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Sign Language Interpreters

ASL Interpreters or CART Providers

Students who are Deaf or hard of hearing may qualify for ASL interpreters or CART providers. At first, you may feel uncomfortable about communicating with a person who is Deaf or hard of hearing. This is normal! The key is to ask the student what works best for them. Often, students report it is a combination of approaches. In the event that there is not an interpreter or CART provider, don’t be afraid to pull out a paper and pencil.

What is an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter?

  • College employee housed with the DRC
  • Professionally trained.
    • Interpreters must be state or nationally certified. The certification process is very rigorous. The majority of people who sign cannot pass the certification exams.
    • Additionally, the majority of interpreters working at SLCC have bachelor degrees and several of our employees have master degrees.
  • Ethical. All ASL interpreters are required to adhere to a Code of Professional Conduct

What is a CART provider?

  • College employee housed with the DRC
  • Professionally trained
    • CART providers are trained as court reporters and then specialize in providing captioning services.
  • Ethical. All SLCC CART providers are required to adhere to NCRA Code of Ethics

What is the role of an ASL interpreter/CART provider?

  • Primary goal is to provide effective communication.
  • ASL interpreters are comparable to spoken language interpreters. They work between American Sign Language and English allowing communication access to take place. They also take into consideration cultural differences specific to the American Deaf community.
  • CART services are sometimes called “real-time captioning”. Basically, everything that is spoken in the classroom is captioned. Providers type on a stenotype machine and captions are displayed on a notebook computer.
  • ASL interpreters and CART providers do no participate in the classroom activities. Doing so makes them unable to focus on the job of providing communication access. Refrain from asking interpreters to proctor, run errands, or tutor.
  • Do not ask the interpreter/provider about the student’s academic or personal life. If you are curious, ask the student directly. We will be happy to facilitate the communication.
  • Interpreters and CART providers may request copies of handouts, vocabulary lists, videos or Canvas. Advanced preparation allows them to accurately convey the information.
  • Interpreters and CART providers may ask for clarification.

Classroom considerations

  • Typically, interpreters will sit in the front of the classroom in a location allowing the student to have a direct line of sight of both the interpreter and the instructor.
  • CART providers will need to have the ability to plug in equipment so they generally sit on the side of the classroom near an electric outlet.
  • All media used in the classroom should be captioned or subtitled. It is best to select materials that already are captioned or have English subtitles. If you need assistance adding captions to current materials or materials that you have created, please contact Media Operations.
  • Try to avoid lecturing while students are asked to direct their eyes to other work. Students who are Deaf or hard of hearing need their eyes to “listen”.
  • Speak directly to the person who is Deaf or hard of hearing. No need to say “tell him/her….”
  • Interpreter and CART providers will wait 15 minutes for the student to arrive. If the student “no-shows” they will contact the DRC for a reassignment.