• Alaska Educational Interpreters Conference

    AKSDHH receives grant funds to provide professional development for all Educational Interpreters working with deaf and hard of hearing students in K-12 districts throughout the State of Alaska.

     

    We partner with the Alaska Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf to host an annual 2-3 day conference that includes specific training that will benefit interpreters who work in the educational setting. Past presenters include: Wink Smith Jr., Corey Axelrod, Pamela Wright, Byron Bridges, Eileen Forestal, Dr. Cynthia L. Williams, and many others. 

     

    Guided Advancement Program

    The Guided Advancement Program (GAP) is an online-based mentoring program for educational interpreters who currently work full time with deaf/hard of hearing students in Alaska and do not yet meet the state standard of a 4.0 on the Educational Interpreters Performance Assessment (EIPA).  The program cycle runs from August through February.

     

    GAP will help participants write their own goals for improvement, connect them with a mentor to work towards achieving those goals, and then conclude with participants retaking the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) at the Alaska Educational Interpreters conference. The entire program will be overseen by a Program Manager who will review applications, pair colleagues, and provide accountability and support to both mentors and participants.
     
    Participants must:
    • Be an educational interpreter currently working in a K-12 classroom with deaf/hard of hearing students and work 30+ hours a week for a school district in Alaska, either as a contract or staff employee
    • Have an EIPA score of 3.0 - 3.9 
    • Have access to high speed internet
    • Have the ability to film oneself for skill development

    Program Details
    • Online orientation modules for both mentors and participants 
    • Check-in meetings for participants with the Program Manager
    • Weekly meetings with a Mentor averaging 1 - 1.5 hours excluding holidays and winter break
    • Forms to track individual skill development hours and mentor meetings
    • EIPA retest at the Alaska Educational Interpreters conference