• Request interpreters a minimum of 14-days in advance via our ASL Interpreter Request Form.
• For complex requests (i.e. breakout rooms with multiple Deaf attendees), additional lead-time may be required to ensure appropriate coverage.
• Share prep materials via email to interpreter@uvm.edu as soon as you have them.
• Communicate any changes to confirmed assignments via email to interpreter@uvm.edu as soon as possible.

• Interpreters will be provided by request for: academics and related student activities (such as meetings with professors, group study, tutoring, residence hall meetings, and UVM sports); faculty/staff meetings; campus events open to the public*.
• Requests for services should be initiated via our ASL Interpreter Request Form a minimum of two-weeks (14-days) in advance of the request date. For complex requests (i.e. breakout rooms with multiple Deaf attendees), additional lead-time may be required to ensure appropriate coverage.
• Attempts will be made to schedule interpreters with less than 14-days notice, however late requests may result in an inability to provide services due to interpreter schedules and availability.
• If any changes to a request occur, these details must be communicated via email to interpreter@uvm.edu as soon as possible and attempts will be made to revise schedules accordingly. Failure to communicate changes in a timely manner may negatively affect the ability to provide services.

*For campus events open to the public, advertising materials should include wording to indicate that “ASL interpreting services will be provided.”

Prep materials in advance of an assignment are critical as it allows ASL interpreters to review the topic, materials, agenda, and/or any unfamiliar vocabulary in order to provide quality interpreting services.

Prep materials may include:

• Meeting Agenda/Event Program
• PowerPoint Presentation, Prezi, or Other Slides
• Scripts
• Poems, Songs, Lyrics (or Title and Author/Composer)
• Books (Title, Author, Edition)
• Newspaper/Journal Articles or Excerpts
• Any other materials that you feel may help interpreters adequately prepare

Prep materials may be sent in advance to interpreter@uvm.edu as soon as they are available, or an email may be sent requesting these materials prior to the scheduled assignment.
For concerns about confidentiality of shared materials, please see Interpreters & Professional Conduct. ***

Logistics & Set-Up

• Interpreter(s) may arrive up to 30 minutes early to prepare, assess the space, and check in with the event coordinator regarding logistics.
• Seating must be reserved in the front row with an unobstructed view of the stage/speaker and interpreter(s).
• Position interpreter(s) near the speaker/podium to ensure access to both the speaker and interpreter simultaneously.
• Careful consideration for lighting and background is necessary to ensure interpreters are fully visible, not in shadow, and provide appropriate contrast with background environment. For concerns, please ask interpreters during set-up.

General Events

Interpreters may use their professional judgment and excuse themselves after the first 15 minutes of a scheduled assignment if no Deaf attendee has arrived and there have been no prior arrangements made to include the ASL interpreters on the broadcast/recording.

Broadcast/Recorded Events

If there is a plan to include interpreters in the broadcast/recording, interpreters must be centrally positioned on stage in view of the camera and fully visible for the duration of the broadcast/recording and it is imperative that thorough prep materials are provided for review in advance of the assignment, as requested by Interpreter Services. If ample prep materials are not provided and no Deaf attendee arrives after the first 15 minutes, interpreters will excuse themselves for the remainder of the event.

Cancellation Notice

If it is determined that NO Deaf attendees are expected at any scheduled event, please email interpreter@uvm.edu to cancel services as soon as possible. If services are scheduled for a general event open to the public and Deaf attendees may arrive on the day-of it is fine to leave services in place.

Most often, Zoom is the preferred platform for accessibility for Deaf participants.

Links to remote meetings/events should be sent to interpreter@uvm.edu at the time of a request, or at minimum 3-days in advance of any scheduled assignment.

Tech Instructions (for Zoom):

• ASL consumers should pin the interpreter to keep them viewable throughout the session. Right-click the frame displaying the interpreter and select “Pin.”
• Meeting host should give interpreter(s) multi-pinning capability, especially when multiple Deaf attendees are present.
• When utilizing breakout rooms, please ensure that interpreter(s) are assigned to the same room as the Deaf attendee(s). If randomizing rooms, interpreter(s) may not default to correct room and manual re-assignment by meeting host may be necessary.

Tech Instructions (for MS Teams):

• ASL consumers should pin the interpreter to keep them viewable throughout the session. Right-click the frame displaying the interpreter and select “Pin.”
• Due to the current limitations of Microsoft Teams, if someone is presenting/sharing their screen, ASL consumers may find it difficult to simultaneously view the interpreter frame and the shared screen. An inconvenient but workable solution is to open a second incidence of Microsoft Teams through the web (Select Work/School account, login with UVM credentials, and opt to use the web app). This allows the user to have the same session opened in two separate windows, in which one screen can display the ASL Interpreter and the other can display the shared screen.
• When utilizing breakout rooms, please ensure that interpreter(s) are assigned to the same room as the Deaf attendee(s). If randomizing rooms, interpreter(s) may not default to correct room and manual re-assignment by meeting host may be necessary.

The University of Vermont Interpreter Services values high-quality equitable access to communication. As such, Interpreter Services only employs nationally certified ASL interpreters possessing a skill set appropriate to the higher education environment, with consideration to the best-fit for Deaf consumers.

Confidentiality

Interpreters adhere to standards of confidential communication. Assignment-related information may only be shared on a confidential and as-needed basis, including information shared with interpreters through prep materials.

Details of any request for services are only shared by Interpreter Services as necessary to schedule an appropriate match between consumer and ASL interpreter.

Code of Professional Conduct

Interpreters employed by the University of Vermont are required to abide by the Code of Professional Conduct developed jointly by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).  Failure to comply with this code, excluding federal and state laws requiring mandatory reporting, may result in disciplinary action.

Linguistic Considerations

When scheduling interpreters for any assignment, linguistic compatibility for Deaf consumers is the primary consideration. Beyond best-fit, scheduling may also depend upon factors including interpreter availability, certification, qualification, area of expertise, and/or the appropriateness of the request based on actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

For questions or more information, please email interpreter@uvm.edu.

Please call - 802-656-0225

Interpreter Services operates year-round, Monday-Friday, between the hours of 8:00am-4:30pm and observes all University Holidays. For high-profile events (i.e. Commencement) requiring attention outside of normal business hours, Interpreter Services may be available with advance planning.