ASL Interpreting 101 for Hearing People | Andrew Tolman & Lauren Tolo | YouTube – TEDxBend

“I have no idea what you were saying up there, but it looked so beautiful!!” Hearing American Sign Language Interpreters Andrew Tolman and Lauren Tolo briefly explain the history, process, and role of ASL Interpreters, hoping to inspire hearing people to do what they can daily to bridge the gap between Deaf and Hearing parties. Community building starts with educating the general population about how hearing privilege can be used to leverage change and promote full accessibility and inclusion in all spaces. Andrew Tolman is a 29-year-old musician and ASL Interpreter currently living in Portland, OR on historically Clackamas Chinook and Molalla land. Inspired by their time working for the historic Philip J. Wolfe Portland City Council campaign, OCCUPY ICE PDX, Don’t Shoot Portland, and the Central American Refugee Caravan (among many others) as a Sign Language Interpreter, Andrew found himself joining the unbroken chain of resistance thousands of years old and invigorated by a new mission. Currently, Andrew finds himself working closely with both Hearing and Deaf activists and fighters to bring accessibility to the front lines. Through the founding of their group ‘FingersCrossedInterpreting.com’, Andrew hopes to continue to build bridges by making it easy for community-based Hearing activists to reach into Deaf and Hard of Hearing activist spaces and make meaningful connection, empowering both communities with resources and information to strengthen the fight for equality. The fact is that accessibility benefits everyone because everyone has a story to share. Andrew hopes to continue serving his community in solidarity for as long as possible and to inspire other interpreters and communities to proudly do the same.

Deaf Centered Interpreting – Introduction ｜ YouTube

Deaf Centered Interpreting, presented by Thomas K. Holcomb, for Deaf people and interpreters.

Susan B. Anthony Museum will offer a new tour experience for DHOH visitors | YouTube – WXXINews

Using ASL and an interpreter, Sign-Speak Chief Product Officer Niko Kelly talks about the development of the platform.

The Journey of an ASL Interpreter | From Beginning to End | YouTube – Learn How to Sign

In this one-hour + “video podcast”, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the interpreting profession, including real-life scenarios, ethical considerations, and personal insights from over two decades of interpreting. Darla also goes in depth on what it takes to become an interpreter, including the education and certification required. She shares her journey, experience and advice to hopefully inspire you too to become an interpreter for the Deaf. If you’re interested in ASL, and specifically are considering becoming an ASL interpreter for the Deaf, this is a must watch video!

White House urged to reinstate ASL interpretation as Deaf charity writes to Trump’s chief of staff | Liam O’Dell

US President Donald Trump’s chief of staff has been sent a letter urging the new administration to resume American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation of its press briefings, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has confirmed.
The NAD shared on Tuesday that its interim CEO, Dr Bobbie Beth Scoggins, emailed Susan Wiles about the issue on Friday – a day after the non-profit said in an online information session that it was in the process of drafting a letter to the White House about ASL access to its communications.

Separate correspondence, which Deaf community members can use to send their own messages to the White House, is still being developed.

Brittany Shrader, the NAD’s director of legal services, said during the session: “We are planning to contact the White House first, that’s our first step, and ask, ‘What is your plan for communication access? Do you have a plan to provide an interpreter?’

“I expect the response to be ‘no’, but maybe the response will be ‘yes’ and that would be great. If not, then that will help us to really understand clearly what are their intentions.”

Calls for the Trump administration to reinstate ASL interpretation follows repeated attacks by the president on the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion – also known as DEI.

Following his inauguration on 20 January, Trump signed an executive order demanding an end to “radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing”.

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This App Connects Public Transit Riders to Live ASL Interpreters | CNET

Starting Monday, the Metropolitan Transit Authority will make it easier for deaf and hard-of-hearing New Yorkers and tourists to communicate with transit staff by scanning a QR code. That code will lead them to an app called Convo Now, which will connect them with a live sign language interpreter so they can more easily engage with MTA staff and get answers to any questions.

The pilot program kicks off in over a dozen locations (listed below) and will be free to transit users. The QR codes will be posted on green signs on a window or booth, and will direct users to a live ASL interpreter in the Convo Now app, making it easier for MTA employees who may not know ASL to engage with more riders. The program is launching through the Transit Tech Lab, an initiative created by the MTA and the Partnership Fund for New York City to make the city’s transit more accessible and efficient.

Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA’s chief accessibility officer, says New York is the perfect location for this pilot program because of the high volume of residents and tourists.

“No other transit system in all of North America has the volume that we have, over 6 million customers daily between our trains, our buses, our railroads, and we’re giving that service to everybody,” Arroyo said. “That customer base has a myriad of needs, and that’s what makes this case study so important and so impactful.”

