Video Relay Service Interpreters: Intricacies of Sign Language Access

Preface

Preface What does it mean to be a professional? What is the appropriate relationship between a professional and a consumer? How does society’s growing incorporation of technologies into everyday interactions complement and complicate these relations? It is these questions that are explored throughout this book. Before the reader begins, however, I think it would be helpful to understand the path that led me to take up these questions. In 2001, I attended the business meeting that took place during the national conference of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). During the meeting, a motion was made that, if passed, would require any person wishing to test for a certification from RID to hold a college degree. Those in attendance were split on the issue. The argument put forth by those who made the motion and those who supported the motion was that a degree would, among other things, situate the field of sign language interpreting as a profession rather than an occupation. Unconvinced by the argument put forth by either side, RID referred the motion to a committee charged with exploring the issue further and making recommendations during the next conference in 2003, when it passed. While I was in support of the degree requirement, I was left wondering about its impact on the field and our consumers (see Brunson 2006). A few years later, a service that had been around for some time began to be a staple in the field of sign language interpreting: video relay service . This new form of service delivery provided an opportunity for me to explore the issue of professionalization and sign language interpreting further. In the pages that follow, I lay out the findings of that project. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The data discussed throughout this book were gathered for my dissertation . And although any errors are mine alone, it was the work of many people that made this project possible. The following people are those who have encouraged and inspired me, directly or indirectly, throughout this process. They asked about my work and progress. They told me that ix my work was important. And they patiently listened to me as I ranted about my work, sometimes incoherently, as I struggled to make sense of it all. The first person is Professor Suzanne Vaughan. She introduced me to institutional ethnography and encouraged me to go to graduate school, an idea that had not entered my mind until she suggested it. Of course, there is no way this document you are about to read would have been complete without my dear friend, guide, mentor, and dissertation advisor, Marjorie L. DeVault. She provided nurturing guidance throughout my training. She never told me what to do but helped me unpack the dialectics of every decision. I only hope that I am able to be half the scholar and mentor to others as she has been to me. I cannot say enough about the participants of this study. They made this project possible. I will of course keep their confidence and only say you know who you are and I thank you from the deepest part of my being. The next person is Jennifer A. Morse, a talented and gifted sign language interpreter and mentor. Although she probably never realized it, she made me want to understand the practice of interpreting as a process of negotiations. We spoke for many hours about how to improve our interpretations, and the end result was my realization that sign language interpreting is not a science, but an art. In the same vein, I acknowledge my Tuesday Night Family, with whom I spent several Tuesday nights rehashing the conundrums produced by various assignments; they gave me a language with which to talk about my work. I thank them. I raise my hands and applaud the many deaf people who have accepted me into their world and taught me their language and culture, especially my dear friend, colleague, and language model, Gino Gouby, who has allowed me to bounce ideas off of him and has engaged me in insightful discussions about the relationship between deaf people and sign language interpreters. Additionally, I acknowledge Deb Stone, who used her contacts in the Deaf community to make sure I had participants for my focus groups and who stayed late at work so that I could hold the focus group in her office. Without her help, chapter 3 would be incomplete. I have to thank my family. While at times they may not have understood...