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Below are the titles/abstracts for previous SDP conference papers. The full papers are available to delegates at current conferences. Please contact us for further details about upcoming conferences. Theme 1 - Educational Interpreting Frank Harrington: The Rise, Fall and Re-invention of the Communicator: re-defining roles and responsibilities in educational interpreting Sandra Dowe: The role of the CSW Jemina Napier: Linguistic coping strategies of sign language interpreters in higher education Theme 2: Training and qualifications Miranda Pickersgill: Keynote - "Never mind the quality/width, feel the width/quality!" - The development of a training, qualifications and registration system for BSL / English Interpreters. Rob Rodgers: CSW Training in the 21st Century Maureen Moose: Training Deaf Students to Work with Educational
Interpreters Theme 3: Ethics and professionalism Dennis Cokely: Keynote - Exploring Ethics: A Case for Re-examining the Code of Ethics Lynne Eighinger & Ben Karlin: Feminist-Relational Model of Interpreting C. Collward, C. Freeman, M. Mothersell, J. Pemberton, P. Sapere: Strategies for Success Sharon Lee: How will we design our future as on-line interpreters? Language Myths of Interpreted Education by Betsy Winston This discussion raises questions about some of these assumptions, specifically as they relate to issues of language and to interpreted education. These include 1) interpretations are adequate and appropriate models for the acquisition of any language; 2) transliterations, intended to reflect some form of English message reduplication, are adequate models for the acquisition of English; 3) educational interpreters/transliterators can be expected to produce adequate language in any form; and 4) deaf students who rely primarily on visual input have the language foundations to access and process the language of interpreters/transliterators. The discussion concludes with the recommendation that language acquisition assumptions be built on evidence from deaf native signers, that language competence be a required pre-requisite to for both deaf students and interpreters, and that deaf people who are experienced experts in visual education and visual language be the primary consultants in each decision to provide educational access to deaf students through interpreted language. Challenging Institutionalised 'Audism' by Graham H. Turner The paper draws upon recent data to contribute to a significant seam of analysis focusing upon the interpenetration of language and identity practices in educational settings and workplaces that bring together Deaf and non-Deaf people (Young et al 1998, Kendall 1999, Trowler & Turner 2002). The co-presence in the 'classroom' or workplace of colleagues who are mutually ill-equipped, biologically and linguistically, to engage in effective communication presents a sharp disjunction in the operational fabric of the group. The paper will ask about what happens next, what alternatives are imaginable and in what ways it matters to address this issue. The issues addressed in the paper therefore focus on exploring the meanings which Deaf people assign to these points of disconnection or rupture and to the language practices with which they are associated. It aims, at an applied level, ultimately to illuminate practices which enable Deaf people to participate effectively in these institutional settings, particularly through the promotion of mutually respectful language practices. When institutions KNOW that many Deaf people don't command fluency in the majority language and yet don't employ systematic action to ensure comprehensively that these service-users are not disadvantaged as a result, then the paper suggests it may be appropriate to adopt the term 'institutional audism'. Employment and D/deaf people - are we moving in the right direction? by Tyron Woolfe This paper is an ideological essay that raises several questions about employment and deaf issues. It starts off with a personal introduction and then looks at specific categories of deaf employment: deaf people working in the deaf field; hearing people working in the deaf field; deaf people having their own businesses; deaf people in disability-related employment and deaf people on long-term welfare benefits. Questions are raised from a personal, ideological perspective with respect to whether we are going the right way to eliminate the need for such interventions at late stages of deaf people’s lives, whether we should maintain the need for the voluntary sector to carry out work for the statutory sector, and whether we can change the momentum to ensure future cohorts of deaf people have less need for support. A paradox is made with Government Inspectors for education, Ofsted, postulating whether we should have an “OfDeaf” body to inspect deaf-related needs in statutory provision. Supporting Deaf students in foreign language classes - the support
