Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I, as a business, organization, or non-profit have to provide an interpreter?
Answer: Yes. Federal law holds businesses, organizations, and non-profits as the entity responsible for providing interpreter accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information, please reference: https://www.ada.gov/effective-comm.htm
To discuss your legal responsibilities, please reach out to Rocky Mountain ADA, as they serve as a local educational resource: https://rockymountainada.org
2. Who is responsible to pay for the interpreter?
Answer: The business, organization, or non-profit is responsible to provide and pay for sign language interpreters for appointments, public events, conferences, etc. The ADA views these accommodations as the cost of doing business. For further questions, please refer to Rocky Mountain ADA: https://rockymountainada.org
3. Why do I need two interpreters?
Answer: Appointments that are greater in complexity, sign intensive, or longer in length will require a team of two interpreters. This is to provide the clearest, most accurate interpretation for the clients. The interpreters will not be mentally fatigued or physically spread too thin; preventing the consequence of repetitive motion injury.
4. Why do I need a Deaf Interpreter (DI)? What do they do that the regular interpreter can't?
Answer: Deaf Interpreters are native language speakers who have the linguistic and cultural experiences critical to understanding a myriad of nuanced language uses that the typical hearing interpreter would struggle in comprehension. For example, Deaf Interpreters are commonly necessary when communicating with minors.
5. Do you call the Deaf client or patient for us? If not, how do we call them?
Answer: A2SL will not call the Deaf client or patient on behalf of the business/office we are contracted with. If you are needing to speak with or schedule your client, simply call the phone number that they have listed. This will be automatically routed through a video relay service and be an interpreted call.
6. What certifications are recognized in the state of Colorado?
Answer: Until the end of 2021, the Registry of the Interpreters for the Deaf was the only recognized certification for sign language interpreters in Colorado. It is great news that the Board Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) certification is newly recognized in Colorado! The BEI includes levels of Basic, Master, and Advanced.
- Colorado legal qualified interpreters have the additional specialized education plus legal internship training to be qualified to interpret for courts, client-attorney meetings, legal documents, mirandize, etc.
The legal qualified list is available at: https://ccdhh.com/index.php/las/
- Though they may/may not be certified, service providers who have passed the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) along with Colorado Department of Ed. approval and background check can work in K-12 schools.
7. Why is there a two-hour-minimum if the appointment will only be 30 minutes?
Answer: As an industry standard, it is widely understood that the two-hour-minimum preserves the opportunity cost of an interpreter going to each appointment. It is preserving the opportunity cost of preparation, traveling to and from, sitting in the waiting room, etc. for one appointment compared to another alternative.