FR Doc 04-24584
[Federal Register: November 3, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 212)]
[Notices]
[Page 64239-64243]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03no04-156]
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Part V
Department of Education
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Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
RIN 1820-ZA39
Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities and definitions.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services proposes priorities and definitions under the
Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program. The Assistant
Secretary may use these priorities and definitions for competitions in
fiscal year (FY) 2005 and later years. We take this action to focus on
training and education as an identified area of national and regional
need. We intend for the priorities to establish a National Interpreter
Education Center and a Regional Interpreter Education Center or Centers
that will work through Local Partner Networks to provide interpreter
education to interpreters at all skill levels. The goal of these
priorities is to improve the quality of interpreters in the field by
providing quality educational opportunities with consumer involvement
throughout the process and with a specific focus on interpreters
working with consumers of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services.
Distance technologies and distance education will be a critical
component to the work of these centers.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before January 3, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about these proposed priorities and
definitions to Annette Reichman, U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5032, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC
20202-2800. If you prefer to send your comments through the Internet,
use the following address: Annette.Reichman@ed.gov.
You must include the term ``Training of Interpreters for
Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are
Deaf-Blind'' in the subject line of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annette Reichman. Telephone: (202)
245-7489 (voice) or via Internet: Annette.Reichman@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-8352.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation To Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding these proposed
priorities and definitions. To ensure that your comments have maximum
effect in developing the notice of final priorities and definitions, we
urge you to identify clearly the specific proposed priority or
definition that each comment addresses.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from these proposed
priorities and definitions. Please let us know of any further
opportunities we should take to reduce potential costs or increase
potential benefits while preserving the effective and efficient
administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about these proposed priorities and definitions in room 5032,
Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the
hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of
each week except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for these proposed priorities and definitions. If you
want to schedule an appointment for this type of aid, please contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Section 302(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act),
and the regulations for this program in 34 CFR 396.1 state that the
Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program is designed to
establish interpreter training programs or to assist ongoing training
programs to train a sufficient number of qualified interpreters in
order to meet the communications needs of individuals who are deaf or
hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind. The Training of
Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and
Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program provides financial assistance to
pay part of the costs to--
(1) Train manual, tactile, oral, and cued speech interpreters;
(2) Ensure the maintenance of the skills of interpreters; and
(3) Provide opportunities for interpreters to raise their level of
competence.
We propose these priorities and definitions to increase the numbers
of interpreters and the knowledge and skills of interpreters working
with VR consumers. Access to the VR environment through the use of
qualified interpreters will, in turn, increase empowerment and
employment outcomes of deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind VR
consumers.
We will announce the final priorities and definitions in a notice
in the Federal Register. We will determine the final priorities and
definitions after considering responses to this notice and other
information available to the Department. This notice does not preclude
us from proposing or funding additional priorities or proposing
additional definitions, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use these proposed priorities and definitions, we
invite applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When
inviting applications, we designate each priority as absolute,
competitive preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of
priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent
to which the application meets the priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive priority over an application of comparable merit that
does not meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over
other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Priorities
Background
Currently, the need for interpreting services exceeds the available
supply of qualified interpreters. Federal
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legislation, such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and
the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Pub. L. 94-142)
(now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act),
established the legal requirements for communication and language
access. These requirements led to an increased demand for qualified
interpreters, outstripped the available pool, and created a serious
national shortage. The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990, as amended, further increased the demand for interpreters and
worsened the national shortage of qualified interpreters. In addition,
many States have passed, or are now proposing, licensure laws for
interpreters, requiring interpreters working in these States to meet
specific qualifications, such as specific levels of education or
certification, or both. Therefore, due to the ongoing high demand on
limited resources, the pool of qualified interpreters to provide
services to VR consumers continues to be insufficient.
Simultaneously, deaf consumers of interpreting services have become
more informed and are demanding higher quality interpreting services
that meet their individual needs. Consumers and consumer organizations
have expressed interest in being substantively involved in the
identification, development, and delivery of the educational
opportunities provided through these proposed priorities.
