Sign Language Interpreter

General Description

Facilitates communication between students, staff and parents who are deaf or hard of hearing and others within the educational environment. Relays information to and from the consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing and others; interprets and transliterates both voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice communication.

Job Description

• Interprets and transliterates information while conveying the thought, intent, and intended spirit of the message.
• Clearly and accurately conveys the content of the message according to the preferred language modality of the consumer (student, staff, parent and/or community member).
• Promotes appropriate use of interpreters in educational settings.
• Provides interpreting/transliterating services to consumers (student, staff, parent, and/or community members) in a wide variety of settings including but not limited to: classroom, parent-teacher meetings, IEP meetings, after school activities, graduations, concerts and theater performances, administrative meetings and/or trainings.
• Promotes appropriate use of interpreters in educational settings and other venues in which services are rendered.
• Coplanates and plans with school staff for appropriate setting (lighting, angle of viewing, distance, etc) and use of closed captions when possible.
• Plans and prepares for interpreting assignments by reviewing any and all material available related to assignments and acquiring specific vocabulary knowledge needed to interpret/transliterate the source material appropriately.
• Participates in skill development activities and professional growth opportunities to maintain or improve certification.
• Supports/tutors the deaf or hard of hearing student for the purpose of facilitating communication and/or reinforcing classroom objectives.
• Responds to inquiries from administrators, teachers and other staff for the purpose of providing information or referring to appropriate personnel.
• Follows division, department and school policies and procedures and maintains confidentiality.
• Follows other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Considerable knowledge of deafness (language and culture); of interpretation and transliteration methodologies and practices, of related state and federal guidelines and the RID Code of Professional Conduct.
• Fluent in English and American Sign Language.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret or transliterate simultaneously voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice quickly, accurately and understandably.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with others both orally and in writing.
• Demonstrated ability to develop positive and effective working relationships with students, teachers, staff, parents and the public.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and to prioritize work schedules.
• Valid Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS) Level II; or Passing score on the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) Written Test along with a minimum of a Level 3.0 on the EIPA Performance Test or the equivalent from another state.
• Valid Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS) Level III; or Passing score on the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) Written Test along with a minimum of a Level 3.5 on the EIPA Performance Test or any other state qualification or national certification (excluding Certificate of Deaf Interpretation) recognized by the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) as equivalent to or exceeding the VQAS Level III.

Additional Job Requirements

• Successfully completes the following background investigations/tests: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal History Investigation, State Police Criminal History Investigation, Child Protective Services (CPS) Investigation, Tuberculosis Screening/Test.

Budgetary Responsibility

N/A

Report Preparation

Provides periodic reports as requested by the supervisor.

Equipment Operation

Utilizes personal computer and general office equipment.

Contact

Contact with all levels of CCPS personnel.

Work Direction

N/A

Supervision

N/A

Decision Making

Employee functions independently regarding interpretations and transliterations.

Physical Demands

• Regularly required to use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, printed materials and/or controls.
• Reach with hands and arms.
• Talk and hear.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Compensation

$39,051.72 - $66,372.59

Hours Per Day

7.25

Days Per Year

183

Benefits

Offers a wide variety of benefits to employees. Benefit offerings may differ based upon full-time and part-time employee status. Chesterfield County Public Schools assures Equal Employment Opportunities for employees as required by Federal and State Orders and Laws. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential tasks.

Reasonable Accommodations

Administration reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and assign other duties as necessary. It is not intended to be and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of all the responsibilities, skills, or working conditions associated with the position and does not imply an employment contract.