Deaf Interpreter Institute

Jimmy Beldon holds certification, certified deaf interpreter (CDI). Jimmy has gained prominence as a communication specialist and CDI throughout the court system. A teacher and mentor to deaf interpreters, Beldon provides consulting on issues of deaf culture, communication needs and works with deaf immigrants and/or refugees. His topics are Deaf interpreter, Ethical Decision-making, Translation, Consecutive and Simultaneous interpreting. Jimmy is currently vice president of the Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT). He served on the national RID board for eight years and continues to volunteer his time to RID. Jimmy is co-owner of Keystone Interpreting Solutions and works at St. Catherine University.

Jennifer is a full time faculty at American Sign Language & Interpretation Education at NTID/RIT. She has been in interpreting field since 1998 and certified CDI in 2009. Jennifer specializes in Deaf-Blind, Medical, Mental Health Interpreting. She provides workshops on Deaf-Blind and Deaf Interpreting locally and nationally. Jennifer participated in the NCIEC Training the Trainers, using the new Deaf Interpreter Curriculum. She is currently a consultant in the development of a DI training program based on the Deaf Interpreter Curriculum. Jennifer provides training/consultation on Deaf-Blind Interpreting, Language Assessment, International Sign Interpreting, and Deaf/hearing Team Interpreting. Her goal is to educate Deaf Interpreters to fill the huge gaps and build a bridge the between Deaf and hearing world to access a better communication.

Stephanie is the co-coordinator of the Road to Deaf Interpreting training series in the Northeast region, and has provided workshops for Deaf Interpreters nationwide as a freelance contractor on the following topics: Deaf Interpreters: Past, Present, & Future, Consumer Assessment, Applied Ethics: Introduction to RID Code of Professional Conduct, Ethical Considerations and Challenges for Deaf Interpreters, Introduction to Interpreting Practice & Theory, Linguistics/Contrastive Analysis, Sight/Text Translation, Consecutive Interpreting, Simultaneous Interpreting, Deaf/Deaf Parented/Hearing Team Interpreting, Visual Gestural Communication, Mirror/Platform Interpreting, Interpreter at Work, Preparing for RID Written and Performance Exams. Stephanie participated as a consultant for NCIEC’s Deaf Interpreter Work Group and contributed to the development of the new Deaf Interpreter Curriculum. She has presented at CIT and RID conferences at the local, regional, and national levels.

Bradley, MA in Interpretation, has been a CDI since 2012. He is a full time IEP educator and interprets for social service agencies when needed. Bradley specializes in DeafBlind and social services interpreting. He provided DI training workshops including How to work with Deaf Interpreters, Deaf Interpreter Educators: an Expanding Field, and What is Deaf Interpreter? Bradley participated in the Deaf Interpreter Curriculum training in 2014. He aspires to provide quality training to both Deaf and hearing interpreters, and also to introduce prospective Deaf interpreter to the DI profession. Bradley provides consultation on language, interpreting, and assessment to local school districts, social service agencies, theaters, and non-profit organizations.

Rosemary has been in the profession of interpreting since 1999. However, Rosemary has been a Certified Deaf Interpreter since 2005. She has worked as a CDI in various settings including mental health, family/child services, legal, medical, DMV, religious settings, social services, prisons, school districts (IEP meetings & forensic interviews), and more. She has taught numerous workshops on the role of a CDI and on Deaf/Hearing Interpreting Teams. In addition to her work as a CDI, she is currently serving as a mentor for several Deaf Interpreter Professionals providing discussions on ethical situations, skill development, and practice experiences.

Eileen, Coordinator of ASL-English Interpreting Programs at a college for 36 years, is also an adjunct in the Master’s Program in Interpreter Pedagogy at University of Northern Florida. As a certified Deaf interpreter with RID since 1979, she works primarily in legal and medical settings. Her dissertation, “Deaf Interpreters: Exploring their Processes of interpreting”, was published in Deaf Interpreters at Work: International Insights. She has been teaching about Deaf Interpreters and Deaf-Hearing Interpreter Teams since 1991. A nationwide educator and consultant on ASL, Deaf interpreters, and interpreting topics, her topics of workshops and presentations include Collaboration and Partnership in Deaf-Hearing Interpreter Teams, Processes of Interpreting for Deaf Interpreters, Ethical Considerations for Deaf Interpreters, and numerous topics. She authored “Emerging Professionals: Deaf Interpreters and Their Views and Experiences on Training” in Interpreting and Interpreter Education: Directions for Research and Practice (2005) and co-directed a DVD production, ”Deaf Interpreting: Team Strategies”.

