Interpreters who are HoH?

Question for HOH Interpreters:

When you show up to a client's appointment and the client notices that you wear HA's and start to interpret for them. Don't you think you may be conveying a message to them that you are "better" than they are because you can hear with your HA's whereas they don't?

Hence the sign "hearing" to the forehead......
 
Byrdie714 said:
Question for HOH Interpreters:

When you show up to a client's appointment and the client notices that you wear HA's and start to interpret for them. Don't you think you may be conveying a message to them that you are "better" than they are because you can hear with your HA's whereas they don't?

Hence the sign "hearing" to the forehead......
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Damn, you really have a problem with HOH interpreters, don't you? You're looking for every opportunity to put them down. I'm not even going to answer this question, it's obviously just an attempt to get us riled up. Perhaps YOU think we're better because we hear and you don't? That's YOUR problem, not mine. Your dislike of HOH interpreters is plain and I'm tired of your inability to accept that HOH interpreters might be just as good as other interpreters. If you don't want one for yourself, that's fine - but why do you keep on suggesting that we're bad? I see I was right about your tone in the previous message, you really don't think it's possible that I am a GOOD interpreter. You said the same thing to HOHguyOhio, that maybe he thinks he's good but others don't. You don't know us, you don't know our clients, and you don't know our audiologists, but you think you know if we're any good - and you've decided we're not, despite a complete lack of evidence. It is a sad person who must look for every opportunity to put someone else down.
 
Byrdie714 said:
...I would not accept an interpreter that happends to be HOH. Period....
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Whoa, clash of the ADA titans! :shock:

Which disability trumps the other? Does the HoH terp's right to work trump the deaf client's right to choose a terp? Or, does the deaf client's right to turn down a terp trump the right of the HoH terp to not be discriminated against because of a disability?

:dizzy:
 
Etoile said:
Damn, you really have a problem with HOH interpreters, don't you? You're looking for every opportunity to put them down. I'm not even going to answer this question, it's obviously just an attempt to get us riled up. Perhaps YOU think we're better because we hear and you don't? That's YOUR problem, not mine. Your dislike of HOH interpreters is plain and I'm tired of your inability to accept that HOH interpreters might be just as good as other interpreters. If you don't want one for yourself, that's fine - but why do you keep on suggesting that we're bad? I see I was right about your tone in the previous message, you really don't think it's possible that I am a GOOD interpreter. You said the same thing to HOHguyOhio, that maybe he thinks he's good but others don't. You don't know us, you don't know our clients, and you don't know our audiologists, but you think you know if we're any good - and you've decided we're not, despite a complete lack of evidence. It is a sad person who must look for every opportunity to put someone else down.
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And it's sad to see that an HOH interpreter can't see the point of view of the deaf consumer. :roll:

I didn't say that you or HOHGuyOhio were bad interpreters, I just merely pointed that your work would be more scrutinized due to wearing HA's to interpret for client.

It's sad to see that you can't answer my question in the previous post by stating that you are going to refuse to answer it. It just shows that by having a constructive discussion with different points of view, you are refusing to educate and/or enlighten members of AD.
 
Reba said:
Whoa, clash of the ADA titans! :shock:

Which disability trumps the other? Does the HoH terp's right to work trump the deaf client's right to choose a terp? Or, does the deaf client's right to turn down a terp trump the right of the HoH terp to not be discriminated against because of a disability?

:dizzy:
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It is a clash of the ADA titans! :lol:

I think it would be the deaf client's rights as they are on the receiving end of the services.
 
Byrdie714 said:
And it's sad to see that an HOH interpreter can't see the point of view of the deaf consumer. :roll:

I didn't say that you or HOHGuyOhio were bad interpreters, I just merely pointed that your work would be more scrutinized due to wearing HA's to interpret for client.

