Interpreting Services

The Vendor is required to provide interpreters for the deaf or hard of hearing.
- Interpreters will make direct placement arrangements with any school, except as approved through district procedures for covering absences outside of regular business hours.
- Interpreters must possess interpreting credentials to work in state.
- The interpreters and county must base their method of work on the registry of interpreters for the deaf (RID) standards, department guidelines, and the NAD-rid code of professional conduct for sign language interpreters, and the guidelines provided by the educational interpreter performance assessment (EIPA).
- Interpreters with EIPA levels in the 1.0-3.4 range are not acceptable for placement with county. 
- Interpreters with EIPA levels in the 3.5-3.9 range will only be assigned upon specific approval by the county interpreter coordinator or deaf and hard of hearing program (DHH) designee.
- Interpreter must be available to work at any school or district facility in county, unless county determines a specific facility does not work well for a particular student and interpreter, in which case the interpreter may be removed or reassigned by county in collaboration with the contractor.
- Agency interpreters may not use cell phones or text messaging while actively interpreting, unless when necessary to communicate with the agency coordinator or county contact
- Interpreter services may include, but not be limited to, American Sign Language interpreting, conceptually accurate signed English, trilingual interpreting, and tactile interpreting. 
- Interpreter services will be requested for students in academic classrooms; for students involved in after hour sports or school related activities; for students on vocational job sites; for parents at school related activities and meetings regarding their child, and for staff members who are deaf and require interpreting services. 
- Hourly and full day interpreters are needed to meet the demands of county. 
- The number of interpreters requested varies based on need.