worker's perspective - by Micky Vale It is not suggested here that the use of support workers in mainstream classes is the only way to support deaf students: it may indeed not be the best way. However, in practice support workers (be they communication support workers, interpreters/transliterators, lipspeakers or note-takers) may be asked to carry out this work. This paper is an attempt to look at the different strategies a support worker could use in foreign language classes. These strategies will be related to the teaching method or philosophy used, the type of activities that can be expected, the deaf student(s) and the support worker's own language learning background. This paper is based on the author's own experiences in providing this type of support and on discussions held with the deaf language learners in these classes. In addition, the work of a Teacher of the Deaf in developing materials to assist the student and support worker will be referred to. A brief summary of the author's experiences with regard to special arrangements for exams and tests will also be given; however, this should be seen as an example of arrangements only and may not be indicative of the arrangements in other institutions. Language politics v. interpreter ethics - by Onno Crasborn and Maya de Wit This paper will look at the role that interpreters play in dealing with the linguistic variation that is inherent in any sign language, and with language planning devised by national authorities. The starting point of this paper is the situation in the Netherlands, where there are distinct dialects of Nederlandse Gebarentaal (NGT, Sign Language of the Netherlands). There is considerable pressure from the national government to create a standard form of sign language in addition to the existing dialects. Arguments to implement a standardised lexicon include the current issue that interpreters face in working throughout the country, and the large amount of second language learners (hearing parents of deaf children, teachers of the deaf, and so on). We will discuss the following issues in our paper: We argue that in the case of NGT, an interpreter should always aim to adapt to the language use of the clients, and be cautious not to be used as an instrument for language politics. In addition, continuing education is a crucial instrument that allows interpreters to keep up with new signs as they develop during their career, including variants that are the result of language planning and that actually become used by the Deaf community. Teaching Ethical Standards and Practice within Pre-Service and In-Service Interpreter Education Programs - by Kellie L. Stewart and Anna Witter-Merithew A review of the curriculum from forty prominent programs in the United States (Witter-Merithew and Stewart, 1998) indicates that instruction regarding ethical standards and practices occurs as a topic within other coursework, rather than as a formal, independent course of study. The result of the limited attention and time devoted to the development and acquisition of ethical decision-making skills is that interpreting graduates (and practitioners) may view the role of ethical standards and practice as secondary to the task of interpreting versus foundational to the task. Further, the majority of Interpreter Education Programs in the United States are housed in community college settings offering para-professional level/ AA or AAS degrees. These programs frequently lack a foundation in liberal arts education that would include a study of philosophy and/or moral thinking as it has evolved within the world society. The consequence of this is that many interpreter education program students have not participated in academic coursework that fosters critical analysis of intellectual, moral, and ethical thinking. Consequently, ethical standards and practice are viewed as relating to 'rule-learning' and 'rule-breaking', thus students and practitioners seek the 'right answer' to a broad range of ethical dilemmas. The implication of preparing a workforce that is insufficiently ready to make effective and reliable decisions regarding ethical standards and practice is further complicated by the fact that most interpreters work in isolation without the benefit of appropriate supervision or induction to the profession. The purpose of this paper is to further the position that interpreter education programs should include a formal foundation in ethics and ethical decision-making as part of the coursework. It is further suggested that due to the lack of foundation in the subject of moral, intellectual, and ethical thinking and the application to ethical decision-making in the context of interpreting, similar in-service training/coursework be made readily available for practicing interpreters. The focus of the paper will be to identify a theoretical and instructional model for teaching ethical standards and practice and the associated decision-making as part of pre-service and in-service curriculum. Specific instructional domains and associated instructional strategies will be charted and discussed in an effort to foster broader discussion among interpreter educators.
