Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind; Assistance Listing Number 84.160D Grant

Funder: US ED: Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

The Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind program aims to establish and support interpreter training programs across the country. This initiative focuses on developing qualified interpreters capable of addressing the diverse communication needs of these communities. The program includes training in various specialty areas to enhance interpreter skills, ensuring effective communication for those receiving vocational rehabilitation and independent living services.

The Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind program establishes interpreter training programs or provides financial assistance for ongoing interpreter programs to train a sufficient number of qualified interpreters throughout the country to meet the communication needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are DeafBlind by:
Training interpreters to effectively interpret and transliterate between spoken language and sign language and to transliterate between spoken language and oral or tactile modes of communication;  Ensuring the maintenance of the interpreting skills of qualified interpreters; and  Providing opportunities for interpreters to raise their skill level competence in order to meet the highest standards approved by certifying associations.
The competition for this program was designed to fund projects that provide training to working interpreters in one of five specialty areas to effectively meet the communication needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are DeafBlind receiving vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and/or services from other programs, such as independent living services, under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act).
The Department has made awards in the following specialty areas: increasing skills of novice interpreters; advanced skills for working interpreters; and projects in the field-initiated areas of interpreting in healthcare, including interpreting for hard-to-serve populations and promoting equity in healthcare interpreting; interpreting for individuals who are DeafBlind; atypical language interpreting; and improving rural interpreting skills.