Level of Education

• High School Graduate                       38

• Associate’s Degree                           13
• ASL
• Commercial Art
• Early Childhood Education
• Fashion
• Secretarial
• Computers
• Horticulture
• Education
• Child Development
• Bible
• Secretarial/Spanish      

·        Bachelor’s Degree                             17

• Business Administration
• Deaf Education (4)
• Christian Education
• Elementary Education (3)
• Communication/Science
• ASL Interpreting (3)
• Business Education
• Human Development
• Mental Health Technology
• Early Childhood

• Master’s Degree                                   1
• Elementary Education/Music

• 5 Yrs of College/No Degree

Are you aware of the requirements for Indiana certification as an Educational interpreter?

All of the respondents indicated that they were aware of the requirements for certification except for one.  That person did not respond to the question.

Of the total number responding ten (10) indicated that they were not certified.

            “Aware of the requirements but has not taken any courses”

            “Took classes the first year but had not taken any for 2 years”

Has the Special Education Planning district offered any training courses for which you could earn CEU’s?

45        districts offered training

35        did not offer training

6          gave no response

Have you taken workshops in any of the following areas in order to renew your certificate? Please check those that you have taken.

• Skill Development                                                                     71
• Deaf Culture                                                                             60
• Language Development and Acquisition in Children       41
• Foundations of Interpreting Theory                                            31
• Code of Ethics for Educational Interpreters                               57
• Principles and Practices of Special Education                25
• Audiological Issues for Students and Adults                               27

            Other classes taken include “Reading and Culture” and “Special Education Due Process and Law”

Some respondents have taken courses in all areas and some had taken no classes (5).

Comments:

• Have had all coursework in college (and has taken no further coursework)
• Has taken all coursework but has not received CEU’s
• Language Acquisition In-service (but no other coursework)

Would you be willing to go to workshops in your Special Education Planning District?

All respondents except one indicated that they would be willing to attend workshops in their district.

Would you be willing to participate in workshops that might be offered int eh roundtable area to which your Special Education Planning District is assigned?

All, except those noted, indicated that they would be willing to attend training offered within the roundtable area.

            5          indicated that they would not be willing to do so

1          indicated that they would be willing to attend if it did not require a long drive or large expenses.

Does your Special Education Planning District offer supports for you to attend workshops? Please check those that apply.

• Registration                                                                  44
• Up to $50 (1)
• One time per year (4)

• Travel                                                                           35

• Overnight Expenses                                                      25

• Substitutes                                                                    20

                        There were several comments about the lack of substitutes.                              

What is the best time for a workshop to be offered in order for you to be able to attend?

• Summer                                                                        63
• Corporation In-service day                                           51
• Evenings                                                                       39
• Weekends                                                                    35
• Regular School Day                                                      22

Does your Special Education Planning District pay stipends if you attend workshops in the evening or during the weekends?

• Yes                                                      11
• No                                                       61
• Unknown                                             14

Do you have access to Project Athena?

• Yes                                                      3
• No                                                       42
• Unknown                                             39

Do you have access to the Internet?

• Yes                                                      77
• Only at Work (5)
• Only at Home (1)
• No                                                       1

Who is your direct supervisor (by job title):

• Teacher, Deaf/Hard of Hearing                         39

• Teacher, Special Education                                           9

• Assistant Director                                                         5

• Director of Special Education                                        5

• Supervisor, Special Education                           7

• Department Chairperson                                               1

• Principal                                                                       3

• Professional Interpreter for the Deaf Agency                 5

• Position not given                                                          11

Does that person do your evaluation?

• Yes                                                                              51

• No                                                                               31

• Unknown                                                                     2

How many times per year are you evaluated?

• Once                                                                            47
• Twice                                                                           15
• None                                                                            13
• Unsure                                                                         3
• Varies                                                                          2
• Once every 2 years                                                       2

Please discuss the communication system that exists between the student’s special education teacher and yourself.

