Federal laws, including The Americans with Disabilities Act, generally require places of public accommodation (Government organizations and most businesses) to provide auxiliary aids and services (i.e. TDD, ASL interpreters, etc.) for “effective communication.” The Deaf/HH person should be consulted to determine the most effective form of communication.

Deaf people may bring their own interpreter but it is not required nor recommended. Family members or friends are not professionally trained or certified and can easily misinterpret or omit important information due to limited proficiency and emotional involvement. Minors should not be used as interpreters.

1. American Sign Language is a bonafide language with a unique grammar and syntax, completely independant from English.
2. A Deaf person’s primary language is typically ASL and thus English is learned as a second language.
3. English is a language based on phonetics (sound), making it especially challenging to learn for those who do not hear.

To communicate in casual or simple interactions, written notes may be sufficient. More formal or complex interactions require a sign language interpreter to ensure effective communication. Written communication typically takes much longer and can easily result in miscommunication.

There is not a required amount of notice but generally speaking, the earlier the better. This allows us to choose from our entire pool to best fit your situation.

1. Yes! We will check the requested interpreters’ availability immediately.
2. If you would like the same interpreter(s) for all appointments, we will mark them as “Preferred” and check their availability first for all future appointments.

Yes! Many customers request the same gender for medical appointments, etc. We accommodate this preference whenever possible.

Interpreters are independent contractors that schedule their time with multiple clients to provide services. They must reserve a minimum amount of time to compensate for their travel, time and service. This is not a RISE policy but a standard practice in the interpreting profession.

Interpreters working with RISE have the legal and ethical responsibility to protect and preserve all client information in accordance with state and federal laws, NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct and RISE policies.

A CDI is a Deaf/Hard of Hearing individual with specialized training and is nationally certified to work with other Deaf people that have Minimal Language Skills or minimal ASL skills (may be fluent in a foreign sign language.) A CDI works as a team with a hearing ASL Interpreter.

A trilingual interpreter is commonly used to describe an interpreter fluent in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language.

Tactile interpreting is for individuals that are Deaf and Blind. The D/B consumer will read the interpreter by using a hand over hand technique to feel the interpreter signing.