Colorado. The bill was taken into consideration by the State Legislature in the 2019 session and signed into law by Governor Polis on April 16. HB 19-1069 entails authority for the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (CCDHHDB) to approve certifications of sign language interpreters for the purpose of title protection, section 6-2-707(1)(e), C.R.S. This law protects both deaf and hearing consumers utilizing sign language interpreting services by mandating that practitioners who claim to be sign language interpreters (or other title variations as indicated in the law) have achieved minimum qualification standards. Currently, only the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certifications are recognized by the law. To learn more about the title protection law prior to this legislation, go to and click Other Resources, then Title 6, Article 1: Colorado Consumer Protection Act.?Although the Governor has signed HB 19-1069 into law, this law will become effective on August 2, 2019. CCDHHDB will have to conduct rule making with Colorado Department of Human Services’ State Board after a “psychometric” assessment of available certifications for validity and credibility is performed during fiscal year 2019-2020 (June 30, 2019 to July 31, 2020). To obtain a copy of HB 19-1069, go to? big thank you goes to The Independence Center of Colorado Springs and Disabled Resource Services of Ft. Collins for their vision! Keep your eyes peeled for CCDHHDB’s announcements regarding this critical project. EDUCATION + ADVOCACY = ACTIONThe deficit view towards deaf promotes the perspective that being deaf is something that must be corrected, and for deaf children that sometimes translates to surgical intervention. Four out of five deaf children are born to hearing parents. Non-deaf parents may grieve when learning that their child is deaf and it may take days or years to move towards acceptance. The non-deaf parent may not have ever met a deaf adult to gain a cultural perspective and may view being deaf as an infirmity. Those parents may not realize that American Sign Language (ASL) is a language and if used it will enable the child to communicate and develop language and serve as a bridge to the acquisition of English. The medical profession plus the Cochlear Implant (CI) manufacturers generally have a history of providing selective information to parents and promote a speech-only approach to the raising and education of deaf children and some implant teams ask parents to sign an agreement saying they will keep their deaf child away from sign language (Knoors and Marschark 2014), despite evidence that over 20,000 deaf children implanted since 2000, 47 percent had stopped using their CI (Watson and Gregory 2005). In addition, in 2010 the Department of Justice noted that a potential conflict of interest occurs when medical professionals receive kick-backs from CI companies.The doctor is typically the first professional that hearing parents obtain advice from regarding their deaf child’s need for “correction.” Doctors generally have a pathological view of the deaf child as having a defect or a disability; and prioritize speech and speech reading (oral skills) as superior to sign language and will advise against the use of American Sign Language. This type of advice overtly discourages socialization with other deaf individuals who could serve as language and role models while moving the child towards self-actualization. This promotion of excluding American Sign Language occurs even though decade’s long research reveals that full and prolonged exposure to sign language for a deaf child results in language development that follows the same patterns and produces the same developmental results as exposure to a spoken language does for a hearing child (Courtin 2000; Woolfe et al. 2002; Mayberry et al. 2011). Although early interventionist have the potential to help the parents reframe their experience with a deaf child, if the parents do not become fluent in sign language prior to the child leaving the early intervention program, resources for the family may not be as readily available and the parent may be challenged to develop proficiency in ASL to communicate with their deaf child. In addition, some schools feel that the deaf child has been “corrected” (their choice of terms) through hearing assistive technology; e.g., hearing aids, etc., and determine that there is no need for interpreter services; or the child may have additional learning challenges, but the school doesn’t provide the services or resources that will best meet the child’s learning needs, which results in neglect.There is risk for deaf children who are not exposed to American Sign Language. All children need regular and frequent exposure to an accessible language during the critical period between birth and 3 to 4 years old (Mayberry, Del Giudice, and Lieberman 2011) or they risk linguistic deprivation. Language deprivation is neglect. Many children who are raised using only spoken language do not receive enough access to auditory information to develop language, which may result in irreversible severe disorders. Early lack of ordinary care is associated with cognitive deficits, particularly language deficits (Schaller 2012; Spratt et al. 2012). Research also shows that deaf or hard of hearing children who are language deprived face a