This interactive workshop encourages participants to take a closer look at the perceived and actual benefits of strategic community allyship. Through Deaf lens, the presenter will identify long-standing systemic barriers and challenges the Deaf community faces on a regular basis. With this necessary foundation, the presenter will then discuss the various ways sign language interpreters can provide long-term strategic support that will dismantle these systemic barriers and challenges to the collective benefit of the Deaf and interpreting communities.

After this workshop, participants will:

• Recognize the impact of allyship on disrupting the continuous cycle of the oppression of Deaf individuals;
• Understand and apply best practices to measure short- and long-term return on investment (ROI) of allyship behaviors; and
• Utilize strategies to amplify the messages and actions of marginalized communities.

As interpreters are an essential part of the multidisciplinary team in healthcare settings, how interpreters respond to various healthcare situations may affect job performance and, ultimately, patients' clinical experiences. During this interactive workshop, the presenter will explore key stakeholder perspectives in various situations and equip interpreters with tools to provide services that are responsive to, and respectful of, Deaf and hard of hearing clients/patients, family members and health care providers’ preferences and communication access needs.

After the training, participants will:

• Recognize common challenges and obstacles Deaf individuals encounter in health care settings;
• Anticipate and react appropriately to difficult situations;
• Be mindful of their own triggers and the effect they have on clients/patients, family members and members of the health care team; and
• Understand and apply best practices to creative positive communication accessibility experiences for all stakeholders.

As interpreting for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals is not one-size-fits-all, this workshop takes a deep dive into the distinct experiences hard of hearing consumers face on a daily basis. Exploring potential cultural differences and communication preferences positions interpreters to discuss the perceptions of and realities faced when interpreting for both groups of consumers, as well as hone in on how interpreters can provide support to maximize hard of hearing consumers’ needs in a variety of interpreting settings.

Participants will leave this interactive workshop with:

• An understanding of the cultural identity journey and communication challenges hard of hearing individuals experience;
• An understanding of the perceived audiological differences between Deaf and hard of hearing individuals;
• Tools and strategies to support hard of hearing students’ unique communication needs; and
• Tips for working effectively with service providers (e.g., colleagues, interpreting agencies and captioning providers).

As unconscious biases are created and often reinforced by our environments and experiences, this workshop will explore how individual and systemic barriers impact service delivery, decision making, consumer-interpreter interactions and, essentially, Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Through Deaf lens, the presenter will discuss best practices for interpreters to use to identify unconscious biases and provide proactive and strategic support that will make a concrete difference in improving the lives of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

After this interactive training, participants will:

• Recognize what power and privilege looks and feels like from the perspective of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals;
• Understand and apply best practices to determine which privileges to leverage, minimize or divest;
• Apply tips and strategies discussed to hold other interpreters accountable for their actions; and
• Utilize promising approaches for more open and authentic dialogue with Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Regardless of healthcare moving towards a model focused on cultivating relationships, Deaf and hard of hearing individuals continue to face numerous disparities and inequities in healthcare. While there are significant benefits to having interpreters present in healthcare settings, the presenter will discuss how interpreters may inadvertently perpetuate and exacerbate the long-standing barriers and challenges the Deaf community faces in healthcare. With this foundation, the presenter will then explore how the interpreting industry can effectively position Deaf and hard of hearing individuals at the forefront of efforts to dismantle systemic barriers negatively impacting patient-provider interactions.

After this interactive training, participants will:

• Recognize systemic barriers Deaf and hard of hearing individuals encounter in healthcare settings;
• Identify techniques to mitigate common issues that may arise between Deaf individuals, interpreters and service providers; and
• Utilize strategies to amplify the messages and actions of marginalized communities in healthcare settings.

We live in a world heavily influenced by either/or, us or them, and Deaf or hearing thinking. In the context of sign language interpretation, this binary mind-set is often exclusionary of situational and socio-cultural considerations that may heavily impact interpreting outcomes. To address this critical shortcoming and identify potential solutions, the presenter will facilitate a conversation that explores and challenges a variety of assumptions, models, values and standard methods shared by interpreting professionals, interpreting educators, and interpreting agency representatives.

After this workshop, participants will:

• Recognize how binary thinking may impact various elements of the interpreting process.
• Utilize strategies to mitigate the impact of binary thinking.
• Identify opportunities to leverage the benefits of spectrum thinking as it pertains to interpreting.

While members of the Deaf community undoubtedly benefit from having access to sign language interpreters, the provision of interpreting services does not always address the overarching needs of this community. This results in the following question being posed: What do Deaf and hard of hearing consumers want and need? Working within the framework of creating symbiotic relationships, the presenter will discuss how Deaf and hard of hearing individuals may be inadvertently marginalized and underrepresented in the creation of the very “accessible experiences” that they have to navigate, as well as the steps interpreters and agencies can take to ultimately position the Deaf community in the driver seat of their experiences.

After this training, participants will be able to:

• Recognize different elements of universal design as it pertains to accessibility for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
• Identify the disparate impacts of further marginalizing the Deaf community during conversations about creating accessible environments;
• Utilize strategies to strengthen relationships with the Deaf community they serve and work with.

As ableism is embedded in many of our social structures, Deaf and hard of hearing individuals are often on the receiving end of such behaviors. The majority of these attitudes, stereotypes and stigmas are a byproduct of people having limited exposure to or awareness of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. However, there are unfortunate instances in which interpreters may inadvertently exacerbate institutional ableism and perpetuate systemic ableism. To address and counter these often-unintentional behaviors, the presenter will discuss potential root causes of ableism within the interpreting community.

After this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify the differences between institutional ableism and systemic ableism.
• Understand the impact of ableism on Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
• Utilize strategies to interrupt, counter and dismantle ableist microaggressions and behaviors.

With a lens of addressing allyship as it pertains to the Deaf community, the presenter will take a deep dive into the underlying principles and ideologies of allyship, including in-depth discussions on supportive and performative allyship. Understanding the allyship framework will allow us to better explore context-specific applications of the framework, as well as identify necessary steps and behaviors individuals should take to cultivate and drive meaningful change.

After this interactive workshop, participants will:

• Recognize the impact of their own actions and behaviors.
• Understand how Deaf and hard of hearing individuals may perceive supportive and performative allies.
• Identify why some actions and behaviors are more effective than others.