This article can also be seen at the following link on page 27: https://www.rit.edu/news/magazine/spring18.pdf

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RIT isn’t the only school that offers degrees in ASL/English interpretation, but it does have one feature that can’t be found at other schools.

“Students can interact with 1,200 deaf or hard-of-hearing students on campus and more than 100 faculty members who are well known in the interpreting field,” said Lynn Finton, the director of the ASL and interpreter education department. “They are able to practice and interact with people who are members of the deaf community as they learn.”

Finton believes this immersion in ASL and deaf culture is a unique experience that sets RIT’s interpreting graduates apart from graduates at other universities.

The interpreting program offered at the university through the college of NTID has become known as one of the best in the country since it started as a summer training program in 1969.

The first bachelor’s degree program was approved in 2000 as a two-plus-two program. In 2008, the two-plus-two program evolved to a full four-year program. Since 2008, more than 270 students have graduated with their bachelor’s degree in ASL/English interpretation, according to the NTID annual reports.

Linda Siple, a retired professor for the department of ASL and interpreter education, is proud of how the program has grown and hopes the growth will continue in the future.

“We’re pioneers in this field. This profession is still very young compared to other programs offered at RIT,” said Siple. “We have made tremendous leaps and bounds in such a short period of time.”

When applying to schools, Andrea Sinden, a fourth-year student in the ASL/English interpretation Bachelor’s program from Seattle, Wash., was impressed by the programs offered through NTID. When Sinden realized she wanted to pursue a career working with the deaf community, she knew RIT would provide her with the right environment to learn.

“I could learn ASL and the skill it takes to interpret at other universities, but the ability to be immersed in the deaf community and learn from innovators in the field is something I don’t think other schools can offer,” said Sinden. “I felt that if I really wanted to improve my skill set, I would need to be more immersed in the language.”

Lydia Callis ’10 (ASL and interpretation education) is the owner and an interpreter for her own company LC Interpreting Services which serves people in the greater New York City region and New Jersey. She sparked dialogue around the work of ASL interpreters on social media after a video of her interpreting went viral on YouTube in 2012. The video features Callis interpreting in press conferences about Superstorm Sandy for New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg. For people who have not been exposed to ASL interpreters, her expressive signing seemed unique and was enjoyable to watch. After the video went viral, Callis even received emails from people who were inspired to pursue a career in ASL interpreting because of the video.

Callis recalls the vast cultural diversity at RIT and feels that being exposed to different cultures is a valuable experience for interpreters.

 

“Deafness isn’t limited by race, age, gender, religion or anything else, so when you’re on the job, you need to be prepared to step outside your comfort zone sometimes,” said Callis. “A diverse educational environment like RIT can expose people to different perspectives and offer a safe environment for cross-cultural dialogues.”

People like Callis who study interpreting want to help remove the communication barrier that can sometimes hold back individuals in the deaf community. As deaf and hard-of-hearing people continue working toward higher degrees and more specialized career paths, the field of interpreting will adjust to fit their needs. 

One change that is already underway at RIT to fulfill the need for specialized interpreters is the master’s of science program in health care interpretation. 

The MS program, which started in 2016, expanded on the health care interpretation certificate program already in place at NTID. The program prepares interpreters to meet the growing demand for specialization in provision of health care interpreting for deaf patients and health care professionals, as well as prepares students to take on leadership and administrative roles in service provision. A few students have already graduated from this program with their master’s degree.

Kathy Miragila, the director of the program, is proud of what RIT and NTID have accomplished.

“We are the only university in the country offering this program,” said Miragila. “This is an opportunity for innovative teaching, learning and research that is making RIT a leader in this area of interpreting.”