CHRIS ARDIS: STC's deaf interpreter program is music to my ears
PAH! In Deaf culture, this expression indicates that "finally" something significant has occurred. It is the perfect way to describe how many people in the Rio Grande Valley feel about South Texas College's new Interpreter Training Program.
The idea for an ITP began about eight years ago when the college began offering courses in American Sign Language; however, at that time, Robert Cantu, World Languages Instructor at the college, found it difficult to produce hard evidence of the demand for it. He set the idea aside,2 0knowing the perfect time for it would come.
Now, documentation of the need for an ITP is overwhelming. The Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services estimates that approximately 8,000 deaf people live in the Valley. Of these, 6,000 use sign language as their primary mode of communication and require an interpreter for such things as going to the doctor, to court or to school. That creates a real problem because the Valley is home to only 44 certified interpreters, 34 of whom are only certified at the entry level.
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, the need for interpreters and translators is projected to increase by 24 percent between now and 2016. This increase is driven by Video Relay Service, which allows a Deaf person to make phone calls through the use of high speed internet with a videophone or a computer equipped with a web cam. A sign language interpreter appears on the screen. The Deaf person signs to the interpreter, and the interpreter then voices to the hearing person on the other end of the line. As that person speaks, the interpreter signs what is being said to the Deaf person.
Earlier this year, Sorenson Communications, a leader in VRS, opened a call center in McAllen. They have initiated a tri-lingual interpreting position that allows individuals fluent in English, American Sign Language and Spanish to conduct VRS calls between Deaf people and hearing people who use either English or Spanish.
Final approval from STC's Board of Trustees and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has been granted, opening the door for the first group of ITP students to begin in August. An Associate of Applied Science Degree in American Sign Language and Interpreter Studies will have two specializations: Sign Language Interpreter Specialization or Deaf Support Specialist. STC will also offer an Enhanced Skills Certificate in Trilingual Interpreting.
Full-time students are expected to complete the program in two years and will immediately be workforce-ready. Graduates of the ITP may find work with Sorenson or other VRS providers, the public school system or institutes of higher learning. They may also choose to work for independent interpreting companies. Those who take the Deaf Support Specialist route may seek employment as an advocate, job coach, mentor or paraprofessional working with the Deaf community.
If you would like to learn more about the only ITP in the Valley, contact Robert Cantu at rpcantu@southtexascollege.edu as soon as possible. Deadline for applications for the first cohort of students is May 20.
Finally, an ITP has arrived in the Rio Grande Valley. PAH!!!
Chris Ardis is a teacher with the McAllen school district. To reach her, send e-mail to cardis1022@aol.com.