In order to train qualified interpreters to better meet the demand
from consumers and consumer organizations, interpreter educators must
be sufficient in number and be knowledgeable of current best practices.
There are, however, very few programs that prepare interpreter
educators to teach the interpreting process and the skill of
interpreting. Consequently, many educators teaching at approximately
137 interpreter training programs throughout the country have had
little or no opportunity to study how to teach interpretation. One of
the national projects funded from 2000 to 2004 developed some course
material to prepare interpreter educators, but this is not yet
available. The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) will
disseminate these materials through these projects once they become
available.
To address these issues and to contribute toward the education and
training of a sufficient number of qualified interpreters to meet the
communications needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and
individuals who are deaf-blind, the Assistant Secretary proposes to
establish priorities for a National Interpreter Education Center and a
coordinated Regional Interpreter Education Center or Centers working
with and through Local Partner Networks.
Proposed Definitions
For the purposes of these priorities, we use the following
definitions:
Deaf means individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, late
deafened, or deaf-blind. The term makes no reference or judgment of
preferred mode of communication or language preference.
Interpreter means individuals, both hearing and deaf, who provide
interpreting or transliterating, or both, for deaf, hard of hearing,
and deaf-blind individuals using a variety of languages and modes of
communication including, but not limited to, American Sign Language,
Conceptually Accurate Signed English, other forms of signed English,
oral communication, tactile communication, and cued speech.
Local Partner Network means a formal network of individuals,
organizations, and agencies including consumers, consumer
organizations, community resources, service providers (especially VR
agencies), VR State coordinators for the deaf, rehabilitation
counselors for the deaf, and other appropriate entities with whom the
Regional Interpreter Education Center will have Memoranda of
Understanding or other recognized mechanisms for the provision of
educational activities for interpreters.
National Interpreter Education Center means a project supported by
RSA to--(1) coordinate the activities of the Regional Interpreter
Education Centers; (2) ensure the effectiveness of the educational
opportunities offered by the Regional Interpreter Education Centers;
(3) ensure the effectiveness of the program as a whole by evaluating
and reporting outcomes; (4) provide technical assistance to the field
on effective practices in interpreter education; and (5) provide
educational opportunities for interpreter educators.
Novice interpreter means an interpreter who has graduated from an
interpreter training program and demonstrates language fluency in
American Sign Language and in English, but lacks experience working as
an interpreter.
Qualified interpreter means an interpreter who is able to interpret
effectively, accurately, and impartially both receptively and
expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary. This
definition, which is mentioned in the Senate Report for the
Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, Senate Report 105-166 (Second
Session 1998), is one way for States to determine if interpreters are
sufficiently qualified and is based on the standard specified in the
regulations implementing titles II and III of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990.
Regional Interpreter Education Center means a coordinated regional
center to provide quality educational opportunities for interpreters at
all skill levels.
Training and education will be used interchangeably.
Proposed Priority 1--National Interpreter Education Center
The purpose of this priority is to support a National Interpreter
Education Center (National Center) to coordinate the activities of the
Regional Interpreter Education Centers, to ensure the effectiveness of
the educational opportunities offered by the Regional Interpreter
Education Centers, to ensure the effectiveness of the program as a
whole by evaluating and reporting outcomes, to provide technical
assistance to the field on effective practices in interpreter
education, and to provide educational opportunities for interpreter
educators. In conducting its activities, the National Center must
ensure the provision of quality educational opportunities with
substantial consumer involvement throughout the process and with a
specific focus on interpreting for consumers of VR services.
The National Center funded under this priority must do the
following:
(a) Identify and promote effective practices in interpreter
education and provide technical assistance to the Regional Interpreter
Education Centers and the field on effective practices in interpreter
education.
(b) Provide educational opportunities to working interpreter
educators who need to obtain, enhance, or update their training on
effective practices in interpreter education and to new interpreter
educators.