• Positive                                                                        38
• Helpful, supportive
• Use email, cell phone
• Open communication
• Consult on a daily/weekly basis
• Part of the team
• Invited to meetings
• Communicate via a notebook

• Negative                                                                       4
• Still considered to be paraeducators
• Not included in any meetings about the student
• Kept in the dark most of the time
• Interpreters are the messengers between special and regular education
• No teacher of record involvement

• Neutral Response                                                         10
• No Response                                                               12

Please describe the communication system that exists between the student’s regular education teacher and yourself.

      Positive                                                                        59

      Negative                                                                       1

      Neutral Response                                                         7

      Not Applicable                                                 11

      No Answer                                                                  11

Please describe the greatest barriers to renewing your certification:

• Time
• Location of classes and expenses. I am more than willing to renew even if I need to pay for it myself I truly want to continue learning.
• Finding the time to earn the CEU’s. I do not like taking time out of my summer, since I have children at home.
• Having courses offered locally. Also the price of courses and the amount of CEU’s offered for that price.
• Money is a big problem. Some workshops are over $200.00. My biggest problem has been that workshops in signing are everywhere, but workshops in category 2 are harder to find. Also workshops need to be labeled in category 1 or 2.
• This past year I was able to collect 6.152 CEU’s. Would be nice of the school system would pay me a stipend as they pay their regular paras for taking inhouse courses. I had to travel to collect my CEU’s just to keep my job.
• Time and Money
• Distance traveled to find appropriate workshops
• Not having workshops available in my area.
• Would like to attend conferences in Indy (day long or weekend). Did attend a weekend conference. It is very difficult and costly to attend workshops that they offer in the evenings that last 2 yours. Our schools do not cover the cost for traveling and overnight stays and sometimes do not cover registration fees.
• Time, location, cost, etc.
• This has been extremely frustration. I enjoy and look forward to learning more and being challenged and stimulated by classes. But all the classes have bene out of town. It is hard for me to get to them because we only have 1 car and do not have internet at home.
• Finding the right category at the right time and the right place-not too far away and on a day that is compatible with my schedule.
• Few workshops near.
• No workshops in this area. We have to travel at least 3 hours to the closest workshops. Can’t leave my child for several days to stay overnight in another town for a workshop. Expensive to pay for food and lodging.
• Classes being available close to home and at convenient times.
• Time and money
• Money
• My greatest barrier to renewing my certificate is the distance. I have to travel to attend workshops offered. Nothing is offered in the East Central Indiana area that I am aware of.
• Time
• Making sure my CEU’s are in the right category
• Getting to workshops. They’re so far away. Then paying for hotel room.
• Most of the workshops are too far away.
• Workshops are not always offered in our are or offered for .1 or .2 CEU’s and we have to drive 1 hour. Workshops seemed to be offered more at the end of the 2 year period.
• Workshop are not always convenient to get to.
• Finding enough workshops and paying for those workshops as needed for raise or help from the co-op.
• The that school (educational) interpreter didn’t’ have to break up the category of 1 and 2 and be able to apply all of that together.
• Nothing really-expect I have to maek sure of the accessibility for an electric wheelchair.
• Cost-no reimbursement, nor financial help from our school system. No compensated time off work to attend out of town skillshops and classes.
• Schedule conflicts I think are my biggest barrier. Often when I receive notice the workshop is either so far away I can’t get there in time after school or have something else at the same time happening. Also, many of the workshops are not hear home and often hard for me to get to.
• Training on things we use-not just ISD’s perspective. .1 CEU’s hardly make it worthwhile. Location-too far away. Sometimes we do not get the notice until it is over.
• Workshops for earning CEU’s and growth not available.
• We need more workshops on techniques that we use everyday. Only getting .1 CEU’s too much travel time and not worth it. Our 40 hours become 70 to 80 hours. We need to get the information before the workshop.
• Time-I don’t miss church on Sundays. Most workshops are offered on a Sat-Sun basis. This prohibits me from taking the workshop. Also, the workshops tend to be too far away.
• Workshop category 2 availabilities
• Since our school has provided free workshops for us in the evenings this has made it much easier to renew our certificate. Unfortunately, some people cannot attend in the evenings and it would be better to have a workshop on inservice days.
