American Sign Language Service

The Medina County Schools’ Educational Service Center provides licensed American Sign Language Interpreters to meet the IEP needs of students in our school districts who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

ASL Interpreter facilitates communication between deaf students and others, including teachers, service providers, coaches, and other students within the educational environment.  The ASL Interpreter is a vital part of any child’s/school’s IEP Team.

Interpreting for the assigned student is the primary duty of the Interpreter, but the Interpreter can also provide a district with the following services.

• Provides expressive (voice to sign) and receptive (sign to voice) interpreting service (may include American Sign Language, a form of manually coded English, and/or Pidgin and/or oral interpreting) for students with hearing impairments in mainstreamed classes.
• Provides interpreter services: oral, American Sign Language, or transliterating, depending on the individual needs of the students(s) serviced.
• Interprets/transliterates the incidental and substantial content of the speaker’s presentation so that the complete spirit of the speaker’s communication is accurately conveyed to the hearing-impaired person, using the language and communication mode that is most appropriate for the person(s) for whom they are interpreting.
• Reverse interprets/transliterates the message of the hearing-impaired person(s) to the hearing person/audience.
• Interprets for both “in-class” activities and “out-of-class” activities, e.g., parent meetings, psychological testing, assemblies, etc., when necessary.
• Provides tutoring as directed by the mainstream teacher and provides note taking services when necessary and when interpreting is not needed.
• Provides insight on the success of communication strategies, upon request of the building administrator or designated supervisor.
• Maintains a positive interpreting situation in the regular classroom and not counsel. Advises or interjects personal opinions in the performance of daily duties.
• Performs all provisions to include instructions of the Individual Education Plan.