Transit staff can be found within booths, by fare machines or on platforms, depending on the issues of the day. Ideally, deaf and hard-of-hearing transit riders can find a staff member and communicate with them via Convo interpreters.

Convo Now is one of a handful of services looking to boost digital accessibility by tapping into mobile technology. Big Tech companies have also been focused on expanding their offerings to a wider range of users in recent years, increasingly leveraging AI to do so. For instance, Google has rolled out more expressive captions to better convey emotion and tone, Apple has improved Siri to better detect atypical speech and Amazon has added text-to-speech and captioning features to Alexa. This is all part of an effort to make platforms and services available to more people – and more customizable and helpful for everyone.

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Hopkins high school expands ASL program to address interpreter shortage and inspire future leaders | Insight News

With a critical shortage of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters nationwide, Hopkins High School is stepping up to prepare the next generation of ASL professionals. The program, now in its second year, combines language instruction with real-world exposure to leaders in the Deaf community, offering students a unique opportunity to address the growing demand for interpreters.

According to the National Census of the Deaf Population, approximately 500,000 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Americans use ASL, yet only around 10,000 certified ASL interpreters are available across North America. The shortage is especially acute in rural areas, where access to video remote interpretation is limited due to infrastructure challenges. This disparity has led to fierce competition for interpreters in fields such as healthcare, education, and law.

Under the leadership of Principal Crystal Ballard, who champions diversity and inclusion, the ASL program at Hopkins High School has flourished. The curriculum includes Striving to See World Change, an anthology of inspiring stories from Deaf and non-Deaf leaders who have overcome challenges. Students read these stories and engage in virtual conversations with international figures, such as Musa Darboe, a content creator from Nigeria, Abubakar Gbs, a Deaf educator from Nigeria, and Lal Daggy, a Deaf rapper from Kenya.

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Deaf people as interpreters ‘shifts the world’ | bbc.com

Interpretation is a cornerstone of communication for deaf people who, without that real-time translation, may not be able to follow all that is being said.

But deaf people do not only benefit from interpreters, some wish to themselves provide the service to deaf communities, assisting in environments and scenarios where otherwise communication may prove challenging.

Now it is hoped a £600,000 research project – conducted in part by the University of Wolverhampton – will “shift the world”; allowing deaf people to receive training and boost employment opportunities in the field, and in turn, assist wider deaf communities to seek multiple professions.

“It’s quite nice to suddenly get a big lump of money,” said Dr Christopher Stone from the university, who will lead the three-year project alongside professors at the University of Toulouse and the University of Berlin.

Part of the work will explore differences between the UK, France and Germany in how deaf people help others understand what is being translated.

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Advocates shed light on need for more trilingual sign language interpreters in Chicago | NBC Chicago

A leader of the Illinois Deaf Latino Association is working to shed light on the necessity of trilingual American Sign Language interpreters to help ease communication within families.

“Without trilingual interpreters, communication wouldn’t happen,” IDLA president Karen Macias told NBC Chicago.

There are differences between different sign languages, ranging in subtlety depending on the country or region of the speaker. Macias first observed the differences herself when she moved from Mexico City to Chicago five years ago.

“So you encounter an interpreter who’s not trilingual, their main mode is American Sign Language in English. So there are some words and concepts in ASL that you get the gist of, but not in my native language,” Macias said.

The need can be filled by people like Esteban Amaro Jr., who is the city’s first Mexican male trilingual interpreter with a national certification. Fluent in Spanish, English and ASL, he provides a necessary resource for Chicago’s deaf Spanish speakers.

“So interpreters, we convey the tone, we convey the message, we convey the points,” Amaro Jr. said.

Amaro Jr. is already a fixture at Chicago community events, often interpreting for Mayor Brandon Johnson at press conferences.

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Amidst nationwide shortage, UCHealth expands team of ASL interpreters | KUSA.com

UCHealth is expanding its team of American Sign Language interpreters, becoming the first major hospital system in the Rocky Mountain region to do so.

UCHealth now has three ASL interpreters in the Denver metro region, with two more in its southern region and one more in the northern region.

The move comes amidst a nationwide shortage for ASL interpreters, which often leaves deaf patients like Angela Lavin in a difficult situation.

“High and dry, is how I feel,” she said. “Hearing people should be able to gather information, and deaf people should be able to gather that information exactly the same way. I don’t like missing out on information.”

Hospitals regularly employ interpreters for common languages like Spanish and Chinese but use online and phone services for more uncommon languages. Lavin said those services are difficult for sign language because of the necessity to see what’s being said.

“It’s happened to me before that I’m at a doctor’s office and they move in the video interpreter, and it works for a few minutes, and then it gets filtered or it freezes,” she said. “So, then we wind up writing notes, and that eats up so much time.”

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