It's sad to see that you can't answer my question in the previous post by stating that you are going to refuse to answer it. It just shows that by having a constructive discussion with different points of view, you are refusing to educate and/or enlighten members of AD.
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I tried having a constructive discussion, but you keep holding on to your belief that HOH interpreters are no good. I've already pointed out the multiple times you have made assumptions - you assume that HOHGuyOhio's clients don't think he is as good an interpreter as HE thinks he is, and you assume that the only reason my clients want me back is because we have a good rapport. You are making insulting assumptions, not having a constructive discussion: your mind is made up that you don't like HOH interpreters. If you could demonstrate that you realize some HOH interpreters are just as qualified as hearing interpreters, then we might be getting somewhere. You're not being constructive, you're being insulting.

I have an answer for your question now: No, I don't worry that they will think I think I'm better. I do not worry about that.
 
Etoile said:
I tried having a constructive discussion, but you keep holding on to your belief that HOH interpreters are no good. I've already pointed out the multiple times you have made assumptions - you assume that HOHGuyOhio's clients don't think he is as good an interpreter as HE thinks he is, and you assume that the only reason my clients want me back is because we have a good rapport. You are making insulting assumptions, not having a constructive discussion: your mind is made up that you don't like HOH interpreters. If you could demonstrate that you realize some HOH interpreters are just as qualified as hearing interpreters, then we might be getting somewhere. You're not being constructive, you're being insulting.

I have an answer for your question now: No, I don't worry that they will think I think I'm better. I do not worry about that.
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Having a constructive discussion and defending your work are two different things. I have said nothing about you or HOHGuyOhio being bad interpreters.

Below are quotes that I have said in regards to this issue:


Byrdie714 said:
I agree.

Because we have the right to have a capable interpreter. As we have discussed before, we've had some bad experiences with HOH interpreters. Myself, I won't accept an HOH interpreter.
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That is my right not to have an HOH interpreter as I find it contradictory to have an HOH interpreter to interpret a deaf person.

Byrdie714 said:
By showing up as an HOH interpreter, the client will always have doubt that one is capable of hearing everything. And always wonder if they got all the information.

As some HOH interpreters mentioned on this forum, there are frequencies that they have a hard time with. I prefer to have an interpreter that hears all frequencies...
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Again, nothing about being bad interpreters. Just a quote having doubtability of an HOH interpreter hearing everything.....

Byrdie714 said:
:ty: deafbajagal.

Yet if an indidvidual says, "with my hearing aids, I hear everything a hearing person hears," leads me to wonder, how do they know what a hearing person hears with an aid of a hearing aid?

( I know....the conspiracist in me is "coming out." :lol: )
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No one can answer this question......:hmm:

Byrdie714 said:
If you were working for me and I noticed that you wear HA's, your ability to interpret would be more scrutinized because of the doubt that HOH interpreter can interpret.

Do you want that?
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Another quote showing concern......

Byrdie714 said:
Saying that you are capable and others saying that you are capable are two different things Chris. :)

You probably had bad experiences with deaf consumers for the fact that you showed up with your HA's and the deaf consumer probably felt that they were getting short end of the stick in terms of service. Of course that is just an assumption.

I would not accept an interpreter that happends to be HOH. Period. If you have an issue with that--that's your problem, not mine.

Interpreters that are HOH and wear HA's are going to have to accept the fact that there will be extra scrutiny of their work. If you can't handle it, then maybe it's time to look for another job in another field.
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I admit an assumption in the post in regards of deaf client feeling they are getting a short end of the stick. Nothing stating that HOH interpreters are bad...

Now my assumptions are not meant to be insulting but if you feel that they are insulting, it's because you are making them feel insulting.

This topic of HOH interpreters is a good discussion because it is an oxymoron to have an interpreter with a hearing problem to interpret a client that can't hear! Regardless of what the ADA says.
 
