* Participants can earn up to 2.3 Professional and General Studies CEUs at the Little/None and Some Content Knowledge levels.

Thursday, May 1st

3:00p–7:00p – Registration

4:00p-7:00p – Sponsor Table Visits

6:30p-9:00p – Evening Session (.25 CEU)

Anna Witter-Merithew

Interpreting Suspect Statements to the Police: Perspectives on Accuracy

This session will focus on the analysis of interpretations of suspect statements given during police investigations. Participants will examine for cross-linguistic meaning and explore procedures and protocol that maximize effective interpretations.

Friday, May 2nd

7:15a–5:30p – Registration

8:00a-5:30p – Sponsor Table Visits

8:45a-12:00p – Main Session (.30 CEU)

Doug Bowen-Bailey

Transforming Perspectives: The Power of One-to-One Conversations for Sign Language Interpreters

Doug will share insights from a project of dialogue designed to build toward a critical mass that helps change how sign language interpreters talk to each other as colleagues and as a community.

Carla Mathers

Perception Conflicts: The Role of Sign Language Interpreters in Court

Carla’s talk examines the perspective of court interpreters from the point of view of the court and the attorneys.

Stacey Storme

Self-Awareness: How Sign Language Interpreters Acknowledge Privilege and Influence

Stacey will lead us through an exploration and acknowledgement of the impact privilege and oppression can have on the practice and self-awareness of sign language interpreters.

Chris Wagner

Strategic Partnerships: Cooperation Among Stakeholders in Sign Language Interpreting Isn’t Enough

Chris’s talk will explore how developing strategic partnerships among the Deaf and Community and the sign language interpreting community is more than a cooperative effort; it’s one of accountability.

12:00p-1:30p – Break

Lunch (on your own)

1:30p-3:00p | 3:30p-5:00p – Concurrent Sessions (.15 CEU/session)

Doug Bowen-Bailey

What Sign Language Interpreters Can Learn from Community Organizers

All talk and no action is no good.  Doug will explore how community organizing strategies can help sign language interpreters talk to each other in order to strengthen and transform the relationships they have with their colleagues, and with the community they serve.

Carla Mathers

Strategies for Addressing Perception Conflicts Between Courts and Sign Language Interpreters

This workshop will present a number of suggestions for creating change in the working relationships between courts and court interpreters. The workshop aims to illustrate that reasonable minds can differ regarding the role and function of the court interpreter without compromising the work, while developing a more realistic perspective on courts and attorneys.

Stacey Storme

Sign Language Interpreters: Unpacking Privilege to Find Career Growth and Opportunity

Stacey will introduce participants to various strategies and tools useful in unpacking privilege and provide an opportunity to consider how sensitivity to privilege provides career growth and opportunity for sign language interpreters.

Chris Wagner

Accountability: Developing Strategic Partnerships Among Stakeholders in Sign Language Interpreting

This workshop will offer strategies to build and leverage strategic partnerships in support of an accountable and sustainable model of joint advocacy between the Deaf Community and the sign language interpreting community. 

5:20p-5:45p – Departure

Buses depart for the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD).

6:00p-7:30p – Break

Dinner (on your own at/around TSD)

7:30p-9:00p – Evening Session (.15 CEU)

Douglas Ridloff

ASL Slam – TSD (1102 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX  78704)

ASL Slam is an open-mic night throw-down of improvisation to liberate the closeted ASL storyteller, rapper, poet, and/or comedian in all of us.

9:30p-10:00p – Departure

Buses depart for the hotel.

Saturday, May 3rd

7:15a–7:00p – Registration

8:00a-5:30p – Sponsor Table Visits

8:45a-12:00p – Main Session (.30 CEU)

Gina Oliva

Servant Leadership: Fausto’s Lesson for Sign Language Interpreters

Gina will draw attention to the philosophy of Servant Leadership and how it can be adopted by sign language interpreters interested in changing the world for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students.

Tom Humphries

Constructs of Self and Other: Considerations for Interpreters

Tom’s talk will establish that meaning making is typified by cultural and social processes that construct “worlds of meaning”, which when they interact, require careful negotiation and translation.  Meaning is made within culture and across cultures.

