The Road to Deaf Interpreting (RDI) training series was created in the fall of 2006 with both Jim Lipsky and Stephanie Clark coordinating the details of securing space, obtaining instructors, and designing course requirements while local Deaf Interpreters provided input and advice over time along with support from the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Center (NCIEC).

 

The first RDI cohort group started in April 2008 and since then we have had our several cohort groups with the most recent cohort participants graduating in 2024. As a result of RDI's program, many graduates have gone on to pass RID's national CDI written and performance exams, and many graduates are now approved by their state regulations i.e. quality assurance or licensing and now are working as Deaf Interpreters. See the photo gallery of our RDI graduation photos below!

 

Road to Deaf Interpreting program was a model for the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Center (NCIEC)'s Deaf Interpreter Curriculum published in 2014 with six modules that created strategies to measure student achievement of intended outcomes as Deaf Interpreters. Both Stephanie and Jim served as expert team members on the Deaf Interpreter Work Group and piloted the curriculum with other team members over a one-year period with the RDI program for NCIEC.

​

Both Jim Lipsky and Stephanie Clark received the Massachusetts State Association of the Deaf (MSAD) award, “The William B. Swett" Award in 2017, and the Massachusetts Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH) award, “Outstanding Service Provider of the Year” in 2018.

 

Lastly, I personally want to thank Stephanie Clark for being amazing co-coordinator with me since we started the RDI. We are very proud of many of our past students that now became interpreters and few just became RDI instructors for our upcoming series as we have gone many years since we started the RDI. We have learned a lot of things over the time. Our hearts really invested in seeing RDI to continue its wealth in training for our future Deaf Interpreters. Over many years, we volunteered several thousands hours to maintain the dream and to grow the RDI into its successful program with many changes over the years. Stephanie and I have agreed to move forward to different directions which allows to expand the team. Stephanie decided to step down and will continue to consulting the future RDI. I wanted to stress a huge thank you, Stephanie Clark, for being my co-partnership during the growth of RDI and the future. 
 

Enjoy navigating our updated website!

 

Jim Lipsky

RDI Program Director

​

Click pictures below for descriptions and view larger pictures: