Educational Interpreter, American Sign Language

Our ideal candidate

We seek experienced self-starting candidates who are professional, flexible, have excellent oral communication skills, and enjoy working and collaborating in a variety of elementary and high school settings with a variety of students, parents and staff. We seek individuals who have experience with technology and can learn and interpret academic vocabulary throughout the grade span. We count on our interpreters to provide the necessary access of our students who are deaf or heard of hearing to educational experiences throughout a school day.

General description

Facilitates communication between students who are deaf or hard of hearing and teachers, staff members, and peers within an educational environment, using a variety of manual and verbal communication systems in a highly proficient manner reflecting the affect of the speaker and/or signer. The Interpreter for Deaf/Hard of Hearing facilitates communication through the use of sign-to English and English-to-sign skills. This position requires course work, Level 4 certification, and competency using manual sign systems.

• Interprets for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) in a variety of educational settings, including, but not limited to, classroom environments, assemblies, recess, noon sport leagues, and counseling sessions using various sign language systems and voice interpretation at a normal conversational rate
• Interprets a wide range of curriculum, including scientific and advanced placement topics
• Consults with the teachers of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing, general education staff and typical students on the effective use of an interpreter
• Provides voice interpretation to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing as needed
• Collaborates with IEP teams to standardize signs in an educational setting
• Under the direction of the teacher of the deaf or hard of hearing, performs record keeping, monitoring IEP or special education related activities that support student learning
• Provides assistance to the classroom teachers as required; assists in filing, duplicating and preparing instructional materials
• Interprets and provides instruction as needed to individuals or small groups of students who are deaf or hard of hearing; reinforce instruction as directed by the teacher
• Follows professional conduct guidelines to guard against the development of inappropriate personal relationships with students
• Performs other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position

Education: Possession of an associate’s degree in American Sign Language Interpreting, Deaf Studies, Deaf Education or related field is preferred.

Experience: At least one year of experience providing instructional support in an educational setting is preferred.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Specialized knowledge of expressive and receptive forms of sign language systems, which may include American Sign Language, Conceptually Accurate Signed English, Signed Exact English, Manually Coded English, and Pidgin Signed English
• Interpreting strategies and techniques necessary to accommodate individual needs of students in a variety of educational settings
• Foundational concepts of deaf culture
• Curriculum used in educational settings from preschool through secondary schools
• Sufficient skills to exercise extreme patience when dealing with students and staff

Abilities:

• Requires the ability to speak and write English clearly with proper structure
• Able to stand for extended periods of time
• Interpret and communicate fluently with high proficiency (over 80% of content) in the sign language system appropriate to the individual needs of the students
• Maintain confidentiality and impartiality when dealing with private and sensitive information
• Demonstrate sensitivity to the communication process between persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and the needs of the persons involved in that process
• Well-developed arm, hand, and finger dexterity in order to perform advanced sign language interpretation for up to twenty-five hours per week
• Visual acuity to see information to be voiced (such as sign language and facial expressions) and detect speech patterns
• Hearing acuity sufficient to understand information to be interpreted in a variety of educational environments
• Facial dexterity to produce readable mouth movements for specific sign language expressions
• Sufficient manual dexterity to produce readable sign language through movement of fingers and arms
• Perform all aspects of the position

Licenses and certificates

To qualify for the certified Interpreter, applicant must possess one of the following certifications:

• Educational Interpreter Performance Evaluation (EIPA), level 4 or above
• Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)
• American Consortium of Certified Interpreters (ACC1), level 4 or above
• NAD certification, level 4 or above
• Educational Signs Skills Evaluation Interpreter (ESSE-1), level 4 or above

Interpreters who have not yet obtained the required certification must be eligible for a certification waiver from the California Department of Education and must fulfill one of the following requirements in order to be placed on the eligibility list:

• provide proof of having taken one of the certification exams listed above, along with the score achieved
• complete the Boys Town National Research Hospital Prescreening Assessment, administered by SBCEO or by an organization recognized by SBCEO.

May require a valid California driver’s license and insurance coverage required by law.

Working conditions

Work is performed in a classroom, office, and intermittent outdoor environments where minimal health and safety concerns exist.

Classified salary ranges have 25 steps (A-Y). Initial salary placement for new hires is between steps A and J, based on qualifications.

Click here for an Overview of Our Application & Selection Process .

RECRUITMENT INFORMATION:

• All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in the examination process for the position.

• The examination process may include one or more of the following: written, oral, and performance examination.

• Candidates must pass all parts of the examination process to be placed on the eligibility list. Final score will determine the candidate's rank on the eligibility list.

• A candidate in the top three ranks (including tie scores) on the eligibility list may be considered for hire; when there are multiple vacancies in the same job classification, additional ranks will be considered.

• This recruitment is Dual Certification, meaning it is open to all applicants, including current SBCEO employees and those from the general public. Dual certification results in one integrated eligibility list based on rank.

• Eligibility lists are generally valid for six months; promotional eligibility lists are valid for one year. Lists may be exhausted prior to the original expiration date, or they may be extended with the approval of the Personnel Commission.

• If you require an accommodation for any step of the application and selection process, please notify Human Resources by the application deadline date (or as soon as possible for an open continuous recruitment).

• Veterans' Preference Points: This recruitment is eligible for veterans' preference points for qualifying veterans.

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

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• Santa Barbara County Education Office

• (805) 964-4711