Roles and responsibilities of educational interpreters: moving from decades of documentation to transformative change.
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| Title: | Roles and responsibilities of educational interpreters: moving from decades of documentation to transformative change. |
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| Authors: | Guynes, Kristen1 (AUTHOR), Cates, Deborah2 (AUTHOR), Pelikan, Angelina1 (AUTHOR), Zito, Stephanie3 (AUTHOR), Gordon, Tobi4 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Deaf Studies & Deaf Education. Apr2026, Vol. 31 Issue 2, p345-359. 15p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Documentation, *Occupational roles, *Scholarships, *Content analysis, *Schools, *Mainstreaming in special education, *Teachers, *Motivation (Psychology), *Research methodology, *Sign language, *Behavior therapy, Consensus (Social sciences), Statistical sampling, Descriptive statistics, Deafness, Hard of hearing people |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | Educational interpreters' roles and responsibilities have long been one of the most ambiguous and controversial aspects of inclusive education for Deaf and hard of hearing students. Although it is largely agreed upon that sign language interpreters are expected to fulfill expanded roles and responsibilities in educational settings, the field has yet to reach a consensus regarding where those extended boundaries are to be drawn. Furthermore, the longstanding lack of standardized expectations for educational interpreters has left many of them making unguided guesses regarding how to best support the students whom they serve, often in domains for which they have little-to-no formal preparation or training. Through a national survey, this mixed-method study explored 482 educational interpreters' fulfillment of various roles and responsibilities and their perspectives regarding appropriateness, with particular attention to their level of involvement as Individualized Education Program team members. Results indicate that educational interpreters continue to engage in a myriad of roles and responsibilities, of varying frequencies, and while there is some diversity among their perspectives regarding specific tasks, overarchingly, they aspire to contribute more comprehensively as educational professionals. These results further compel the call for a paradigm shift in which qualified educational interpreters possess the education, training, support, and confidence required to serve as accessibility specialists within the educational team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Deaf Studies & Deaf Education is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | Educational interpreters' roles and responsibilities have long been one of the most ambiguous and controversial aspects of inclusive education for Deaf and hard of hearing students. Although it is largely agreed upon that sign language interpreters are expected to fulfill expanded roles and responsibilities in educational settings, the field has yet to reach a consensus regarding where those extended boundaries are to be drawn. Furthermore, the longstanding lack of standardized expectations for educational interpreters has left many of them making unguided guesses regarding how to best support the students whom they serve, often in domains for which they have little-to-no formal preparation or training. Through a national survey, this mixed-method study explored 482 educational interpreters' fulfillment of various roles and responsibilities and their perspectives regarding appropriateness, with particular attention to their level of involvement as Individualized Education Program team members. Results indicate that educational interpreters continue to engage in a myriad of roles and responsibilities, of varying frequencies, and while there is some diversity among their perspectives regarding specific tasks, overarchingly, they aspire to contribute more comprehensively as educational professionals. These results further compel the call for a paradigm shift in which qualified educational interpreters possess the education, training, support, and confidence required to serve as accessibility specialists within the educational team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 10814159 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/jdsade/enaf082 |