This paper will consider interpreter's use of language in postgraduate educational settings where there are significant lexical gaps in the signed language that the interpreter is working into. It will specifically look at interpreting for linguistics lectures where a range of issues arise that don't normally arise in interpreting situations, due to the metalinguistic challenges that arise: for example, if a lecturer is discussing the semantics of an English sentence, then the interpreter may choose to transliterate rather than interpret for a broad range of reasons, which will be outlined and assessed. The paper will discuss some of the issues that have arisen in an authentic postgrad classroom where all parties to the educational event gave permission for video-recording of data. It will evaluate decision making strategies used by two interpreters - one with a background in linguistics and one without (both authors of this proposed paper). Some of the issues that will be touched on are the roles of specific subject knowledge in framing interpretations, of identifying problems that face the interpreter with no prior knowledge and the strategies used to overcome this difficuty in this context. This discussion will be framed with reference to other discussions of interpreter strategies (e.g. Baker 1992, Hatim and Mason, 1990, Gile 1995, Leeson, forthcoming). The paper may also touch on the issue of consultation with Deaf
students in negotiating the challenges that present themselves in
this specific situation and consider this practice (as well as other
strategies used by the interpreters in question) vis-a-vis established
code of ethics notions regarding impartiality and neutrality. It
is proposed that our understanding of these tenets of the code of
ethics must be reviewed not only in light of recent work on interpreting
(e.g. Melanie Metzger, Cecelia Wadjenso, etc.) but with respect
to other aspects that are central to the interactive nature of interpreting.
Teaching English to Deaf People - the Deaf Way! - by David Jackson The paper looks at possible reasons for the low Literacy skills among Deaf people in the UK. One main reason is the expectation of English teachers at deaf schools, as well as in mainstream schools, of Deaf children enhancing their English outside school hours through communication with hearing people as well as "listening" to the various communicating media. The paper then continues with the setting up of a new Literacy
course for Deaf Adults delivered in British Sign Language by a born-deaf
teacher. The impact of this course is mentioned. Supporting Deaf People Online conference 2005 Keynote Presentations: Consumer perceptions of sign language interpreting by Jemina Napier Abstract: This paper will detail the results of a study conducted
with deaf people in Australia on their perceptions of Auslan/English
interpreting provision. Deaf people were asked to respond to a call
for expressions Educational Interpreting - Does It Work As Well As We Think? by Marc Marschark and Patty Sapere Abstract: Remarkably few studies have examined the effectiveness of educational interpreting. This discussion will focus on research efforts devoted to understanding (and improving) educational interpreting and interpreter education. Studies to be described focus on interactions of the characteristics of consumers, interpreters, settings, and their effects on student learning in the post secondary educational setting. An introduction will describe previous research, together with the primary areas addressed by the National Sign Language Interpreting Project. A series of studies then will be discussed including implications for practice and for interpreter education. Findings support the need for more research by interpreters and interpreter educators that focus on outcomes as well as processes. Variables of interest include (but are not limited to): - Interpreting vs. transliteration Around the Language Table: A Discussion about the Working Practices of Language Tutors with Deaf Students by Jen Dodds, Lynne Barnes, Claire Haddon, Kath Mowe and Kyra Pollitt This abstract is available in British Sign Language. The English translation of the abstract is: The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has a well-established national and international reputation as a centre of excellence in the recruitment, retention and support of deaf students. The institution currently supports over 60 deaf and hard of hearing students and has the largest BSL-using student community in any university in the UK. There is clear evidence that increasing numbers of deaf students are now beginning to enter the new universities (HESA, 2001/2). It is also evident that many of these students are under-prepared in terms of their literacy, numeracy, general study skills and, in particular, their ability to access/produce written English at HE level (c.f. Appendix 3 in Barnes & Wight, 2002). In short, many face an incredible language barrier; struggling to understand textual material and complete course assignments. For this reason, deaf students at UCLan are usually supported individually by a 'language tutor' (LT). Taking the form of a discussion between a number of practitioners and theorists, this paper will address broader issues around inclusive educational practices, such as whether a minimal level of English should be required for deaf students entering university, as well as questioning the role(s) and investigating the working practices of LTs. Discussion will be generated from a number of key questions; what is the definition of 'language tutor'? What constitutes good practice? What is the relationship of the LT and teaching staff? Discussions also centre on what actually happens in LT sessions, what constitutes appropriate training, and how LTs do, or should respond to the diversity of language fluency amongst deaf students. Finally, we will explore the subsequent translation issues that arise from this type of mediated work. It is hoped that this paper will stimulate the development of discussion and regulation in this field and that, by achieving a greater understanding of language tuition, more appropriate training can be provided for deaf students, language tutors and academic staff, and equity of provision can be promoted. This paper was presented in both written English and in British Sign Language.