Kirsi Grigg, CDI, is the primary mentorship coordinator for graduate interpreting students at Gallaudet University. She works at Gallaudet Interpreting Service (GIS) as a full-time staff Deaf interpreter, primarily working with Deaf-Blind people and ASL-English intermediary interpreters in legal and quasi-legal settings. Her graduate thesis was focused on identifying common pathways Deaf Interpreters take to enter the profession. Kirsi was part of the first Deaf Interpreter/Hearing Interpreter Team curriculum development team initiated by the National Interpreter Education Center (NIEC) in 2013. Today her presentations are tied with her experiences as a professional Deaf interpreter with a MA degree in interpretation: Deaf-centered interpreting theories and processes, self-care in Deaf-Blind interpreting, teaming strategies with non-Deaf interpreters, and self-assessment tools.

Carole has been in the interpreting field since 1975, and certified RSC & CDI. She is also a certified ASLTA: Professional and a Master Mentor. Her work has been in the development of interpreter and language assessments; the design of interpreting courses, training sessions and workshops, and mentoring programs. She has been providing language and interpreting training. Carole is also an author of numerous articles and a published book. She has been a consultant with the National Consortium of Interpreter Education supporting the development of DI Competencies. Carole is dedicated to the work in promoting quality interpreters, and also to the field of interpreting.

Jim, CDI since 1995, has been teaching ASL and interpreting at local colleges and universities since 1992. He, a graduate from Interpreter Preparation Program for Deaf Persons (IPPDP), has been a freelance Deaf interpreter for Deaf for 19 years and interpreted in the Deaf-Blind community for at least 26 years. He is the co-coordinator for the Road to Deaf Interpreting (RDI) training series for Deaf participants in New England. He has taught weekend workshops locally and nationally for Deaf and hearing participants: DI training; ASL Linguistics; Deaf-Blind Interpreting; Deaf-Hearing Team Interpreting. Jim is also a member of the NCIEC Deaf interpreter work team that developed the new Deaf Interpreter Curriculum.

Cynthia has been in the interpreting field since 1981 and certified (CDI) in 2001. She has mentored interpreters and intern interpreters, developed several trainings and presented workshops to improve the interpretation skills and knowledge of interpreters working in the legal, educational and community settings, as well as trainings for aspiring CDIs. She is the author of IN-STEP (Interpreter Need and Site-based Educational Partnership), a program designed to bridge the work experience gap of recent IEP graduates in New Mexico. She has been a consultant with the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Center (NCIEC) since 2006 supporting the development of DI Competencies and the newly released DI Curriculum. She was a member of the RID CDI Exam Task Force and currently works as a language mentor and freelance interpreter.

Rayni Plaster, CDI is a staff interpreter at Gallaudet Interpreting Service (GIS) in Washington, DC. She is also the principal coordinator for the only Deaf interpreter mentorship program in the United States, GIS Results! Visiting Interpreter Program (RVI). In her role, she serves as the lead instructor for the team of experienced Deaf interpreters/mentors who provide Deaf interpreter training. She has been mentoring and training interpreters for the past 8 years in both community and academic settings. She was part of the team that developed the first Deaf/Hearing interpreting teams curriculum for the NCIEC in 2012. Her interpreting specialties include consumers with unique or emerging language skills and DeafBlind individuals within educational, mental health and legal settings.

Jeff has been teaching ASL and interpreting for 20 years. He is also a consultant for the Utah Interpreter Program. Jeff has been a CDI since 2010, and has completed the Utah Courts approval process for interpreting in the courtroom. Jeff specializes in legal, medical, and vocational rehabilitation settings, and ASL/English translation. He teaches all aspects of interpreting, including knowledge test preparation; CPC, ethics, and demand-control schema; roles and responsibilities; interpreting theory; consumer assessment; and working with hearing teams. Jeff’s goal is to prepare students to be knowledgeable and comfortable in their role as deaf interpreters.

Keven is a full time free-lance Certified Deaf Interpreter and much of his work takes place in legal, mental health and medical settings. Keven received his Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University and has a great deal of experience in behavioral healthcare. Keven is fortunate to have the use of the new Deaf Interpreter Curriculum to aid in providing quality training opportunities. The awesome support network by a select group of trainers and the staff at the Deaf Interpreter Institute offers an additional layer of resources and knowledge towards the trainings. Keven also provides training on Interpreting in Behavioral Health settings.

Christopher Tester, CDI, is Deaf and a consultant, educator, interpreter and trainer. A seasoned educator and trainer, he specializes in workshop and seminar facilitation on topics ranging disability rights and laws, and sign language interpreting process and theories. He has developed training series with a variety different instructors as well as trainings for both Deaf and hearing interpreters. Additionally, he has interpreted for several off and on Broadway shows, national and international conferences, and specializes in legal interpreting. Christopher is currently pursuing his MA degree through the European Masters in Sign Language Interpreting at Heriot Watt University.