“Dear White Interpreters”*: Perspectives from Deaf Interpreters of Color

Selected participants will receive an email invitation to join the course from Instructure Canvas one week prior to the start date.

TIP: Add notifications@instructure.com to your contacts, so your invitation doesn’t end up in your spam folder.

Follow the prompts to join the course. It’s easy! (Just remember to write down your password!)

Cancellations must be in writing to CATIE Center.

St. Catherine University is a RID-approved sponsor for continuing education units. Participants who complete all required assignments may earn .8 CEUs.

CEUs will be posted to transcripts on March 19 for the Feb group and June 18 for the April/May group.

Dr. Garay

I am a third generational Latina(x) from South America, Nicaragua, and a third member of my family who was born Deaf.  I hold several degrees including a Ph.D. My major areas of studies are Special Education with an emphasis on Deafness and Learning Disabilities, Psychology, and teaching of American Sign Language.  I am currently an Educational Psychologist and teach online psychology courses and sign language courses at Waukesha Technical College in Wisconsin. I also own private practice working with many families, individuals, and private business owners about interpreting, accessibility, diversity, and advocacy with diverse DHH consumers.  I also have taught many distance education courses and workshops about Diversity, ASL linguistics, Special education, and other disabilities issues throughout the Midwest and internationally. When not teaching, I travel as a motivational speaker and personally enjoy working with very young children with disabilities and their families.

Christopher Robinson

I joined Boston University as the Staff ASL/English Interpreter in 2005 and I went on to become the Coordinator of Outreach & Training of Disability & Access Services (DAS) in 2013. I’ve practiced as a Performing Arts ASL/English Interpreter since 1994. Much of my work as an Interpreter has been influenced by my conversations with the late playwright August Wilson. When not interpreting, you may find me on a stage or on television as an actor.

I’ve brought over 25 years of experience to my mentoring work as an ASL/English Interpreter and as a national presenter in the content areas of inclusion-practices in the Performing Arts, Mentorship for Interpreters, and Cross-Cultural Mediation within Deaf and hearing communities.

In 2001, I entered the Conference Interpreter Mentorship Program (CIMP), a collaborative project with the then Northeastern University Interpreter Education Project and Boston University Center for Interpreter Education (BUCIE). Upon completion of the program in 2003, I became the coordinator of the program until 2006. From the Fall of 2007 to the Fall of 2008, I co-lead a training series for the Gallaudet University Regional Interpreter Education Center (GUREIC) Interpreter Mentoring Project. From 2017-2018, I became a program advisor and the lead facilitator for the Community of Practice for ASL/English Interpreters for the College of St. Catherine’s Graduation to Certification (GtC) I find great joy in being Certified Facilitator in the LEGO® Serious Play™methodology where I organize facilitated discussions sessions to adjust post-secondary student-group programming practices and mitigate program barriers that obstruct the participation of persons with disabilities in campus life.

Jennifer Gibbons, supporting facilitator

Jennifer received her Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity from St. Catherine’s University in 2019. She is a deaf parented heritage language ASL user with over 15 years of professional interpreting experience in a variety of settings, from academic institutions to grassroots pro bono work.

Jen is committed to deconstructing white supremacy in the interpreting field, in part through her role as a mentor to interpreters across the state of Massachusetts. Her goal is to unpack her whiteness and hearing privilege while working to center the deaf experience in interpreter training and education. She strives to operate from an intersectional framework in every aspect of her interpreting and mentoring work as she continues the never-ending journey of anti-racism work within the interpreting field.

Successful participants will be able to:

• Define frequently used terms such as BIPoC.
• List 3 examples of microaggressions that Deaf interpreters of color often experience.
• Describe 3 signs from communities of color that are frequently misunderstood and misused.
• Articulate rationale for when to accept and/or decline assignments working in communities of color in general or when also impacted by issues of behavioral health.
• Explain 3 benefits for Deaf People of Color being able to work with interpreters of color.