• I do not drive in Chicago traffic. Parking and tolls are a huge expense and it is not convenient to have to plan a major time consuming trip just to earn a few CEU’s.
• Workshops are not offered locally and there is no reimbursement from the special ed district for conference costs or travel.
• Getting the classes in and paying for them. After 4 years of college and 12 years of teaching, I get no credit in your system for that which tells me my qualifications to interpret and/or tutor is in question. I can make more money elsewhere with less outside work, including free lance interpreting. You will be losing a lot of good interpreters with this system.
• Workshops that are too far away, too expensive, and offer too few CEU’s per workshop.
• Logistics of educational opportunities.
• Workshops that are not available for CEU’s in the correct category in which I need.
• Distance that I have to travel to workshops
• CEU’s-category 1 are much more difficult to access
• My school system is the biggest barrier. They provide some classes but outside classes and time spent doing them are not compensated for. Everything is expected to be paid for by the employee with no raises in the future.
• Free time to attend workshops and the high cost of the workshops are barriers for me.
• Time and location of workshops. It’s difficult to drive to Indy for a 1 hour workshop. I would like to see more ½ day or all day Summer or Saturday workshops. Sundays are a difficult day for me to attend workshops.
• Time-time to fit in 20 hrs/year
• Money is always the issue. If testing sites were closer I may consider getting certified.
• Finding enough workshops close enough to meeting the CEU requirements.
• An interpreter can postpone getting the required CEU’s
• Time and locations for workshops. I need after 3 pm and workshops within 1 hr driving time
• Workshops closer to home because of family
• Travel to training locations-often 1 to 1.5 hrs, one way, drive for only .1 CEU. No options locally. Timing of training often during school hours. There are no subs available for our students. Short notice given of CEU opportunities.
• Time and distance for workshops-workshops are not worth enough CEUs. I would prefer to go to workshops that offe at least 1 full CEU and stay all day or 2 days then to go to 3 or 4 worth .5 CEU or less. Conflict with family plans or obligations.
• Not many seminars are close to our area. There are no subs to take our place during the week to allow us to attend weekdays. Categories are hard to acquire.
• Personally, I have a busy schedule with my own family. We’ve always been able to work it out, so I can attend all the classes for certification renewal.
• Time and availability of needed workshops. A good clear explanation of needed requirements and which workshops fit which categories.
• Location of workshop/classes for CEU’s
• Cost and availability of classes
• Limited opportunities to receive CEus
• Although I have recently been able to communicate via email regarding the status of my CEUs, a written confirmation with my CEU status would help me keep current. Opportunities closer to home with more credit available at each workshop would ease recertification: IE, one or 2 days = 2 credits more.
• I have all of my CEUs until I start another 2 yr cycle in September
• Finding workshops in our area during the evening hours and on weekends
• Most of the workshops I attend (ICRID, ISD) offer mostly CEUs in category 1 and almost nothing in category 2 (skills). If there was an effort to try and even that out it would help.
• Many workshops (Not with FWCS) are set during the school day, not enough subs in district to cover all to attend.
• Where the CEUs are offered. The cost of these courses and travel time involved.
• Leaving the student without an interpreter, child care for my child, finances, and sufficient time in my schedule.
• The classes are too far away for me and many classes offer too few credits at a time. Some classes are only 1-2 hrs and it is not worth giving up a whole day and travel so far.
• Workshops are not close to where I live. It’s difficult to go a distance and spend a night or two. It would be great if workshops were held closer to home.
• Location of workshops offered-nothing in my area. Costs
• Travel time-distance However, our local Deaf agency is now starting to offer workshops
• School activities, classroom homework, church and family obligations are just a few of the barriers to renewing my certification. There are not enough options of time, places and computer sites for CEU classes to meet the educational interpreters job qualifications for Indiana
• Time-I would like to see workshops on teacher workdays or ½ days. I have a child that is very active in clubs. Its very hard to use Saturdays or evenings.
• There are not enough workshops available. Plus, we usually have to travel 2 to 4 hrs just to get a 1 or 2 hr workshop.
• Money and time. Since I have my degree, I don’t mind taking the SEE workshop and keep up my certificate, but I would like to take other ASL workshops and, at my leisure, without having to worry about CEUs. I feel like my education doesn’t seem to count
• Extremely poor organization and communication regarding workshops-IE Region II Conference-We still don’t know, Mid-May what EIC credits will be offered or at what times during the week’s conference.
• Money-not being able to choose the classes that suit my needs
• Not enough courses offered in my area-Our school corp has not set any paras to the workshops. A weekend workshop on See in S. Bend would be great! Or-A week long shop during the summer.