(c) Promote improved education of interpreters and coordinate the
interpreter education activities of the Regional Interpreter Education
Centers by--
(1) Developing ``Program Quality Indicators'' for this program,
including the Regional Interpreter Education Centers, and measuring
performance against these indicators;
(2) Conducting education needs assessments and, based on the
results, developing educational activities for delivery through the
Regional Interpreter Education Centers;
(3) Collecting, analyzing, and reporting to RSA the pre- and post-
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assessment data of the educational activities conducted through the
Regional Interpreter Education Centers;
(4) Ensuring that educational opportunities are available to
individuals from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds and
are sensitive to the needs of those audiences; and
(5) Ensuring that deaf consumers are involved in every aspect of
the project.
(d) Develop effective products for use by the Regional Interpreter
Education Centers in support of their educational activities for
interpreters (e.g., CDs, DVDs, Web-based materials, etc.).
(e) Promote the educational activities of the Regional Interpreter
Education Centers and disseminate information to the field through
activities such as-- developing and maintaining a program Web site;
providing materials to the RSA-sponsored National Clearinghouse on
Rehabilitation Training Materials; developing and using Web-based
activities such as e-newsletters, interpreter forums, consumer forums,
events calendars, etc.; making presentations on results of project
activities at national conferences related to interpreting and
interpreter education; and making presentations on results of project
activities at consumer conferences.
(f) Collect, evaluate, and report to RSA on qualitative and
quantitative data on the educational activities of the Regional
Interpreter Education Centers. Data must be based on clear, measurable
goals that are clearly linked to results.
(g) Use the data about the individual educational activities to
demonstrate overall program effectiveness. Data must be based on clear,
measurable goals that are clearly linked to results.
(h) Coordinate all activities conducted under this program,
including the activities of the National Center and the Regional
Interpreter Education Centers, to ensure effective use of resources and
consistency of quality interpreter educational opportunities to
individuals in all geographic areas of the country.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project
In deciding whether to continue this project for the fourth and
fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR
75.253(a) for continuation awards.
The Secretary will also consider the following:
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary. The team will conduct its review in
Washington, DC, during the last half of the project's second year. A
project must budget for the travel associated with this one-day
intensive review.
(b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of
the award have been or are being met by the project.
(c) Evidence of the degree to which the project's activities have
contributed to changed practices and improved the quality of
interpreters.
Proposed Priority 2--Regional Interpreter Education Center or Centers
The purpose of this priority is to support a coordinated Regional
Interpreter Education Center or Centers to provide quality educational
opportunities for interpreters at all skill levels. The educational
opportunities provided by a Regional Interpreter Education Center,
through collaboration with Local Partner Networks and with substantial
involvement from deaf consumers, must be of sufficient scope and
sequence to demonstrate an increased skill and knowledge base of the
participants through the use of pre- and post-assessments. The pre- and
post-assessments will measure the knowledge and skill base of the
participants, both when first entering the training program and when
exiting the training program, to demonstrate their enhanced knowledge
and skills as interpreters as a result of the training opportunity. In
addition, the primary focus of the educational opportunities must be on
interpreting for consumers of VR services. Consequently, this means
educating hearing and deaf interpreters to work with consumers from
diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in diverse environments
(i.e., urban, rural, low socioeconomic, territories, etc.) and within a
variety of contexts (i.e., employment, job training, technical,
medical, etc.).
Further, the educational opportunities must encompass both skill-
based and knowledge-based topics, provide for both hearing interpreters
and deaf interpreters, and focus on interpreting for a variety of
individuals who have communication skills along the full spectrum of
language from those with limited language skills to those with high-
level, professional language skills. Educational opportunities must be
provided for interpreters from all skill levels from novice to
advanced, and the skill level of the training must be clearly
identified. All training activities must involve cooperative efforts
with consumers, consumer organizations, community resources, and
service providers, especially VR agencies, VR State coordinators for
the deaf, and rehabilitation counselors for the deaf. Delivery of
educational opportunities may not be limited to traditional methods.
Distance technologies and delivery, use of teams of deaf and hearing
presenters, assignment of mentors, immersion experiences, intensive
institutes, and other innovative practices must be used.