Etoile said:
I tried having a constructive discussion, but you keep holding on to your belief that HOH interpreters are no good. I've already pointed out the multiple times you have made assumptions - you assume that HOHGuyOhio's clients don't think he is as good an interpreter as HE thinks he is, and you assume that the only reason my clients want me back is because we have a good rapport. You are making insulting assumptions, not having a constructive discussion: your mind is made up that you don't like HOH interpreters. If you could demonstrate that you realize some HOH interpreters are just as qualified as hearing interpreters, then we might be getting somewhere. You're not being constructive, you're being insulting.

I have an answer for your question now: No, I don't worry that they will think I think I'm better. I do not worry about that.
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Good because that is all that matters.
 
Byrdie714 said:
Question for HOH Interpreters:

When you show up to a client's appointment and the client notices that you wear HA's and start to interpret for them. Don't you think you may be conveying a message to them that you are "better" than they are because you can hear with your HA's whereas they don't?

Hence the sign "hearing" to the forehead......[/QUOTE]

:D
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I've had an interpreter (she is now a very good friend of mine) all through school that is deaf. Severely-profoundly deaf, but she really worked hard for many years to be able to listen well with her hearing aids and interpret for deaf students. I think of her as a role model, she's a wonderful person and a great friend. She's not an interpreter now, but instead she runs the education for the deaf resource center/library at the old deaf school here in town (she works for the state department of education - deaf/hoh education department).

when she interpreted for us in school, she would even wear an FM unit too (we all wore FMs so we could hear our teachers better). She had one hearing aid on telecoil to work with the neckloop so she could hear the teacher, and the other hearing aid on normal setting so she could hear other speakers in the room. She was an excellent interpreter, and I admire the hard work she's done for us. If you met her, you no doubt would think she was perfectly hearing!
 
I do not think I have ever come across a situation where I had an interpreter that was HOH and wore hearing aids. At least not that I ever saw. Now, what I'm thinking (both from just seeing the title of this thread and after reading posts in here) is that I would always feel a little bit uncertain as to whether 100% of everything was interpreted correctly, or if there was anything missed. In certain situations, it only takes ONE word to change the entire context of a sentence, or an outcome. For example, in a classroom, if a chemistry teacher is saying 15% of such and such makes up such and such, what happens if the HOH interpreter heard it as 50% ? And then testing day comes and it's multiple choice with 15%, 30%, 50% and 75% as the possible answers. What is the deaf consumer going to pick? 50%. And how we would know any better - how would we know to raise our hand and ask the teacher, "What was that % again?" There are many words out there that are extremely similar to other words that could be mis-heard and mis-interpreted. This leaves me with an uncomfortable feeling.
 
I don't feel the need to defend my work. My work stands on it's own merit. In 1996 I took the Mid-America Quality Assurance Screening Test (QAST) and got a level five in interpreting and a level five in transliterating. I wore my HAs during the test and had no trouble whatsoever hearing the videotaped stimulus materials. In 1997 I took the NAD test and got a Master Level V. Again...wore my HAs. In 2006 I took the NAD-RID National Interpreter Certification test (NIC) and got the Advanced level. I scored high in every performance domain except one (affect) in which I scored moderate. I interpreted today in a government setting (I interpret there several times a week) for 8 hours in a training class that was one acronym after another and not ONCE did I miss anything (I had a team interpreter who would have offered a correction had I missed anything).

My point is not to brag. Those who know me know that I'm really not comfortable pointing out my accomplishments. My point is to say that the state of Nebraska, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) have all tested my work for quality and it didn't come up short. Neither do the deaf and hearing consumers for which I interpret.

Furthermore, you can deny all you want that your posts were meant to be inflammatory, but you insinuated that I think I'm competent when deaf people I work with and for do not. You also indicated that I might think that I'm "better" than the deaf people for whom I interpret because I can hear with HAs and they often cannot, and that I'm "hearing in the head."

You're certainly entitled to your opinion of HOH interpreters, and I'm entitled to my opinion of people who hide behind the anonymity of the internet and say things to and about others they would never say to their face based on preconceived assumptions that have little to do with the reality of diversity found in the Deaf World.
 
