Bringing the 585 to the 505!

For three days in early August RGCA partnered with APS to host a group of interpreters from NTID for workshops in STEM interpreting!

In a recent initiative of The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in Rochester, NY, the university created the NTID Regional STEM Center (NRSC), with a mission to boost STEM literacy in Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth. Through partnerships with organizations across the US this team has created a network of regional centers that work as a mechanism to deliver programming for Deaf/HoH middle and high schoolers, their school systems, and service providers. Facets of this program include the STEM Academy, a summer bridge program for students entering post-secondary institutions; their GenCyber cybersecurity summer camp; as well as STEM Interpreting workshops for working K12 interpreters!

Over the three days of workshops the NRSC team presented on strategies for interpreting in the areas of Math, Human Body Systems, and Chemistry! In their holistic approach to ensure that our Deaf/HoH have the best access in the classroom our interpreters learned how to navigate differently within the educational space, how to better leverage current resources, and how to modify their interpreting process to make STEM content more digestable. Other available content areas that weren’t included in the ABQ sessions are Astronomy, Physics, and Advanced Math.

The NRSC team works alongside Professors and Deaf experts to incorporate visual strategies for interpreting that align well with the visual nature of ASL (pictured above: how to represent molecular compounds). Since the creation of these support programs at RIT they have seen the overall performance and grades of the Deaf/HoH students wildly surpass those of their hearing peers! Talk about Deaf Gain!

RGCA is grateful for the investment and commitment of NRSC, APS, and our K12 freelancers; and for the lasting connections as a result of this series! If you or a Deaf/HoH child you know would be interested in learning more about these amazing summer programs cohosted by NRSC check out this hyperlinked website for the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. If you believe a school system in your area could benefit from the Interpreter Workshop series offered by the NRSC team inquiries can be directed to Cheryl Reminder (cardis@rit.edu) of RIT/NTID.