Only 85 State Certified Interpreters in Michigan???

[showmeasign]

The 66% passage rate is disturbing to me. My only thought is this can be traced back to a failure down the line in public education. Everything on that English portion was necessary to voice properly. There is no excuse for an interpreter to use limited English & make a Deaf person look unintelligent. One thing that would help a lot is some actual workshops that can help interpreters build their weak skills in this area.

[showmeasign]

I'm sure I am going to get slammed for this...but I am going to say it anyway. The English portion is very important! The reason people aren't passing is because the ITPs do not require enough english/grammar classes. I was lucky enough to have a strong English background so the test was easy for me. The ITPs need to restructure their requirements to meet the needs of the test. English is an impt part our our job as well as ASL.

[showmeasign]

It will be interesting to see what our new Governor does with all of this. Hopefully there won't be anymore sudden changes. Transition is the key to any successful change!

[showmeasign]

One issue is that DODHH did not make clear that unlike the QA test, when you receive your test scores you must pay a $30 registration fee in order for your BEI to be recognized. Several interpreters were unaware of this.

[signforu]

That's EXACTLY what Mel was complaining about in this video - making it sound like there are only 85 qualified interpreters working in the State, when in actuality there are over 470 registered interpreters working in Michigan. (source: DODHH interpreter database)

My understanding is that the MDA Board AND the DODHH Advisory Council were PERSONALLY HANDED copies of the report by Director Emery and had access to all of the information within.

[melrich2]

@signforu Tony - I said 85 STATE certified interpreters with BEI. You knew what I was saying. Over 470 terps.... look at the nbrs broken down here: deafpundit(dot)wordpress(dot)c om - and look at the Data on Nbrs of Terps.

As for the notes... why do you think I'm reacting like this finding out through the Lansing article? Clearly there is a communication and information flow problems as I've stated in my vlog. MDA and DODHH notes - are they the same, abt written & perform. tests - the nbrs?

[deafpundit]

That isn't what Mel is talking about. Why did Sheryl Emery NOT tell the MDA board about the 66% passage rate for the written portion? That totally alters people's understanding of the BEI passage rate as a whole.

[signforu]

Melissa, I truly respect your energy and passion. There are things that all must realize.

1) DODHH hasn't released the information because they want it to be presented in ASL and English simultaneously so that ALL effected can understand this very complex document.

2) If people want to help, they can complain to whomever will listen that DODHH is SEVERELY under-funded and under-staffed with only TWO employees and two MAJOR departmental changes in six months.

[melrich2]

@signforu That should be shared with the legislators because this is very serious - the understaff and underfunding. And I totally understand about the complex information... being fair to the Deaf, especially, so they can understand...but with the lack of funding, it'll be a long time before it's put up on the website because I heard it was a LONG document. And complex, like you said. There were some Deaf on the RRC and they can explain, no?

[signforu]

CORRECTION: There are also 151 Nationally-certified interpreters in the State of MIchigan. The test was leased only after an exhaustive search took place to find the best mechanism to FAIRLY evaluate the skills of interpreter candidates.

There are still wonderful ITPs in the State including LCC, OCC and Madonna. All of the directors of these programs are well-respected in the Deaf community and actively involved in this process. Please be patient as nothing happens overnight.

[melrich2]

@signforu I find it interesting that you mentioned LCC as one of the ITPs because there were people who wanted to see it destroyed. As for the BEI... clearly you have faith in this system. That's fine. But I think we need to push more hands on training, mentoring, internship and working closely with ALL ITPs to ensure that they are getting the resources and trainings they need to become good interpreters.

[melrich2]

RID? Don't think so because it's a state certification thing, unless it had to do with their members holding their certifications and expressing their concerns about the BEI situation. I'm hoping soon someone will clarify everything up for us. A lot of people are confused, but one thing for sure - there IS a concern for interpreter shortage and BEI does not address this problem. 

[melrich2]

Hi @junkaslman - sorry about the comments trouble. Someone will blog about the numbers - in this comment section won't let me copy/paste the whole thing.

[junkaslman]

the RID site may guide you to the right procedures to express your concerns?

[junkaslman]

i dunno whats wrong w this comments that been removed, anyway your vlog are very sincere concerns

[junkaslman]

try the rid site?