Finding a religious interpreter
It's amazing. Simply amazing. We've been agonizing over how to find an interpreter for our church services. Having made no progress, we turned the project over to Mom, and within a few weeks she has made more progress than we've made in many months.
The background: we finally convinced the session at our church to hire an interpreter. I say "finally," not to say that there was any resistance. Quite the opposite, they were eager to help us in any way we need. But, like good Presbyterians, they have to be thorough. We did a lot of work putting together documents explaining our particular choices with respect to Ellis's education as a deaf child, and particularly why ASL is so integral to his education even with the CI.
Once we'd explained everything, and worked out all the parameters, they gave us the go-ahead. But there was no interpreter to be found. It's difficult because religious ASL is possibly the most difficult ASL, meaning you can't get just anybody who happens to know a little sign. You need a specialist, and you need one that's available. Most interpreters, as it turns out, are committed. Add the fact that our services are, at least by reputation, more heady than most. And add that the ideal candidate would at least be Reformed, whereas most religious interpreters are coming from the Catholic persuasion.
Any way, my Muti called last night to say that she's found someone right around the corner, who is eager to help us. She's so eager that she won't take 'no' for an answer. I can't believe that after all this time, and all this work, the answer was so close. But that's often how it turns out, huh?
I only wish we had been able to move more quickly. Since we started the search, ellis is ten times as ready for an interpreter as he was then. We've definitely reached the limit of what we can do for him in services, and he clearly is stagnating. And we still haven't addressed the issue of religious education in the home. Apart from the challenges every family faces in that regard, we just don't feel that our ASL is adequate to something even so simple as the Children's Catechism.
But now there's a solution in sight. Thank heaven!
Comments
I think it is very interesting that you think religious interpreting is the most difficult kind. Most people think quite the opposite. I know that as a venue the ADA doesn't cover, the religious interpreting community is rife with students and non-certified, less skilled "interpreters." (More signers).
I really respect that you are advocating for your son in this way and demanding only the best. As far as your own signing skills go, if you feel you are inadequate then there are plenty of ways to improve. Vlogs are great, and so is going through an ITP (Interpreter Training Program.) Even if you don't want to become an interpreter, you will learn the language in a bi-lingual approach, which makes it easier in my opinion. Invest all of the energy you can, because clear communication is such a great reward. Imagine being able to talk with him about anything under the sun...
It's not that hard, language is what humans are wired to do.
Best wishes,
Katie
Hey, Katie. Thanks for the encouragement! I won't for a minute pretend that learning ASL hasn't been a struggle, and that we could be doing soooo much more. So far we've managed to keep ahead of the boy, and we've certainly done coursework at the local community college. And we've had courses at E's school. And we've had in-home ASL coaching courtesy of E's school. And we are fairly dilligent about keeping up ties with our few deaf friends.
But our ASL remains merely adequate, in adult terms. And when it comes to headier theological concepts, we're in over our heads. For example, the Nicene Creed:
"We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things are made."
We do our best with stuff like this, but...
Hey, this is really great, J! Do you have a timeline for when the interpreter would start?
Nope. The woman Ma contacted probably can't do it herself. But she's going to help us head hunt, assemble a team to rotate services, maybe have someone come to our home, etc. We'll meet with her in a few weeks to start talking.
Very cool! I've always loved that our church has an interpreter-- he and his wife both work at the LA School for the Deaf, and they've been doing our interpreting for free for about 20 years now, just as part of their donated ministry to the church. I'm so glad you've found someone, and I know that watching her will help you guys learn as well, in addition to Ellis. =)
Interpreting in liturgical settings (a term I prefer to "religious signing") is indeed very difficult. You mentioned the Nicene Creed. It has very profound theological concepts which a four-year old (hearing or Deaf) couldn't be expected to understand. Indeed, theologians over the centuries have discussed this, including the "filioque" clause, and continue to do so.
Where are you located, please? I am in Montgpomery, Alabama, supposedly retired but driving 350 miles two Sundays a month to serve St.Mark's Church for the Deaf, Mobile.
And yes, I am Deaf and have served churches of Deaf people for 40 years. The Episcopal church has ordained Deaf people since 1876!
Rev. Jay Croft (Episcopal)
We're near our church, in Glenside, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Of course, we're fully aware the Ellis is nowhere near ready to understand the full theological richness of the Nicene Creed. But both Jeannette and I were raised in theologically rich environments. We imbibed that kind of language from infancy. And we still are discovering and rediscovering its meaning.
So, even though Ellis is not ready to understand it, he needs to 'hear' it-- and in his own language, so that he can spend the rest of his life taking ownership of it.
We actually spelled all of this out pretty thoroughly in a document we prepared for our session, explaining why, even though he has a CI, and even though he's not cognitively mature enough to understand fully, he still needs the benefit of these things in ASL, and from someone who can do it properly.
And then there's us. We need the interpreter so we can learn it for ourselves.
Thank you for your response.
There is a very old congregation, All Souls' Church for the Deaf, in Philadelphia. Most of the congregation is elderly. I think it meets at Seamen's Church Institute, next to the Betsy Ross house.
The vicar is the Rev. Jane Meckling. Her father was vicar there many years ago.
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