greater risk of maltreatment—ranging from bullying, neglect, and emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Sara Kennedy, Hands and Voices Headquarters recently wrote an article about how the Council for Exceptional Children, recently approved a policy to address the safety needs of students. Ms. Kennedy quoted Dr. Harold Johnson, Emeritus Director, Hands & Voices Headquarters and a lead on the Hands & Voices O.U.R. Children’s Safety Project noted that this policy represents a change for the field of Special Education. “Recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect are no longer sufficient. Educators will now be expected to provide their students the knowledge and skills they need to be safe at home, school, and in the community.” Janet DesGeorges, Executive Director of Hands & Voices, stated “. . . It won’t just be families trying to push a conversation about safety, but a sustainable culture will be created around safety in schools with this policy.” CCDHHDB recognizes the need to address the neglect and maltreatment of deaf children.Research in the above article was retrieved from: Language Deprivation and Deaf Mental Health 1st Edition by Neil S. Glickman (Editor), Wyatte C. Hall (Contributor) (2019); The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and Education, edited by Marc Marschark, Patricia Elizabeth Spencer (2010)Rural Interpreter Service Program (RISP) The Rural Interpreting Services Project (“RISP”) provides (1) qualified American Sign Language interpreting services free of charge to areas outside of the Front Range and (2) ASL/English interpreter training opportunities.Interpreting services: To submit a request for interpreting services, go to and click on the “Request Form” tab. You may also call CCDHHDB at 720-457-3679. Training: RISP offers a variety of interpreter training opportunities. Go to and click on the “Interpreter Training Opportunities” tab for more information. This month’s Navigator highlights two opportunities:Certification Readiness Training: This year-long program is supported by the University of Northern Colorado’s Department of American Sign Language & Interpreting Studies and is designed to prepare applicants for certification. There was great interest in the training, with 49 people applying as of March 29. Twenty applicants will be accepted into the training and applicants will be notified of their application decision by April 30. Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) training: RISP will pay for a maximum of five qualifying people to participate in Gallaudet University’s “Working as a Deaf Interpreter” training. The training is online from July 22-August 2 and on-campus from August 4-8 in Washington, D.C. Please click here for more information. The application deadline for RISP sponsorship is May 15, 2019. Outreach: RISP informational meetings were held in Steamboat Springs on March 6 and Frisco on March 7. People from Granby were unable to attend the Steamboat Springs meeting due to weather, so we’ve added another town hall meeting for Granby in May. Granby: May 8, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Granby Town Hall, Zero West Jasper Avenue, Granby, CO 80446 Please check the RISP website () and/or follow our social media and email blasts for further information (CCDHHDB FaceBook page: ). You may email us at ccdhhdb_risp@state.co.us or call CCDHHDB at 720-457-3679. Accommodation Request LetterThe Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requires applicants or employees who are protected by ADA to let the employer know that an accommodation is needed to participate in the application process, to perform essential job functions, or to receive equal benefits and privileges of employment. Advocates often advise the individual who is making the request for reasonable accommodations; e.g. interpreter or CART services, to make the request in writing so that the applicant or the employee will have documentation of the request when and if needed. If the employer wants the applicant or employee to use their form to request reasonable accommodations, then copy or scan it.Sample Accommodation Request Letter (Retrieved from: Job Accommodation Network):The following is an example of what could be included in an accommodation request letter:Date of LetterYour nameYour addressEmployer's nameEmployer's addressDear (e.g., Supervisor, Manager, Human Resources, Personnel):Content to consider in body of letter:Identify yourself as a person with a disabilityState that you are requesting accommodations under the ADA (or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 if you are a federal employee)Identify your specific problematic job tasksIdentify your accommodation ideasRequest your employer's accommodation ideasRefer to attached medical documentation if appropriate*Ask that your employer respond to your request in a reasonable amount of timeSincerely, Your signatureYour printed nameCc: to appropriate individualsRetrieved from Job Accommodation Network of the Commission Meeting?The next quarterly Commission meeting and community forum will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2019.Location:Colorado Springs Police Department Gold Hill Division 955 West Moreno Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80905 ................
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