TSID is immensely proud to bring the following facilitators and topics to the 2018 TSID Conference supporting our theme of “Unpacking. Understanding. Uniting.” The majority of our four (4) hour sessions will be facilitated twice to ensure all attendees have the opportunity to participate. Join us by registering at https://tsidconference.org/register/

 

ALL sessions will be presented in ASL. If accommodations are required, they MUST be requested using this link: https://tsidconference.org/communication-access/ by May 20, 2018.

 

LGBTQIA Forum facilitated by Ethan Stephens and Kyle Stephens
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LGBTQIAForum
In this session presenters will begin with a lecture on various terms in the rainbow community that relate to gender diversity and sexual orientation. Various activities and discussions will be incorporated to analyze society and individual understanding of gender, gendered-language, romantic orientation, sexual orientation, and allyship. With this knowledge we will consider how this applies to the work of interpreters and to the lives of community members.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PS, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

Is Deaf Access to Justice Possible in the Age of Mass Incarceration?: Perspectives on Race, Disability, Law & Interpreter Accountability facilitated by Talila “TL” Lewis and Debbye Byrne
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DeafAccessJustice
Deaf and disabled people represent over half of all people killed by law enforcement and are the largest minority population in our jails and prisons. Despite deaf/disabled communities being disproportionately affected by mass incarceration and the attendant school to prison pipeline, advocates and interpreters rarely view the crisis of mass incarceration through a disability justice or critically intersectional lens.

This presentation will explore the historical and present nexus between race, class, disability and structural inequities within the criminal legal system and other systems that feed the United States carceral system. Presenters will share stories, letters, art and videos from currently and formerly imprisoned community members, and lead attendees in nuanced conversation about deaf/disabled people’s experiences with the school to prison pipeline; police brutality; wrongful arrests and convictions; disproportionately harsh punishment for alleged crimes or violations of regulations in court and prison contexts, respectively; and broad lack of access to justice that leads to longer sentences and higher recidivism rates.

Attendees will learn about the role of interpreting communities in the age of mass incarceration; interpreting in carceral settings; the impact that interpreter bias/discrimination continues to have on provision of communication access services with/for DDBDDHH defendants and incarcerated people), and more. Facilitators will examine and critique current trends in interpreting and advocacy, and offer innovative and intersectional ideas that have the potential to stem the tide of mass incarceration for all people.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PS and Legal, BEI Court/Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

Ethical Use of Soft Skills to Address Social Justice Issues in Interpreting facilitated by Melissa Bell and Amanda Tuite
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EthicalUseSoftSkills
Have you ever been in a situation as an interpreter where you wanted to speak up but you couldn’t because you didn’t know how? This workshop will analyze our understanding of social justice and ethics and discuss how soft skills such as conflict resolution, respect for others, listening skills, and empathy are crucial to the foundation of effective interpreting and effective
communication.

Interpreters and clients can work together effectively when interpreters understand intersectionality, power and privilege, systematic oppression, and how soft skills can influence positive outcomes. This can be achieved by learning more about the needs of clients and how to apply ethical behavior as an interpreter’s professional responsibility.

Throughout this interactive workshop, participants will work together to identify signs of oppression and discuss how the interpreter can ethically respond. Discussion and group activities will be used to adopt and apply soft skill techniques using real-world scenarios.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PPO, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

DeafBlind Way: Communication and Culture facilitated by Yashaira Romilus and Roberto Cabrera
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DeafBlindWay
ProTactile has becoming the culture and the language of the DeafBlind community, and this workshop is an opportunity to have a quick preview what the other communication methods look like and what ProTactile (PT) looks like. With two Latinx presenters, the workshop will discuss intersectional identities and communication issues within the minorities of the DeafBlind community, particularly DeafBlind, Latinx community.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PS, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

A Discussion on Sociolinguistics facilitated by Alicia McClurkan and Justin Lee
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DiscussionSociolinguistics
Starting from a view of the world, looking through the lens of sociolinguistics, participants will discover specific terminology used to define language interactions. The presenters will define how linguists classify the world of language use from language communities drilling down into an individual’s language usage, known as an idiolect. These terms are crucial as they will assist the participants in defining and identifying their specific speech communities and linguistic biases and propensities, or filters, which influence their perception of language interactions.

After defining the terminology related to the field of sociolinguistics, participants will identify their own linguistic propensities and biases through interactive activities. Learning one’s idiolect and sociolects is imperative as it enables one to remain faithful to the source message with minimal influence.

