Meeting & Agendas

Discussion was held about ACC having Student Alumni attend the Advisory Committee meetings; Erica Logan was the previous Alumni elected. Alumni input is essential; Emily will contact Alumni next year, prior to the annual meeting. Nancy suggested two attend.

Discussion of a four-year Interpreter program was held. Emily shared former ACC Adjunct David Quinto is now at the University of Texas and is recruiting former students to be involved in their ASL program at UT. Discussion was held regarding doing a 2+2 program between UT and ACC. UT's ASL Lab is almost ready. Lauren affirmed she would like to see a BA program developed and indicated BAs will soon become the standard, with MAs becoming the next level of attainment. Holly added she wasn't sure why UT closed their MBA program. Emily spoke about talking to DARS and added students can earn the same income as someone with a BA. Nancy inquired about whether or not working Interpreters would be grandfathered in. RID requirements are different; Interpreters are required to have a degree to be certified. Holly advised there is also a lot of paperwork involved in order to take the RID test without having a degree. Emily offered discussion regarding students not passing the test. Cathy asked if the BEI pilot was ready; Byron suggested the possibility of its completion in March 2010. Byron discussed Tri-lingual interpreting and stated CDI requires taking the English proficiency test before the Performance test. There is a problem with the test and there are 80 questions that have to be answered in an hour and fifteen minutes. Byron recommended using the 'Code of Ethics' as part of the test instead of English proficiency. In comparison, he stated a hearing person is not required to take a grammar test; but Deaf persons are required to take the English proficiency test. Cathy explained in order to be a good Interpreter all Interpreters must have a good command of both ASL and English. Byron agreed and discussed the validity of the test; he also added the desire to have Deaf persons overcome that.

Holly inquired about WECM requirements. She doesn't have any immediate contact with Interpreters in Round Rock and asked about the number of hours required for their internships. Emily explained 120 of their hours must be hands-on experience and the remaining 40 hours must be observational. Emily added some of her students work 40 hours and fulfilling internship hours can sometimes be difficult. Byron advised not all students go into internship. Two years ago, Byron and Emily began screening all students regarding their grades, attitude, a GPA of 2.8 or above, etc. Angela Sanchez was the former contact at Round Rock and now the new contact is Julie Johnston. Holly has contacted other Interpreter programs regarding their internships and gave example of two students who did complete 240 internship hours. ACC requires students complete four semesters before beginning Interpreter training. Holly questioned whether 40, or 160 internship hours is enough. Emily advised discussion had already been held regarding increasing internship hours and seeing if the students can make it work. Locating internship sites has been an on-going problem for ACC. Holly asked if students are required to locate their own internship sites and whether they remain at that site for the entire 120 hours. Emily advised some students are interested in K-12th grade educational interpreting and can complete their hours at those locations. Students who intern at ACC are still required to supplement their hours with volunteer work somewhere (mentors are also needed). Emily reiterated there aren't a lot of sites for students to intern. Byron suggested allowing Interns to use VRS in order to be able to view different styles of interpreting and see their own work; afterwards, both the Interpreter and mentor could discuss the Intern's interpreting skills. Time spent working with VRS would count towards required internship hours. ACC currently allows six Interpreters (at one sitting) in classrooms. Cathy stated TSD is a good site to send ACC Interpreters. Emily pointed out she and Byron both provide recommendations to John as to which Interpreters can be used at ACC. There is some indication that Interpreters wanting to pursue careers in the medical field are not ready. Holly asked if something couldn't be fostered with ARC, or some other entity. Whenever a Deaf person complains about an Interpreter the agency can send someone else (CSD doesn't send beginners, only qualified Interpreters). There is a committee that holds a standardized rule for 'language', not specifically Deaf. Cathy and Byron agreed Deaf people have a choice but that people need to be educated about Deaf persons having that choice. Medical settings offer Interpreters work and is a profession Interpreters are moving towards. ACC needs to consider training Interpreters more effectively in this area so they are better prepared; Holly inquired about medical terminology. Byron stated upper level Interpreters do not want to work overnight, but Level I's are willing. Nancy stated she herself worked in that type of environment and interpreting in that setting doesn't offer any type of feedback for Interpreters, and there's little to do. Holly inquired about what ACC has in place for graduates who take the basic BEI and don't pass. Her personal work experiences revealed that students who had failed and weren't motivated eventually gave up (but those who were motivated went on). Lynn stated ACC doesn't have an obligation to serve those students. Emily added students are counseled about their interpreting skills and whether or not they should pursue other interests; but there are always students who do make it. Byron advised looking at the big picture; with inadequate skills where can they go? Some Interpreters indicate they will work with kids but when they test they can't pass. About 1/3 of these students are persistent. Byron stated motivation (beyond the classroom) has to be an integral part of it. Holly stated San Antonio College (SAC) has taken the responsibility of reaching out to their students who do not pass by teaming them with an Interpreter (who is paid for mentoring). The Interpreter then works with the student one-on-one to identify weaknesses and improve the student's overall skills. After this type mentoring the students retest and do 100% better. SAC also offers an Advanced Mentor Interpreting program; however it's only offered under Continuing Education. Byron stated there is only one version of the State test; if they fail it once and retake it all of the information is the same so it should be easier to pass. Holly advised the test would not be the same test next year. Cathy asked if ACC has a BEI practice Q & A Test wherein immediate feedback could be provided to Interpreters. Emily stated it would be great to have one; Byron added most of the ACC Interpreting students will pass Level I. ACC's goal is to produce great Interpreters and prevent those who are not as skilled from slipping through the cracks. Some students' skills take a little longer to develop but after a few years of experience they become better. Byron suggested extending the program from two to four years would be much better. Nancy mentioned having someone from BEI visit and speak would be beneficial. Cathy added workshops are available and it was suggested Holly or Nancy present them. Cathy's practice is to go through the process and then do practice runs for the State test. Byron added as long as Interns have the right attitude, etc. they'll do fine. ACC provides Interns with all the right tools to take the test. Levels III and above require proficiency skills in order to pass. Emily added ACC teaches the Ethics class as part of the degree. Emily advised she already knew about SAC's Saturday classes; SAC has resources to assist their Interpreting students in ways ACC doesn't. Lynn added similar classes could be offered here in Austin. Byron suggested looking at the level of proficiency of ACC graduates. Those less proficient can interpret for K-12 grades; however, these Interpreters still struggle and ACC needs to find a way to help them succeed. Emily inquired as to whether or not anyone can walk in and take the SEE test. She also stated K-12 grades seem to have more transliterating, than interpreting. Nancy advised even though AISD is considered a SEE location most of the students use a lot of SEE and they use conceptual signs.

