Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ)

No because some states have their own quality assurance or licensing program that does not require a college degree.  Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has a Screening program that is good for eight years. If you pass MCDHH’s Deaf Interpreter screening, you can work in Massachusetts for eight years before you apply for RID’s CDI exams.   MCDHH Screening is accepted in other New England states.    RID has a program called, “Alternative Pathway” which can be found on RID’s website that explains the process of being waived from the degree requirement. Alternative Pathway – Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (rid.org)

You will be placed under the supervision of a professional Deaf Interpreter for 20 hours during the summer of 2023 and the winter of 2023-2024.  You and your mentor will agree on the dates/times for your internship with is flexible.  You will observe your mentor in a variety of situations and meet to discuss your questions/observations related to linguistic challenges in interpretation, ethical dilemmas, and many more.  You will be required to complete a log of your mentorship hours. This is helpful, especially for MCDHH’s Screening application process with the hours being counted as pre-requirements for taking the screening.

Deaf Interpreters who are either working as interpreters now, or who are interested in becoming interpreters should apply for this training series. People applying should have strong ASL skills, good skills in communicating with a variety of communication approaches.  Anyone can apply!

The training series is open to students throughout the New England region however we will accept applicants from other states pending on slot availability.  To accommodate as many people from this region as possible, we will hold the training series in Worcester, MA. The exact location will be provided in your confirmation packet along with hotel information if you wish to stay overnight on Fridays and/or Saturdays in the area.

The cost of each training weekend is $150 if you pay for the training yourself.  If your company or state vendor covers this training, the fee is $185.   Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements, meals, and supplies for the classroom.  We have a limited scholarship funding.  Email us for inquiries.

It depends on the teachers for the assigned classes.  Some teachers will assign you pre-reading assignments with vlogs prior to class,  other teachers do not have any assignments, and some may require post-readings/vlogs.   Your teachers will let you know in advance.

That is okay.  We expect that some people will be unsure if this is the right program for them because they are new to the field or maybe want to try few classes first. If you are unsure, then you should still consider taking the Deaf Interpreters: Past, Present, and Future courses and the next three courses until April, 2023. 

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• Please consider accessibility when coordinating a workshop, including but not limited to linguistic accessibility and the physical accessibility of the location. 

• If requests are made for reasonable accommodations, Continuing Education Activities should be made accessible•

• You can simply say, “Please contact roadtodeafinterpreting@gmail.com to request reasonable accommodations"

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• Include a statement identifying the policies on non-discrimination and promoting an environment of mutual respect that is also free from bias. For example, “Presenters, coordinators, and participants of this educational opportunity agree to promote an environment of mutual respect, free from bias and discrimination.”

• Please note, this statement does not preclude “difficult conversations” and aims to create environments where learning and honest dialogue can happen.

Those who are accepted and enrolled in RDI program are committed to pay for each weekend class. Payments are due at least two weeks in advance of the weekend class. There are total of 11 classes for this program throughout the 2023-2024 cohort session. Please see www.roadtodeafinterpreting.com for the schedule for your classes.
 

For those who are paying for class on your own. The fee is $150.00 for each weekend class.

• It is recommended to contact your local Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf local chapter to see if there are scholarships available.

Payments can be made by personal check, or over PayPal. To make a PayPal payment, use the email address:

roadtodeafinterpreting@gmail.com  

Payments made by check or money order
are payable to “Road to Deaf Interpreting”. If your personal check bounces, you will have to pay a penalty fee. You will receive an email informing you of the fee and the new total amount that is due. To mail in your checks, use:
 
Jim Lipsky
c/o Road to Deaf Interpreting
95 Prince Street
Jamaica Plain, MA  02130

There will be no refund after you make a payment prior to the workshop date.

If a state vendor or company/agency is covering your classes, the fee is $185 for each weekend class. You are responsible to communicate with your state vendor or company/agency to ensure your payments are received on time. Payments are due at least two weeks in advance of the weekend class.

You MUST communicate with us about this process of monthly payment prior the class date.
They are responsible to pay at least two weeks advance before the workshop.

If your state vendor or company/agency wants to make a lump sum payment to cover 2, 3, or 4
classes, then the lump sum amount is due two weeks prior the first class being covered. All payments made to cover future classes will not be refunded once the payment has been received.

You should let your state vendor or company/agency know the payments made in advance are not refundable. Therefore, we are only accepting payments that cover smaller amounts of time. The three installments that state vendor or company/agency can be are as follows:

Installment Approach

• Installment #1, Due date Dec 20, $740.00 (for 4 sessions)

  • Covers Jan ‘23, Feb ‘23, March ‘23, April ‘23

• Installment #2 Due Date Aug 20, $740.00 (for 4 sessions)

  • Covers ​Sept ‘23, Oct ‘23, Nov ‘23, Dec ‘23

• Installment #3 Due Date Jan 20, $555.00 (for 3 sessions)

  • Covers​ Feb’24, March ‘24, April ‘24

To mail in your checks, use:
 
Jim Lipsky
c/o Road to Deaf Interpreting
95 Prince Street
Jamaica Plain, MA  02130

Should you decide to drop out, your decision will impact future payments ONLY. All payments made to RDI for any one installment period are final when received. NO REFUNDS.