Participants will analyze signed and spoken discourses, identifying areas in which their own propensities might overshadow the source discourse and put into practice the idea of sociolinguistic faithfulness. Participants will then demonstrate the above concepts through small group practice; they will work together to provide guided feedback to each other using concepts learned during the session. The workshop will end with a large group Q&A time with the presenters.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PPO, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

Bias facilitated by Amber D Farrelly and Trevor Patten (all day session: Part I & II)
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BiasFarrellyPatten
Morality is what makes you a good person. Ethics is what makes you a good interpreter.

Morality is primarily about making the correct choices, while ethics is about proper reasoning. When you are interpreting, your decisions and your actions will affect people—the Deaf and hearing consumer, other interpreters, society at large, and yourself. A strong grasp on morality is required to understand the purpose of the ethics in the Code of Professional Conduct (CPC). Just as important are the biases we bring to our work environment. Learning to identify and manage those biases are important to the integrity of the message. This workshop will focus on morality and biases and how both are applied to the CPC. Bias is an inclination of temperament or outlook toward someone or something. People may be biased for or against something and can come in many forms.

Ethically, one can ask: “how should a good interpreter behave in this case?” Ethics emphasizes the responsibility and capability of the individual (hence character) to come to her own conclusions through reasoning, to be the judge of which principles are relevant in a particular case and how they should be considered in combination. More importantly, how does the Deaf consumer expect us to behave?
This is an eight hour course that looks at the Tenets of the CPC and ethical, critical decision making as framed from an attorney view and a Deaf person’s experience. We will examine our own biases and recognize how they affect our interpreting and the Deaf consumer.

The format of the course will be an interactive workshop taught using the Socratic Method. Participants will learn the difference between ethics and morality. Participants will be required to examine themselves and recognize their own biases. Participants will then apply critical thinking skills learned to the CPC Tenets. They will learn to better understand the meaning and reasoning of the tenets of the CPC, as well as the Deaf perspective, thereby increasing their critical thinking skills in applying it. Through multi-perspective reasoning, participants will develop and strengthen their evaluation skills, cultivating ethical thinkers and actors.

NOTE: To earn CEUs, participants must attend both sessions. (Offered only once.)
0.80 CEUs Approved: RID Legal, BEI Ethics/Court   Language: ASL

 

Interpreting with Understanding in a Diverse DDDBDHH Community facilitated by Benro Ogunyipe and Crystal Kelley Schwartz
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/InterpretingUnderstanding
The DDBDDHH community in America is exceedingly diverse. Unfortunately, the number of sign language interpreters of color is disproportionately low. As professional sign language interpreters working with people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds, we must recognize and value this cultural diversity in order to ensure effective communication that meets the varying needs of DDBDDHH consumers. This session will guide you in beginning the process of unpacking your privilege, understanding cultural diversity and unconscious acts of oppression, and learning to identify methods of communication most effective for DDBDDHH consumers in the context of cultural diversity and/or socio-economic factors.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PS, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

Unpacking Sexuality: Bringing Unconscious Bias to the Forefront facilitated by Bethany Gehman and Steven Nugent
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UnpackingSexuality
This session is intended to provide interpreters a space to recognize and examine their unconscious bias regarding different aspects of sexuality. To be able to do their job as an interpreter, it’s necessary to identify and develop anti-bias skills. This open space of hard but necessary conversations gives interpreters the opportunity to examine sexuality issues, explore values/attitudes/beliefs about sexuality, identify situations where skills with sexuality interpreting would be useful, and apply what was learned to interpreting practice. Participants will be equipped with appropriate and useful tools to become more aware of their own bias and comfortable with interpreting sexuality content.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PPO, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

Engaging in Social Justice: How to Identify Forms of Oppression and Make Changes Within Your Means facilitated by Mark Ramirez
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EngaginginSocialJustice
What is all the talk about? Do you feel like there are so many issues going on and you’d like to be informed but you don’t know where to start? Perhaps you have already engaged and would like to expand your understanding? This workshop provides an overview on terminology, systems of oppression, and how to engage in the process of unpacking biases so that you can be an agent of change in your own ways. Participants will also examine Intersectionality and how to better understand multiple forms of oppression. The content ranges from concepts that are more commonly known to content that is further examined using social justice frameworks. There will be a lot of media used, interactive activities, and opportunities to ask questions and engage in dialogue.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PS, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

