Communication Access

The role of the interpreter in the classroom is to faithfully convey the spirit and content of the communication occurring in the classroom. Interpreters are not teacher’s aides nor assistants. Unless specifically arranged, interpreters do not serve as tutors and are not responsible for the student’s attendance and classroom effort. The interpreter’s job does not start and end in the classroom.

The interpreter must become familiar with the course content that will be discussed—a task that may involve additional research on topic related words and phrases—and the signs needed to convey them.

A good interpreter does not start interpreting immediately after a person begins communicating; rather, they take time to cognitively process the content and message being delivered. Consequently, interpreters follow at a pace approximately one or two sentences behind the person who is actively communicating. This is true whether the communicator is deaf or hearing. (National Deaf Center, Sign Language Interpreters in the Classroom)

A transcriber will use a steno-machine and/or software to provide word for word transcription of class lectures, discussions, meetings or other academic related activities.

A Transcriber will use a laptop computer with abbreviation software to transcribe meaning-for-meaning what is said in class lectures, discussions, meetings or any other academic related activity. You read the transcription in real-time from a second laptop computer. You can also type questions and comments to the transcriber during class and even take your own notes on the reader computer.