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ADA and Interpreters. Rachel Hayes, Bekki Wilson, Danielle Thurman December 2009. To Be, Or Not To Be Disabled. Disabled: Of a person: having a physical or mental condition which limits activity, movement, sensation, etc (Oxford Dictionary)
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ADA and Interpreters. Rachel Hayes, Bekki Wilson, Danielle Thurman December 2009
To Be, Or Not To Be Disabled • Disabled: Of a person: having a physical or mental condition which limits activity, movement, sensation, etc (Oxford Dictionary) • A physical or mental handicap that prevents one from enjoying a full normal life or renders incapable of gainful employment (Random house dictionary)
The Before: Interpreters • Family and friends that knew sign • Mostly volunteer based setting • Helper Philosophy was adopted more often than not
The Before: Communication and Entertainment Technology • Closed Caption, Relay services: Nonexistent • Emergency lights, Phone, and door lights: Nonexistent • Privacy? • Nope, sorry.
Vocational Act 1965 • Allowed deaf and hard of hearing people to request an interpreter that wasn’t family • To become a qualified interpreter all they needed to know was the manual alphabet • They were not effective as a means of communication • People complained about paying for a less than mediocre interpreter
Rehabilitation Act 1973 • on of the first acts of the federal government to prohibit discrimination based on mental or physical impairment. • Applied only to federally funded operations
Section 504 • Disability (as defined by the federal government): “A persons with a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of major life activities. People who have a history of, or are regarded as having a physical or mental impairments. • Major life activities: caring for one’s self, walking, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, learning, etc.
Education Act 1975 • Mandated that deaf or hard of hearing students be educated in the least restrictive environment, • Many public districts mainstreamed their students • Interpreters, speech training, note takers or tutors. • Problem, the students were not always provided with these services
American’s With Disabilities Act (ADA) • Introduced in 1989 by President George Bush Sr. • Passed in 1990( since has been modified several times, most current 2008) • Expands prohibition of discrimination to all public businesses and private companies of 15+ employees.
And for the Deaf that means….? • Hearing impairment only becomes a disability if: • Substantially limits life activities • Has in the past limited activities • Interpreters will be provided upon request under threat of citation and fines!!!!
And for Interpreters…? • They now have a recognized profession and are compensated • Considered under Auxiliary aids in title 1and in Rehab act sect. 504 • The institution of RID (Registry of Interpreters) • Mandatory membership to be certified • A code of Ethics…no more helpers or machines!
Future Education…?I’ll tell ya what we think should happen! • Interpreter training? • Should have classes focused on the ADA • Prerequisites: Code of Ethics and Deaf culture • Specialized classes for educational Interpreters • BA degrees mandatory for ALL interpreters • Majors in Psychology or Elementary school Education
Bibliography • Frishberg, Nancy. Interpreting: An introduction. RID Publication, 1986. Print. • Thomas, Korian. Personal Interview by Bekki Wilson, Rachel Hayes. 11 02 2009. • Oklahoma Office of Disability Concerns, . Title I - Who is an "Individual with a Disability" and a "Qualified Individual with a Disability" n. pag. Web. november 2009. <http://www.odc.ok.gov/ada/ada12.html>. • RID, . "About RID Overview." RID. 2006. Web. 30 Nov 2009. <http://www.rid.org/aboutRID/overview/index.cfm>.