Interpreting Services

Interpreting services were added to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) at the 2004 reauthorization and defined this way:

(4) Interpreting services includes—

(i) The following, when used with respect to children who are deaf or hard of hearing: Oral transliteration services, cued language transliteration services, sign language transliteration and interpreting services, and transcription services, such as communication access real-time translation (CART), C-Print, and TypeWell; and

(ii) Special interpreting services for children who are deaf-blind. [§300.34(c)(4)]

Deaf and hard of hearing students have received interpreting services for many years. The 2004 IDEA reauthorization specifically identifies a variety of types of interpreting services. One common factor in all the interpreting and transliteration services is the human factor: the classroom interpreter.

Classroominterpreting.org is a comprehensive Web site designed to help educational teams in K – 12 settings support deaf and hard of hearing students who use educational interpreters to access education and social interaction. Other service providers, such as speech pathologists, social workers, and deaf educators, may find useful information on this site. There are sections geared towards administrators, teachers, interpreters, and parents.