MJ Bienvenu

Bilingualism: Are Sign Language Interpreters Bilinguals?

MJ’s talk will examine if sign language interpreters are proficient bilinguals as expected and if not, is it okay for them to work in the field while still acquiring the language?

Carolyn Ball

Does the Past Hold the Answer to the Future of Sign Language Interpreting?

Carolyn’s talk will examine how the profession of sign language interpreting might be very different if 50 years of recommendations had not gone ignored.

12:00p-1:30p – Break

Lunch (on your own)

1:30p-3:00p | 3:30p-5:00p – Concurrent Sessions (.15 CEU/session)

Gina Oliva

Servant Leadership: A Model for World-Changing by Sign Language Interpreters

In this workshop Gina will examine the issues faced by Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing schoolchildren through the lens of Servant Leadership and give sign Language interpreters an opportunity to assess their current status as “servant leaders.”

Tom Humphries

The Abstractness of “Interpreter of the Deaf”

This time will be used to explore further the ways that we create abstract models of ourselves and others and what that means for relationships and interactions between these models for sign language interpreters. 

MJ Bienvenu

Bilingualism in the Field of Sign Language Interpreting: What Does it Mean?

This workshop will discuss ASL/English bilingualism as it applies to interpretation, especially those who acquire (or learn) ASL at a later age.  Discussion will be strongly encouraged.

Carolyn Ball

Hindsight Isn’t 20/20: Historical Perspectives & Sign Language Interpreting

This workshop will guide participants on an exploration of current interpreting competencies, training domains and testing standards and will set the stage for reflection and comparison of these to the many recommendations made in our field since 1964.

5:00p-7:00p – Break

Dinner (on your own)

7:00p-9:00p – Evening Session (.20 CEU)

ChangeMaker

A session designed to give participants a collaborative opportunity to build an industry asset by sharing ideas, solutions, resources, and assembling workgroups.

Sunday, May 4th

7:15a–1:30p – Registration

8:00a-3:30p – Sponsor Table Visits

8:45a-12:00p – Main Session (.30 CEU)

Eileen Forestal

Deaf Interpreters: Shaping the Future of the Interpreting Profession

Eileen’s talk will examine the paradigm shift occurring within the sign language interpreting profession as Deaf interpreters challenge traditional interpreting service models.

Angela Roth

Seriously!? Do Sign Language Interpreters Still Need to Talk About Diversity?

Angela’s talk will address the depth of the challenges our profession still faces addressing individually and collectively cross cultural reality, respect and responsibility. 

Carol Padden

Do Sign Language Interpreter Accents Compromise Comprehension?

Carol’s talk will establish that there is indeed accents in sign language and therefore interpreters need to consider “voice coaches” if they want to deliver clear interpretations on the public stage. 

Robert Lee

INTERPRET+PERSON: Presentation of Self and Sign Language Interpreters

Robert’s talk will explore how the identities of sign language interpreters as individuals cannot be removed from the communicative interactions of their work or the relations they have with the people with whom they work.

12:00p-1:30p – Break

Lunch (on your own)

1:30p-3:00p | 3:30p-5:00p – Concurrent Sessions (.15 CEU/session)

Eileen Forestall

Shaping the Work of Deaf Interpreters and Deaf-Hearing Interpreter Teams

This workshop will primarily focus on approaches and techniques for Deaf interpreters (DIs) and Hearing interpreters (HIs) who work in teams and how to establish effective collaboration in order to deliver accurate interpretations. 

Angela Roth

Sign Language Interpreters: How to Apply Cross-Cultural Concepts to Your Work

Using cross-cultural dialogues, this interactive workshop will open frank discussion on enhancing consciousness to connect with ourselves and each other to further the quality of the fabric and tapestry of our service to the communities we serve.

Carol Padden

Voice Coaching: Why it is Important to the Success of a Sign Language Interpreter

This workshop will examine the effects of an “accent” in a sign language interpreter’s work and why interpreters would benefit from incorporating “voice-coaching” into their training and development.

Robert Lee

Role Space: Understanding Sign Language Interpreters’ Place in Interactions

This workshop will examine the core premise that the role of sign language interpreters is not something one has, rather is it something one does.