Seminar presentations: The Changing Dynamics of the Interpreting Industry as Influenced by Video Relay Service (VRS), and its Impact on the Deaf Community by Jacqueline Dion Abstract: For the clarification of this paper, the term Video Relay
Service (VRS) constitutes using video equipment (webcams, set-top-box
appliances), to make telephone calls between Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing
and hearing callers. Likewise, individuals who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing are encountering the mainstream benefits and difficulties of VRS and its hearing telephone culture. While VRS does provide qualified/certified interpreters and a truly equal access service for those Deaf/HH consumers available to the technology, it too affects those individuals who are not using the service or not accessible to VRS. Using eBooks to develop Deaf students' bilingualism by Steve Gibson Abstract: Bilingualism has had an impact on deaf education in recent years influencing educators to attempt to implement an effective bilingual strategy. British Sign Language and indeed all sign languages are not as easily 'repeatable' as written languages. However, using multimedia technology it is now possible to make sign language 'repeatable' and thus more useful for educational purposes. With eBooks as developed by DeafEducate, Deaf people can now access written text and see the sign language translation simultaneously and repeatedly. This will mean learners will be able to develop their bilingual skills. The writer will relate his experiences of using eBooks in literacy classes with Deaf learners. Different reading strategies will be discussed, for example scanning, using the structure of paragraphs to understand meaning, using context, prediction, etc. These reading strategies will be explored in relation to using bilingual BSL / English texts. Should Interpreters Care? by Ben Karlin Abstract: As part of the process of professionalization, signed<>spoken language interpreters' associations have adopted codes of ethics which have the effect of regulating their relationships with Deaf people. An examination of codes from a variety of interpreting associations uncovers their common foundation on a particular modern value: autonomy. Adopting this cardinal virtue has been problematic for interpreters who continue their struggle to justify caring and helping responses in their work. This paper suggests a postmodern feminist value, caring, as a start to understanding interpreters' ethical relationships with Deaf people. This standpoint neither infantilizes or oppresses Deaf people, nor burdens interpreters - but empowers both communities. We look first at existing codes of ethics to show how they enunciate autonomy, and briefly at the culture associated with autonomy as a value. Following this, we present alternative structures of care, one oppressive and a second, valuing caring as a fundamental attribute. We consider the still-developing state of care ethics especially as it impacts signed<>spoken language interpreters. Finally, we present a particular dilemma faced by interpreters, confronting audism, and how caring provides a solid ethical base from which to work.
Abstract: For years, members of the U.S. Deaf community and interpreters have debated a model of interpreting that takes into account the representational desires of Deaf people while also addressing the practical challenges faced by interpreters. This paper explores the interpreter's responsibility for noticing and addressing group dynamics that may have a negative influence on Deaf and Hearing people's effective communication with each other. Some patterns in Deaf criticism about certain kinds of decisions that interpreters make (non-linguistic, or group dynamics decisions) are compared with some patterns in reasons interpreters provide about these moments of choice: in particular, deciding whether or not to address an issue, and, if so, how. Tension and emotion experienced by Deaf persons and interpreters regarding the outcomes of these decisions suggest that this is an important and difficult conversation about understanding and connecting across cultural difference. Education as dialogue: some implications for deaf learners by Wendy Martin Abstract: There is a growing recognition that Signing learners need access to high quality Sign Language in their education. My paper will offer some support for this from another perspective, that of a sociocultural approach to teaching and learning, based on the work of Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky suggested that language has two functions: These two functions are intertwined. People take part in social interaction, and then internalise these interactions as ways of thinking. This forms the basis of individual psychological processes and cognitive development. In other words, interactions with other people shape the nature of individual cognitive development. From this perspective, education is not a process of individual discovery and growth, but more a process of constructing knowledge through dialogue. Educational success or failure depends on the quality of the dialogue that learners take part in. We need to ensure that Signing learners take part in appropriate educational dialogues. My paper will also explore what 'literacy' means. I will suggest that literacy is not just about encoding/decoding between printed and spoken/ signed language: it is also involves representing knowledge and information in culturally shaped ways. Literacy is about 'ways of thinking'. Literate thought involves the ability