Please describe what you need but cannot access

• CEU courses locally. We do not have substitutes to cover use if we were to all take off to attend meetings We need classes offered locally!!!
• To be able to use the courses available on the internet, but we can’t do that at school and I don’t have a computer at home
• Would be nice to have a prep time before or after school to view videos or other materials. Now I do thi on my own time. To be able to attend out of town workshops without loss of pay. This would be the larger gatherings around Indy or around the state.
• Technical signs, networking opportunities with other interpreters, administration that understand interpreter needs and abilities, opportunities for feedback on skills form a variety of sources, interpreting theory, child development, and special ed practices.
• So far our school district has offered all classes for our CEUs with some fees. I feel if we are to be state certified we should be treated more professionally. We are still titled “school assistants” without pay increase and considered “part time employees” without benefits
• I need workshops or courses offered in my area ranging from Valpo to S. Bend. Indianapolis is too far for me to travel especially for a workshop only worth .2 CEUs
• Professional trainings available for educational interpreter and specific information/training needed to be a RID certified. Create a study guide for the written RID/NCI exam would be helpful in passing it
• I would like to have CEU classes locally and paid for by the school district. Perhaps even CEU courses available on internet or instruction at school at specific times under the direction of a local hearing impaired supervisor. I love the information and learning. It has just been too difficult
• Being able to get my CEUs to keep my certification-don’t have money or time to travel to another part of state
• I would like to be able to better my skills on the internet
• I understand that some things are becoming available
• Our school corp stresses that we use SEE with our students. Most all of the workshops are offered in ASL
• Subs-very short supply in our area or lack of effort in finding one
• Mentors, workshops, some kind of workshops to practice/prepare for the RID performance test
• Availability of workshops in a fair, accessible way
• Further schooling (college) to become a more efficient interpreter. The colleges are too far to travel for night courses
• Extra time in the school day to clarify signs for myself, financial assistance or reimbursement of any kind for classes, lodging, etc
• A few more workshops in/near home and more workshops in category 2. Many workshops offer category 1 CEUs only. Workshops oriented more toward the profession of educational interpreting. Most workshops I’ve attended have had little or no focus on educational interpreting, especially special education interpreting.
• As educational interpreters we need more on See, it seems that everything is ASL. Educational issues-IE special education, dyslexia, audiology
• Workshops, both evenings and weekends. Need both category 1 and 2
• We need more workshops on techniques that we use everyday-more for educational interpreters not just ISD-more on special education, audiology
• Workshops in our area
• Funding for required workshops
• I feel if interpreters are to have more education, they should be paid to attend conferences in the summer. I would like to attend the RID convention in Indianapolis this summer but I would not be compensated for it. Other interpreters that need CEUs are struggling with this same issue
• I need local workshops at key locations that are easily accessible. I need workshops that do not require a great deal of expense. This should be widely needed since there are 50+ interpreters in our area.
• I would like to be informed about any websites, organizations, or literature that could help me pass RID
• Logistics of educational opportunities
• Workshops in the evenings or on weekends and in the correct category in which I need
• Our school corporation stresses that we use SEE but we have not found workshops in category 2 that use SEE. They all use ASL
• I need a list of courses and dates that are available to meet CEU requirements
• I would like to obtain a BA in Deaf/blind facilitating, but there is no such degree available. I would like to become certified as a deaf/blind intervener but there are no programs available in the state of Indiana
• More workshops in a closer location. More on-line workshops I did an ASl online class and it worked great for me! Video workshops to be viewed in our area as a group.