I myself have a lot of respect for deaf/hoh interpreters for all they do. I struggle so much to be able to hear with my hearing aid without needing to rely so much on visual support, but it's nearly impossible for me. 13 years I've had the same interpreter who herself is deaf, so it doesn't bother me one bit if I should encounter another interpreter that is deaf/hoh. I'd be more than happy to have him/her interpret for me any time! If anyone, deaf/hoh or hearing, have the qualifications and are certified in interpreting, I have no problems with them at all.
 
HoHGuyOhio said:
Furthermore, you can deny all you want that your posts were meant to be inflammatory, but you insinuated that I think I'm competent when deaf people I work with and for do not. You also indicated that I might think that I'm "better" than the deaf people for whom I interpret because I can hear with HAs and they often cannot, and that I'm "hearing in the head."
You're certainly entitled to your opinion of HOH interpreters, and I'm entitled to my opinion of people who hide behind the anonymity of the internet and say things to and about others they would never say to their face based on preconceived assumptions that have little to do with the reality of diversity found in the Deaf World.
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I didn't say you were better due to the fact that you wear HA's and interpret your assignments. I said:

Don't you think you may be conveying a message to them that you are "better" than they are because you can hear with your HA's whereas they don't?

Hence the sign "hearing" to the forehead......
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Of course I'm not suprise that you misunderstood the comment. Afterall if one gives 3 different interpreters a quote, you would get three different translations of it.

Secondly I am not afraid to show my face to tell interpreters if I think they are doing a worthy job or not. Especially if they are wearing HA's or not. Typical cliche in your last paragraph in regards to making preconceived assumptions. :roll:

(BTW HOHGuyinOhio--I had you as an interpreter.....)
 
cdmeggers said:
I myself have a lot of respect for deaf/hoh interpreters for all they do. I struggle so much to be able to hear with my hearing aid without needing to rely so much on visual support, but it's nearly impossible for me. 13 years I've had the same interpreter who herself is deaf, so it doesn't bother me one bit if I should encounter another interpreter that is deaf/hoh. I'd be more than happy to have him/her interpret for me any time! If anyone, deaf/hoh or hearing, have the qualifications and are certified in interpreting, I have no problems with them at all.
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If I lived in Wyoming, I probably would be excited to have an interpreter as I am sure that interpreters are far and few in between.
 
cdmeggers said:
I've had an interpreter (she is now a very good friend of mine) all through school that is deaf. Severely-profoundly deaf, but she really worked hard for many years to be able to listen well with her hearing aids and interpret for deaf students. I think of her as a role model, she's a wonderful person and a great friend. She's not an interpreter now, but instead she runs the education for the deaf resource center/library at the old deaf school here in town (she works for the state department of education - deaf/hoh education department).

when she interpreted for us in school, she would even wear an FM unit too (we all wore FMs so we could hear our teachers better). She had one hearing aid on telecoil to work with the neckloop so she could hear the teacher, and the other hearing aid on normal setting so she could hear other speakers in the room. She was an excellent interpreter, and I admire the hard work she's done for us. If you met her, you no doubt would think she was perfectly hearing!
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:shock: She was DEAF?! Was she a student as well? Or an adult working as an intepreter?
 
not a student, an adult. She's a real neat person.

and yes, interpreters are few here in Wyoming.
 
Bad Experience

I had such a bad experience with an HOH terp that I left a church over it. However, it was the way she acted and her lack of professionalism that got to me. We got into a huge shouting match one day after I had walked out of Sunday School. She had totally embarrassed me in front of everybody. She was bound and determined to interpret for me, whether I wanted it or not! I had flashbacks about it for awhile, but things are better, now.

I would accept a HOH terp who acted decently. Maybe that person would be more empathetic to a Deaf person's feelings.
 
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Sounds like she was unprofessional. How did she become your interpreter?
 
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