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District Six of PARID covers thirteen counties. The largest cities are Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Williamsport, Hazelton and Stroudsburg (Poconos). A four-year Interpreter Training Program is available at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA.
The state Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) maintains a database of working freelance interpreters. Click here to access the database. The director is Sharon Behun. Her email address is: sbehun@state.pa.us. Denise Brown is the eastern representative of ODHH and her office is in Allentown. Her phone number is 610-821-6111 (tty) and her email address is: DeniBrown@state.pa.us. Contact info for the main ODHH office: ODHH 1521 N. Sixth St. Harrisburg, PA 17102 PA Residents: 800-233-3008 (V/TTY) Out of State: 717-783-4912 (V/TTY)
Qualifications for Sign Language Interpreters working in Pennsylvania
The federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) established the requirement for ‘qualified interpreters as’- “one who is able to interpret effectively, accurately and impartially, both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary."
The state of PA has a management directive, #205.32, that requires all interpreters working for state agencies/entities be RID or NAD IV or V certified.
The state legislature passed Sign Language Interpreter legislation, named Act 57 of 2004, which requires interpreters to register with the state ODHH. Registered interpreters are now considered qualified in Pennsylvania—which impacts the definition of qualified for the ADA (in Pennsylvania). Registered interpreters pay a fee bi-annually and must hold national certification. Educational interpreters, K-12, are exempt from Act 57, but are required to follow the PA Dept of Education regulations for Sign Language Interpreters, per Act 92 of 2006. The state legislature also passed Act 172 of 2006, which requires all interpreters working in the legal system (spoken and signed languages) to be legally certified and registered with the State Supreme Court. |