to justify, challenge and explain points of view, and it is possible to do this in Sign as well as in written English. Should we modify English language for deaf learners? by Rachel O'Neill Abstract: Language modification is a technique which has been developed and used by teachers of the deaf without anyone establishing whether it improves reading comprehension for deaf learners. From the late 1970s the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD) gained concessions for deaf candidates in exams and this led to informal training of teachers of the deaf in how to modify exam questions. This paper examines the issues around language modification and puts the case for and against modifying or simplifying reading texts which are used in instructional and assessment situations with deaf learners. It will be argued that many of the criticisms against language modification (eg Israelite & Helfrich 1988, Solomon 1996) are actually criticisms of inadequate modification. Nation's views (2001) of teaching second language learners will be used to support simplification, or 'roughly tuning the input' as Nation renames it, to make it a more acceptable process for linguists to consider. Practitioners should make more use of authentic texts in English teaching classrooms to develop students' independent reading comprehension strategies (Schirmer, 2003) but be aware that in mainstream vocational classes many deaf learners are at an immediate disadvantage if instructional texts are not tuned to their reading level. Deaf People and HIV in Ethiopia by Alemayehu Teferi Abstract: The National organization for the Deaf in Ethiopia is the Ethiopian National Association of the Deaf (ENAD) which was established in 1970 by deaf people with the encouragement and help of some hearing friends. Following this, regional branches were reorganized and recognized as members of Ethiopian National Association of the Deaf. The ENAD has 12 regional branch associations. According to the 1994 Housing and Population Census of Ethiopia, there were 190,220 deaf and hard of hearing people in the country, who are mostly young. In the year 2004 the estimate is expected to reach 250,000 given the 2.9 percent annual population increase per year of which of which 87% live in rural areas where there are no schools for the deaf or where there is no Sign Language except whatever deaf people might improvise among themselves. Due to the poor level of deaf education and sign language the deaf in Ethiopia especially in rural areas are mercilessly exposed to HIV/AIDS. Compounded with their disability, poverty and marginalization the onslaught of HIV/AIDS threatens the extinction of the deaf community unless adequate intervention methods are taken on time.
Abstract: It is estimated that of the 54 million deaf people living in developing countries throughout the world, less than 2% attend school and the majority are unemployed. Historically, deaf Africans who did attend school or received job training were able to do so through the generosity of American or European missionaries who arrived in their lands and opened schools and churches. Deaf Kenyans have been the beneficiaries of Northern foreign assistance but have had little to say in what assistance they received, how assistance was decided upon, implemented, managed, and evaluated. This qualitative study will discuss the experiences of 70 deaf adults from various regions in Kenya who shared with the researchers their suggestions and strategies for improving foreign assistance to Deaf communities in Africa.
Interactive Workshop: Supporting d/Deaf students in modern foreign language classes facilitated by Hilary McColl Outline: Experience indicates that it is very difficult for foreign language (FL) specialists who have not previously worked with deaf students to fully understand the difficulties they face and to see how teaching strategies might be adapted to better suit their needs. Yet, against seemingly impossible odds, some deaf/hearing impaired students do succeed in achieving amazing results. How do they do it? And how are they supported in their efforts? There is a dearth of research in this area, but lots of anecdotal evidence of good practice which suggests that the key to success lies in effective collaboration between foreign language specialists and support specialists. Evidence also suggests, however, that time to engage in effective collaboration is rarely available. How can we facilitate effective collaboration? How can we collect, collate and disseminate good practice? This workshop was an attempt to do just that: to turn the vast experience of conference delegates and their associates into a compendium of information and advice which can be used by teachers to improve FL provision for deaf and hearing impaired students. The collection/dissemination technique used in the conference has
been used before, to good effect, in respect of students diagnosed
with dyslexia, but always in ordinary collaborative workshops, never
before online. It involves filling in, over time and as a result
of collaboration between teaching and support specialists, a matrix
which records in summary form (1) characteristics which impede learning
(2) the implications of those characteristics for foreign language
learning (3) strategies which can be adopted to mitigate the problems
and maximise the chances of success (4) the additional support required
by student and/or teacher in order for the suggested strategies
to be put in place. The completed matrix will be available to delegates
to keep and use in their own places of work/study. |