Lynn spoke about the U-LEAD Assessment Plan for 2009. It is specific to Human Services and does include IPP. The results reflect a 66% pass rate on the BEI and Emily shared their passing rate was 78%. The other assessment tool used was the Evaluations from each Supervisor. Emily also talked about the rarity of Interpreters having a mentor. Nancy asked for direct email communication from Emily or Byron regarding internship. Regarding the statistics mentioned, Byron also added that having a large number of students in a classroom deteriorates the quality of instruction.

Discussed ACC's growth and its effect on class sizes and room availability. Expanding the ASL Lab and the program is another priority. Class scheduling for 2010 has been completed; however four classes still need classroom assignments. We will offer our first ASL I class at Cypress Creek campus in Spring 2010. We are now considering offering more ASL classes, and at different campuses. The interest already exists and the challenge is to meet the demand. The new Round Rock campus will primarily house the Health Sciences and Applied Technology areas. The Round Rock campus will have the largest nursing lab in the State and will have square footage equivalent to all ACC campuses combined. There is a possibility we may be able to have some presence there in Phase II; and we may eventually have the ASL Lab at two locations. Byron discussed his interest in having an Interpreting program at TSD. Presently, students have to leave to attend and get involved in Deaf events. Cathy agreed it would be a good idea and that background checks would have to be conducted due to the children on campus. Byron suggested informing students early-on about the criminal background checks. Lynn inquired as to whether or not Spring 2010 would be a possibility in getting that underway. Cathy stated she was not sure whether or not TSD charged for the use of their buildings, or whether or not there would be a possibility in establishing an Agreement between ACC and TSD to use their buildings without charge. Cathy added there would be a lot of after school activities that would allow an opportunity for some to work with. Byron suggested some students might initially be uneasy at TSD because it would be a new environment.

Cathy explained Angela's handout is for informational purposes. She asked Angela if the old BEI tests could be used by TSD but those BEI tests are sold to other states. Cathy briefly discussed the validity of the tests and Byron mentioned there was one group that had to redo the testing. Emily added scoring poorly on the Ethics portion can also decrease your standing in the testing process. Byron inquired about there being some type of assessment of each of the faltering skills. Lynn inquired as to whether or not ACC should increase internship hours.