A Regional Interpreter Education Center funded under this priority
must do the following:
(a) Develop formal relationships with Local Partner Networks as
defined in this notice.
(b) In collaboration with the National Center, Local Partner
Networks, and consumers, implement effective practices in interpreter
education.
(c) In collaboration with the National Center, Local Partner
Networks, and consumers, implement the ``Program Quality Indicators''
for this program.
(d) Coordinate with existing interpreter training programs to
identify and conduct outreach activities with recent and new graduates
in order to provide training, including mentoring, to make them work-
ready.
(e) In collaboration with the National Center, Local Partner
Networks, and consumers, provide skill-based, context-based, and
knowledge-based interpreter education activities of significant scope
and sequence to interpreters in the identified region. Products
developed by the National Center must be incorporated into the
educational activities to the greatest extent appropriate. Educational
opportunities must include, but not be limited to--
(1) Educating deaf individuals and practicing deaf and hearing
interpreters to serve as mentors and provide mentoring to novice and
working interpreters who need additional feedback and experience to
become qualified;
(2) Addressing the various linguistic and cultural preferences
within the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind communities through
strands of specialized interpreter education;
(3) Focusing on interpreting in specialized environments such as
rehabilitation, legal, medical, mental health, or multicultural
environments, working with specific populations such as deaf-blind,
oral, tri-lingual, or cued speech users, and improving specific skill
sets such as sign-to-voice interpreting, team interpreting, sight
translation, or ethical decisionmaking and professionalism;
(4) Developing interpretation and transliteration competencies for
interpreters working with deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind
individuals with differing modes of communication, including, but not
limited to, the use of language immersion experiences in
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American Sign Language, Conceptually Accurate Signed English, oral
communication, tactile communication, and cued speech;
(5) Using state-of-the-art technologies for training on how to
deliver interpreter services from remote locations and in handling
various technologies during interpreter assignments (e.g., microphones,
assistive listening devices, cameras, lights, etc.); and
(6) Educating consumers on skills related to self-advocacy and
working effectively with interpreters.
(f) In collaboration with the National Center, Local Partner
Networks, and consumers, implement and deliver the specific educational
activities identified in the education needs assessments.
(g) Provide information to the National Center for the purpose of
promoting the educational activities of the National Center.
(h) Provide qualitative and quantitative data on the educational
activities conducted, pre- and post-assessments, portfolios produced,
participant demographics, and other pertinent information to the
National Center for the purpose of evaluating program effectiveness.
(i) Coordinate and collaborate with the other Regional Interpreter
Education Centers funded by RSA and funded through this priority.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project
In deciding whether to continue a project for the fourth and fifth
years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a)
for continuation awards.
The Secretary will also consider the following:
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary. The team will conduct its review in
Washington, DC, during the last half of the project's second year. A
project must budget for the travel associated with this one-day
intensive review.
(b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of
the award have been or are being met by the project.
(c) Evidence of the degree to which the project's activities have
contributed to changed practices and improved quality of interpreters.
(d) Evidence of the degree to which the project's activities have
served each State within its designated geographic region.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priorities and definitions has been
reviewed in accordance with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of
the order, we have assessed the potential costs and benefits of this
regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed
priorities and definitions are those resulting from statutory
requirements (section 302(f) of the Act) and those we have determined
as necessary for administering this program effectively and
efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priorities and definitions,
we have determined that the benefits of the proposed priorities and
definitions justify the costs.
Summary of Potential Costs and Benefits
The potential costs associated with these proposed priorities and
definitions are minimal, while the benefits are significant. Grantees
may anticipate costs associated with completing the application process
in terms of staff time, copying, and mailing or delivery. The use of e-
Application technology reduces mailing and copying costs significantly.
The benefits of the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who
Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program
have been well established over the years in that similar projects have
been completed successfully. These proposed priorities will generate
new knowledge through training, technical assistance, and dissemination
of new information to improve participation in the community for
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or deaf-blind.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR parts 385 and 396.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.160 Training of
Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and
Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind)
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772(f).
Dated: October 29, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-24584 Filed 11-2-04; 8:45 am]
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