Language First Learning Library

Course Description: Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students who are in the process of acquiring ASL, known as emerging signers, are a growing population of DHH students using interpreting services in educational settings. In this presentation, I will discuss the nature of this population, including the historical, social, and policy reasons for this trend, as well as the research conducted up to date on the linguistic profile and interpreting needs of these students. Specifically, I will focus on my personal research project investigating the linguistic and interpreting features most effective for working with this population, and translating that research into practical techniques and linguistic choices to support interpreters’ work with this population.

Agenda:

15 minutes: Introduction to presenter and her emerging signer research

15 minutes: Who are emerging signers? Linguistic and social profile

10 minutes: “Waiting room chat” activity

15 minutes: Research-based interpreting techniques for emerging signers

5 minutes: Application activity 

Learner Outcomes:

Participants will be able to:

1. Demonstrate awareness and greater understanding of the population of emerging signers
2. Grasp the challenges faced by emerging signers using interpreters in education
3. State the acquisition and application of techniques for interpreting for emerging signers