Interpreter Deaf​/Hard of Hearing

Overview

Under the supervision of the school Principal and direction of the teacher for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, the Interpreter for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing facilitates communication in a public school setting amongst students and school personnel who use ASL and/or Spoken English. The educational interpreter is responsible for providing interpretation, transliteration, translation, and gesticulation as appropriate for the educational programs and curriculum designed by Individual Education Plan (IEP) services for students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH).

This includes all aspects of education, from academic to social.

• Facilitate communication between Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals and hearing individuals in a public school setting at multiple locations in accordance with the IEP goals and in compliance with established practices and procedures.
• Interpret for Deaf/Hard of Hearing students in individual or group academic and non-academic activities, including class lectures, instructional information announcements, songs, assemblies, movies, class questions, or any other aspect of communication that allows Deaf/Hard of Hearing students to communicate effectively in education environments.
• Facilitate the communication and interaction skills of school personnel and other students in the class by teaching basic/introductory ASL and explaining culturally appropriate ways of addressing and interacting with Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals.
• Assist the teacher in providing appropriate seating, acoustic enhancing equipment, captioning/subtitles, and lighting background for the student.
• Provide training to teachers, staff and students about deafness, the role of an interpreter and how best to communicate with and facilitate the learning process of the student.
• Follow all regulations and procedures for interpreters, including the NAIE code of ethics for Educational Interpreters and the RID Code of Professional Conduct.
• This position requires punctual and regular daily attendance at assigned location along with occasional needs outside of regular school hours for extra-curricular activities, meetings, graduation, driver's education, etc.
• Monitor the Deaf/Hard of Hearing student's attention to and understanding of language input and make language modality adjustments as necessary to meet the needs of the student. This includes using a continuum of language modalities from ASL to English Signing Systems based on a student's primary language, material being presented, IEP requirements, and situational appropriateness.
• Participate in IEP meetings as a team member who reports on the language and communication access/abilities of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing student.

• Requires High School diploma, GED or equivalent as reviewed by the Department of Human Resources. Verification may be required.
• Requires successful completion of 2 years of appropriate college coursework or equivalent.
• Requires at least State certification as a Novice Translator/Interpreter. State law requires Novice level interpreters move up to the intermediate level certification within four (4) years of certification or become EIPA 4.0+ or NIC certified.
• Must maintain State certification, which includes continuing education requirements. Retaining State certification is a condition of employment.
• Knowledge of the IEP process and the interpreter's involvement preferred.
• Must demonstrate competence in reading, writing, grammar and math.
• Requires good interpersonal skills to interact with students, parents, and staff.
• Job requires ability to work independently with minimal direct supervision.
• Requires ability to provide interpretation/transliteration within the educational interpreter professional code of ethics and RID Code of Professional Conduct.
• Interpretation consists of a steady flow of decisions and judgments about the substance, the spirit, and the accuracy of each message.