Greetings,
I'm writing to you because there is some funding available from the Gallaudet University Regional Interpreter Education Center, for an interpreter mentoring project to serve underrepresented/underserved areas and people in your region. The goal of the project is to provide support to develop interpreting and mentoring skills for targeted areas and people as defined below:
Underrepresented and/or Underserved--People means cultural and ethnic minorities (including Deaf interpreters) who could assist in helping increase the number of minority interpreters serving the region. They may become a valuable resource to the interpreting community and need more specific and targeted support in order to do that.
and/or
Areas means that there is a high demand for interpreters but a lower than average supply. This may be due in part to having many interpreters who are in the gap between graduating from training programs and obtaining certification. It may be due to a lack of any interpreting agency in the area or of professional development opportunities.
The three areas that have been identified for this project are
• Mississippi and Alabama
• South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee
• Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky
These projects will develop interpreters through mentoring as well as create mentors, meta-mentors, and mentor trainers who will be able to continue to provide mentoring training for many years to come. We're working to identify areas of greatest need for mentoring within your region that will meet the goals of the project. To do that, it would be most helpful if you would take a few moments to answer the five questions below. This will assist us in ensuring that the project meets the needs of your region and is maximally effective!
Please answer the questions according to the region in which you work, which must fall within one of the three above. While we understand that the need for addressing interpreter skills is pervasive across the country, these specific areas have been identified and fall within the funding source's catchments.
We will be compiling information soon to enable us to set up Phase I by August. We recognize this is asking for a tight turnaround and appreciate any and all efforts to help us with your feedback.
The deadline to submit your answers for consideration is Wednesday May 30th.
1. What three specific areas in your region do you consider most in need of this type of training (having underserved and/or underrepresented people and/or areas according to the definitions above)?
2. What agencies, organizations, businesses, etc. would benefit from having more qualified interpreters in the region and may also be willing to partner with the project to provide support (e.g., assistance with travel costs incurred by mentors or in-kind support such as housing, training rooms, equipment, etc.)? Please include their contact information.
3. Is there a person or people who you can refer that may be able to serve as a liaison to the project who is well connected to the community, has experience in or is involved in a minority community, is well known, and might be ideal to assist with some basic coordination in the region, helping with communication between the project and the participants, logistical information such as hotels, maps, directions, etc.?
4. Please identify potential interpreters (working in an underserved/underrepresented area or being among a traditionally underrepresented/underserved group) who may qualify to become mentors and eventually, with training, to become mentor trainers as well as contact information for them.
5. Please identify interpreters (working in an underserved/underrepresented area or being among a traditionally underrepresented/underserved group) who would benefit from additional support from a mentor and ultimately increasing the pool of qualified interpreters in the region. Please also provide us with contact information for each person recommended.
Please provide some brief demographic information:
1. In what city and state do you work?
2. Briefly describe any work experience you have within minority communities or marginalized areas or groups.
3. Would you be interested in participating in the project as a mentor or mentee?
4. Would you be interested in partnering with the project and providing support in some way? Please explain.
Thanks for your prompt response. We greatly appreciate your assistance! Please remember, in order to consider your responses,
they must be received by Wednesday, May 30th.
Lynne Wiesman, 3 STEP Project Administrator
Lynne Wiesman, Performance Consultant Ò¿Ò¬
Credentials: MBA, SC:L, CI/CT, Master Mentor
Signs of Development, LLC
Signs of Development Home Page
(866) ASL Sign - toll free
(928) 395-1878 - fax
LWiesman - skype
Professional Development to Develop Professionals!
