Dreads?

[Aanderson]

Hi, my name is Ashlyn, or Ali. I have always wanted to become an ASL interpreter for VRS or freelance. I'm a senior in HS and still have four years of college. I'm interested in getting dreadlocks. If I decided to keep them, would they be appropriate for interpreting? Input please and thank you

 

[caz12]

hi..are your dreadlocks going to be over your face lips etc then i no see problem..i seen deaf boys with them

 

[Aanderson]

They won't be in my face, they will be pulled back as if I had my hair undreaded. Thank you for the answer, I appreciate it

 

[ohmylight]

As a person who needs a terp I don't see any problem with them - it doesn't effect your hands/face.

As a professional be sure to take care of them properly, just as you would with any haircut someone decides to get. Make sure they're clean and they represent you well. My old terp used to have a pink mohawk for a little while. Make sure you look presentable and it's just a hairstyle.

I used to have dreads myself Good luck

 

[Aanderson]

Thank you! The only thing that's "crazy" about my hair is that I have a blonde streak. It's usually a conversation starter, but I've never had a problem with it in my jobs or schooling. If I had my dreads, during terping I would have them pulled back and away from my face as to not cause a distraction.

 

[ohmylight]

Keep in mind your dreads will look MUCH shorter because it's basically many many knots - your hair doesn't look like it grows much. You might notice you can't pull it back too easily. My hair that was down to my shoulders became almost an uneven bob.

If that's the case and you had short dreads, as a client I'd appreciate a scarf to hold it back. Also note that if they're new dreads you may get in the bad habit to play with them absentmindedly - I always twirled mine to help them form without even noticing it. Wearing a scarf or beanie will help the dreads form and knot to one another, and keep your hands out of your hair as an added bonus

 

[Phoenix23]

The only issue I foresee being a problem is that they're not "professional" looking. Now, I really don't care I'm tattoo'd everywhere and have piercings... but most people that go to hire will judge you, that's just what they do... because certain people who will need your services will be "offended" ect ect. Just something that I could see being an issue with being hired somewhere. =/ Sadly. =/

 

[ecp]

The only issue would be if you have dark hair and dark skin. In that are it could be difficult to distinguish our hands from the background (which might be the dreads). On a subpar Internet connection the contrast is greatly degraded.
Interpreters are generally told to dress in muted colors that aren't too similar to the background. (An example- I'm Irish and really pale. If I was an interpreter (which I wouldn't be because I'm deaf) I wouldn't wear a white blouse because people might not be able to distinguish my shirt from my hands (I really am that pale).

 

[ohmylight]

The only issue would be if you have dark hair and dark skin. In that are it could be difficult to distinguish our hands from the background (which might be the dreads). On a subpar Internet connection the contrast is greatly degraded.
Interpreters are generally told to dress in muted colors that aren't too similar to the background. (An example- I'm Irish and really pale. If I was an interpreter (which I wouldn't be because I'm deaf) I wouldn't wear a white blouse because people might not be able to distinguish my shirt from my hands (I really am that pale).

I think a scarf would solve that problem. Most people have hair anyway.

Something like this would allow me to see you clearly in my opinion (the second I'm referring to the style to help with short dreads... the scarf itself is busy, so for your profession I would suggest something less distracting) - it would keep it off your face and shoulders. That's all I would care about: