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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 39 / Tuesday, March 2, 2021 / Proposed Rules
working ability to communicate in ASL
and that the gap between interpreter graduation and readiness to work continues to grow. Furthermore, trends survey data suggests that recent graduates from interpreter education programs do not have access to structured post-graduation pathways, which threatens work-readiness and puts interpreters and their future consumers at an increased risk Cogen and Cokely, 2015.
With respect to Specialty Area 2
trilingual interpreting including Spanish, in 2015, the Census Bureau estimated that over 60 million U.S.
residents speak a language other than English at home. In a 2018 study, the University of Texas at Austin examined 60 interpreter training programs ITPs across nine States and one territory, with 31 programs responding, to examine the incorporation of curricula focused on Spanish language within interpreter settings in the U.S. QuintoPozos et al., 2018. The study revealed that 90 percent of interpreter training program students were from nonEnglish speaking homes, 88 percent of whom were from Spanish speaking homes. Only 32 percent of respondents indicated that their ITP contained content and training on interpreting in settings where languages other than ASL
and English are used. None of the ITPs surveyed offered certificates or degree programs specifically focused on languages other than ASL or English.
The National Consortium for Interpreter Education Centers NCIEC, funded by the Department, developed curricula for professional development in Spanish-influenced settings, and the National Multicultural Interpreter Program NMIP created curriculum for interpreters in multicultural and multilingual settings Quinto-Pozos et al., 2018. The NCIEC and NMIP
curricula are publicly available and free of cost. Survey results from the University of Texas at Austin indicated that only 45 percent of ITPs reported using NCIEC curricula, and only 33
percent of ITPs reported using NMIP
curriculum, respectively. Despite the accessibility of the curricula, only a minority of ITPs currently incorporate the content into their programs. We also believe there may be parts of the country where multiple languages are spoken by deaf individuals and individuals who are hard of hearing.
Therefore, applicants may address multiple language combinations in their proposals.
With respect to Specialty Area 3
advanced skills for working interpreters, it is crucial for interpreters to continue to improve their working
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knowledge and skills and stay up to date on ethical considerations in interpreting. According to the RSA911
data, in program year PY 2019
employment outcomes for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind were 60 percent, 82 percent, and 47 percent, respectively.
Employment outcomes for the overall population of individuals receiving VR
services was 43 percent in PY 2019. As employment possibilities and opportunities for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind grow, more individuals are pursuing advanced degrees and working in specialized professions. Cogen and Cokely 2015 documented a notable increase in individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and are pursuing careers in specialized areas such as law, medicine, engineering, and high-tech industry. For this reason, interpreters with advanced skills and knowledge of highly specialized terminology, discourse, and emerging areas of ASL
are needed. Currently, it is difficult to find interpreters who have the knowledge and linguistic range in both English and ASL to interpret in highly specialized areas. The 2015 NIEC trends survey indicated that 87 percent of respondents found it difficult to find qualified interpreters Schafer and Cokely, 2016. Furthermore, interpreters working in advanced and specialized professions must be trained and competent in ethical considerations of advanced study and specialized professions.
With respect to Specialty Area 4
field initiated, projects must be designed to develop training for interpreters in areas where no training currently exists, where the existing training is no longer current or relevant, or to enhance training in an area that has received increased emphasis under the Rehabilitation Act. Field-initiated topics that would not be eligible under this proposed priority and requirements include, for example, topics focusing on educational interpreting for prekindergarten pre-k to grade 12 students and other topics that are not related to interpreting for individuals receiving VR services. While there is emphasis in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA on providing services and support to transition-age youth, the purpose of this program is to train interpreters to serve consumers in the rehabilitation process. The Department has other resources to support programs preparing pre-K to grade 12 personnel, including, for example, grant awards under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
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Act Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services program, which includes funding to train personnel who serve school-age children with low incidence disabilities, such as visual impairments, hearing impairments, and simultaneous visual and hearing impairments.
Under Specialty Area 4, the Departments interest is in, but is not limited to, the following topic areas:
Topic area a interpreting in healthcare including interpreting for hard-to-serve populations would address the increased need for interpreters within medical, behavioral, and mental health settings as well as settings where domestic violence or substance abuse issues are present.
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind need access to both interpreting services and qualified interpreters trained in specialized medical settings. In the 2015 NCIEC
Trends Report, 89 percent of respondents indicated that it is somewhat to very difficult to find interpreters who have the skills, knowledge, and training to effectively serve individuals with mental health concerns Cogen and Cokely, 2015.
In 2009, a comparison report was developed reflecting a deaf consumer needs assessment from two composite groups Cokely and Winston, 2009.
Data was collected through 1,250
electronic surveys from deaf consumers through the National Association for the Deaf NAD. Data was also collected through focus group and interview sessions with 61 individual consumers not typically associated with NAD
membership. In both composite groups, the highest number of respondents identified health settings as the most difficult, as well as the most important, for securing interpreting services.
Cokely and Winston 2009 explain the need to better understand health-related sub-settings and the various factors that make it difficult to attain interpreter services in those settings so access to both interpreting services and qualified interpreters may be increased.
Topic area b interpreting for individuals who are DeafBlind would build upon the 2016 grant to train interpreters to meet the growing needs of individuals who are DeafBlind and increase their autonomy and selfdetermination. Techniques for interpreting for individuals who are DeafBlind include, print on palm POP, tactile sign language, tracking, tactile fingerspelling, Tadoma, pro-tactile American sign language PTASL, and others. Interpreting for individuals who are DeafBlind is a skilled practice that
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