• Video to purchase to study SEE I would like videos on placement, diretion, indicating speakers, or even videos available to borrow or rent
• Our school corporation stresses that we use SEE with our students. Most all workshops are in ASL
• Information about RID
• Skill development, Deaf culture, interpreting theory and ethics
• Workshops within range of our home area to obtain CEUs
• More training on educational issues, special ed, audiology, child development. SEE-not only ASL. Local trainings or longer trainings to make travel time worthwhile
• It is just hard to get the CEUs we need and time wise. Some days our students may be sick or have in-service days we could access the internet and use that time for learning.
• More skill development workshops. Other interpreters who can assess, encourage, and communicate
• None that I can think of maybe better or more information on the availability of classes/workshops for CEUs
• CEU classes locally
• Satellite transmissions of advanced sign language classes to improve my receptive and expressive skills. Online opportunities to grain CEUs for self study on Deaf culture/History, ethics, theory, etc
• There are no colleges or universities close to our area offering interpreting degrees. Should I choose to complete a BA in interpreting, I would have to commute 100 miles to IUPUI or Bethel-nearly the same time requirements. I have been taking courses to complete a BA in human services, but would like the option of interpreting
• As a contractor, subcontraction to EI interpreters-they are needing workshop in our area covering category 1 of CEUs
• I don’t really have any problems accessing anything that is made available
• It’s not clear where to access my CEU record to keep abreast of what has been approved and credited through DHHS. I have had to contact the secretary at DHHS to request this info
• The CDs to renew my certificate and money to do so, workshops that are offered at a closer location
• I need more reading of sign language. I can sign much more quickly than I can read it. I think this is due to working with children who have limited skills. I would like to be much more fluent in my signing and reading.
• Sign to voice skill builders  and receptive skill builders
• We need an ITP in our area. We have universities but they do not seem to be willing > I also need intermediate/advanced classes, not beginner level. The teachers and administrative leaders need to learn what the interpreters are learning
• I need outline of program event coming into a high school setting, dialogue or viewing of movies or documentaries for a subject, students advanced knowledge of vocabulary, to be able to read the books assigned to the student ahead of time. Many times the resources of signs for vocabulary in the high school subjects are not easily found (technical).
• We have been able to obtain the required amount of CEUs for renewal. I have had to take a lot of time away form my family and some from my students to do this. I think there needs to be more workshops to choose from.
• Inexpensive online courses that I can take at my leisure
• Organized, clearly defined workshops planned enough in advance and during non-school hours so that we can KNOW we will be able to complete the required credits.
• Last year, I attended a SEE workshops (30 hrs). I took the SEE interpreter class. I learned a lot about interpreting. The emphasis was on the interpreting part. It didn’t matter what system you sued. The calss was very resourceful but not working during the summer with no pay made it hard to come up with the money.
• More classes that give us more practice with signing and also qualify for our credits to be certified.

Individual Comments written on the Surveys:

• If legislature dictates that we have to attend workshops and earn so many CEUs they should make it easier for us to attend workshops by bringing them to our area-not 3 hours away where we not only have to pay for workshops, but pay for hotel rooms to stay overnight and buy food during that time.
• I am looking forward to attending training courses to improve myself and keep up with the latest info on interpreting. I just don’t like the idea of how inconvenient it is to travel to workshops. Thanks for sending me the survey.
• There is a great need to educate the educators about Deaf culture, the difference between ASL/English, the interpreting process, etc. As an interpreter, I often feel that when I return from workshops, I am unable to apply the skill I’ve acquired because eh team I work with, especially my superiors, do not share he same viewpoint, understanding, or knowledge.