Deaf Interpreter Partner Bios

Jimmy Beldon, CDI, MA is a resident of St Paul, Minnesota. He received his masters degree in Deaf Education with an ASL Specialty from Western  Maryland College. Jimmy is a nationally renowned interpreter educator. He has been a popular presenter requested to travel across the United States  giving workshops on variety of topics. Jimmy has been a professional involved in the interpreting field as many levels and is currently serving as vice  president for RID. Jimmy is currently teaching at College of St. Catherine, ASL/ITP 4-year program.

Patrick Boudreault, born to Deaf parents, is a native signer of Langue des Signes Quebecoise (LSQ). He is actively involved in Sign Language Instruction, Sign Language Interpreting (ASL and LSQ) and Sign Language acquisition research. He joined the full-time faculty in the Department of Deaf Studies at California State University Northridge in 2003 is currently Assistant Professor. He earned a BA in Linguistics in 1996 from Universite du Quebec a Montreal, MSc in Communication Sciences & Disorders from McGill University, Montreal and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 2006 from University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. His chapter, “Deaf interpreter,” appears in Topics in Sign Language Interpreting, Benjamin Translation Library, Vol. 63, (2005).

Steven D. Collins, Ph.D., CDI, currently works as Assistant Professor in the Department of Interpretation at Gallaudet University where he is the departmental chair of the bachelors and masters degree programs. Dr. Collins is a Fullbright Scholar who has worked extensively with deaf-blind communities in the U.S. and Italy, with a specialty in Tactile American Sign Language (TASL) interpretation. His doctoral research focused on sociolinguistic variation in the use of non-manual signals in TASL.

Eileen Forestal is in her 31st year as Coordinator and Professor of ASL-English Interpreting Programs at Union County College, New Jersey.  She is a doctoral candidate, specializing in Postsecondary Education and Adult Learning at Capella University, now doing her dissertation related to Deaf interpreting. RID-certified Deaf interpreter with RSC, Eileen teaches and consults on ASL, Deaf Culture, Deaf Interpreting, Deaf-Hearing team interpreting, mentoring and interpreting-related topics. Eileen wrote “Emerging Professionals: Deaf Interpreters and Their Views and Experiences on Training” in Interpreting and Interpreter Education: Directions for Research and Practice (2005), co-authored “Teaching and Learning Using the Demand Control Schema” (Proceedings of RID pre-conference meeting, 2008), and co-authored and co-directed Deaf Interpreting: Team Strategies [DVD] (Gallaudet University, 2006). This fall she will be teaching Ethics for Deaf Interpreters in the first-ever online Deaf Interpreter program at Phoenix College, located in Arizona. She is thrilled to be part of the NCIEC’s Deaf Interpreter Work Team.

Carole Lazorisak is an RID Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI & RSC) and holds ASLTA certification at the Professional level. Since 1974, she has worked in a variety of roles as an interpreter, interpreter educator, interpreting consultant, and presenter locally, nationally, and internationally. She has authored articles and published media productions to educate the public on all aspects of ASL, interpreting, Deaf culture, and related topics. She holds a BA degree from Gallaudet University and an MA from NYU and completed credits toward a doctorate at Columbia-Teachers College. She completed Master Mentor Certificate Program with University of Colorado at Denver and Northeastern University. She co-authored with her daughter, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Conversational Sign Language Illustrated with a DVD, 2004. Carole Lazorisak, a full-time faculty of Deaf Studies, Education and Language Acquisition, Natural and Applied Sciences Department at LaGuardia Community College, and teaches four levels of American Sign Language courses, American Sign Language Discourse and Sociology of American Deaf Communities.

Priscilla Moyers, CDI, grew up in a Deaf family and graduated from the California School for the Deaf at Fremont. She attended CSUN and Gallaudet University before receiving a B.A. in English literature with a minor in English as a Second Language from San Francisco State University. She has interpreted for Deaf persons in medical, mental health and platform settings. After completing an intensive program in American Judicial System Interpreting in 1993, she began freelancing in the courts as a legal intermediary interpreter, enhancing access to the judicial system for Deaf consumers.

Cynthia Napier is a Certified Deaf Interpreter residing in Kansas. She is a late-deafened adult has worked in the field of interpreting since 1981 as both a hearing interpreter and later as a deaf interpreter. Her initial training was through the Interpreter Training Grant provided by the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Administration and continues to build upon that via distance learning and face-to-face opportunities. She is a freelance interpreter, mentor and workshop presenter and has developed training for interpreters working in educational, community and specialized settings.

Debbie Peterson, CDI, hails from a Deaf family in Alabama. She received a B.S. in Psychology from Gallaudet University and M.S. in Teaching American Sign Language at McDaniel College in Maryland. She taught ASL at The Bi Cultural Center, University of Minnesota and New York University. She coordinated the ASL Studies at Bishop Community College in Alabama for a year before she moved to New York City and taught ASL and Deaf Culture to Deaf Russian immigrants. In Minnesota, she coordinated various training workshops for educational interpreters through Federal Grant for two years. Minnesota’s cold weather sent her to Seattle Central Community College. She taught interpreting for 8 years before heading back to the east coast. She taught interpreting to both B.A and M.A. students at Gallaudet University for a year and half. She also took Ph.D linguistics courses. She is currently working for Sorenson Communications as a Western Region VI-P/Professional Development Trainer. Also, she is involved with Northeast University to develop interpreting trainings for deaf interpreters. Debbie was a board member of Washington State Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and Conference of Interpreters. She revised and developed written and performance exams for Certified Deaf Interpreters. She served as a content expert for the National Interpreter Certification for Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Also for RID, she served on a committee for Ethical Practical Standards. She is currently serving a task force for DeafBlind people for Sorenson Communications.