Making it clear: Maryland’s governor signs bill that would help prevent fraudulent sign language interpreters – WTOP News

When he testified in favor of the invoice that will require American Signal Language interpreters to be licensed in Maryland, Kelby Brick, director of the Governor’s Workplace of the Deaf and Laborious of Listening to, advised lawmakers about an incident that made world headlines.

On the funeral for former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2013, an indication language interpreter employed for the occasion was accused of being a pretend, signing nonsense all through the ceremony seen by tens of millions around the globe.

Brick, who’s deaf and testified by means of an interpreter, advised lawmakers in Annapolis, “I wish to let you recognize that occurs on a day-to-day foundation within the state of Maryland to our deaf and laborious of listening to constituents.”

People who find themselves deaf and laborious of listening to, he stated, often face interpreters who’re poorly educated or seem to have handed themselves off as proficient once they clearly aren’t.

That’s why Brick joined different advocates in Annapolis to help Senate Invoice 346, which would require Maryland to ascertain a licensing and regulatory system for signal language interpreters within the state.

On Wednesday, on Nationwide Signal Language Interpreter Day, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed that invoice into regulation. Moore stated signal language interpreters “make it possible for each single Marylander is ready to have interaction within the work of presidency, that each Marylander can know what’s occurring within the halls of energy.”

Moore took a second to make the ASL gesture for applause, getting a nod and a smile from the American Signal Language interpreter by his facet for the ceremony. Then, Moore stated he would tackle signal language interpreters immediately, signing, “Thanks for all that you just do. You make our state robust. Collectively we go away nobody behind.”

Leslie Puzio is this system supervisor for the ASL Interpreter Program at Frederick Group Faculty — one of many solely two schools in Maryland which have packages that present coaching and certification of American Signal Language interpreters. She stated that was simply one of many actions that she appreciated on the invoice signing ceremony.

The photographers on the ceremony additionally used signal language, Puzio stated, cuing deaf and laborious of listening to individuals for that second when their photos can be captured by signing “Prepared!” and counting down utilizing signal language to the second the images had been taken.

Puzio stated the most recent census figures present that there are 1.2 million deaf and laborious of listening to residents in Maryland. “I’m certain that quantity has grown,” stated Puzio, “however that’s the most recent census statistic we now have.”

The People with Disabilities Act, handed in 1990, mandated entry to communications for people who find themselves deaf and laborious of listening to, and advocates reminiscent of Puzio say entry to well-qualified signal language interpreters is critically essential.

“That is actually to make sure that deaf shoppers have entry to any and the whole lot within the state of Maryland,” Puzio stated.

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