Role of Interpreters in K-12 Standardized Assessments and Special Education Evaluations facilitated by Paige Johnson and Claire Ryan.
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RoleofInterpretersinK-12
Workshop Material Link: Download here
Role of Interpreters in K-12 Standardized Assessments and Special Education Evaluations facilitated by Paige Johnson and Claire RyanStandardized assessments and special education evaluations are used to make high-stake decisions about students and maintain the accountability of schools and K-12 educational system. These assessments however contain cultural and linguistic biases that have disadvantageous and oftentimes harmful consequences for students who are deaf, of ethnic/racial minority, low SES background, and other marginalized populations. This workshop will focus on the nature of standardized assessments and special education evaluations, along with the role of interpreters in high-stakes testing with deaf K-12 students. Participants will discuss advocacy strategies that interpreters can adopt to minimize negative ramifications of high-stakes testing practices while holding the K-12 educational system accountable.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PS, BEI Ethics/Interpreting   Language: ASL

 

Value Based Interpreting: The Challenges of Working with Deaf Immigrants facilitated by Vijay Advani and Deborah Martinez
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ValueBasedInterpreting
Value Based Interpreting: The Challenges of Working with Deaf Immigrants facilitated by Vijay Advani and Deborah MartinezDeaf immigrants are a unique population of the deaf community who are often underserved due to cultural barriers, linguistic challenges, and unmet expectations. This session will initially explore the unique cultural values deaf individuals, as a collective community, bring to an interpreted event. We will then explore the differences and the unique issues presented when working with deaf immigrants. Through exploration of self, and their work as interpreters, participants will be able to recognize the direct impact they have on the interpreted event and recognize where conflicts can arise when multiple and differing cultural values are presented. We will also discuss why most conflicts are more than about linguistic skills and how to lessen our footprint on an interpreted event. This session will include areas pertaining to the immigration process, what deaf individuals who arrive from different countries experience, and the requisites for working within this unique community. Participants will discuss ethical considerations via case studies, explore cultural and linguistic challenges via frozen materials, and have access to immigrant experiences through video samples.
0.40 CEUs Approved: RID PPO, BEI Ethics/Interpreting  Language: ASL

 

Being an Ally by Mark Ramirez
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BeingAnAllyMarkRamirez
With several days of unpacking ahead of us and ample opportunities for dialogue surrounding sensitive topics throughout our conference, Mark will provide a brief overview of social justice frameworks, emphasizing mainly on the process of being an ally. By sharing his own journey, Mark will guide participants on how to absorb critical theories and maximize their learning during the conference. The content of his presentation will include social justice frameworks; terminology clarifying power dynamics; traits one should avoid; traits one should attempt; and tools for acquiring and participating in social critiques. With several days of unpacking ahead of us and ample opportunities for dialogue surrounding sensitive topics throughout our conference, Mark will provide a brief overview of social justice frameworks, emphasizing mainly on the process of being an ally. By sharing his own journey, Mark will guide participants on how to absorb critical theories and maximize their learning during the conference. The content of his presentation will include social justice frameworks; terminology clarifying power dynamics; traits one should avoid; traits one should attempt; and tools for acquiring and participating in social critiques.
0.20 CEUs Approved: RID PPO, BEI Ethics/Interpreting  Language: ASL

 

Intersectionality and Interpreters: Implications for Practice facilitated by Dr. Carla García-Fernández
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IntersectionalityandInterpreters
According to Cohen (1997), the Deaf community is often taught the “familiar dichotomy between deaf and hearing staff, deaf and hearing parents and deaf students and hearing staff” (p. 81). We must recognize that interpreters are also exposed to this prior dichotomy. This interactive session will give interpreters the space to reflect on and identify multiple intersectional identities as part of a process to develop cultural and linguistically responsive interpreting skills. They will have an opportunity to practice using intersectionality as a lens for their interpreting field to encourage social action with d/Deaf, d/DeafBlind, d/DeafDisabled, hard of hearing and late deafened individuals whose chances of facing discrimination and exclusion are higher than others.
0.80 CEUs Approved: RID PPO, BEI Ethics/Interpreting Language: ASL

 

Interpreter Forum; Perspectives on Business Practices facilitated by Bob Barker and Deb Martinez
Workshop Evaluation Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PerspectivesOnBusinessPractices
Interpreter Forum; Perspectives on Business Practices facilitated by Bob Barker and Deb MartinezThis is a rare opportunity for contract-freelance interpreters to come together to discuss the current state of interpreting. The forum will be interactive in nature, as participants will work collectively in large and/or small groups to identify best practices. The topics discussed will be identified and prioritized by group decision, via electronic polling. Individual electronic devices will be necessary for everyone to participate. Throughout the forum, consideration will be given to the consequences of our business practices (and/or decisions), the implications to the community, and the future of our work. The forum is open to all interpreters and deaf community members.
0.20 CEUs Approved: RID PPO, BEI Ethics/Interpreting Language: ASL

 

*RID PPO (Power, Privilege, Oppression)