Media Availability – Mandela Interpreter Controversy

In the wake of yesterday’s incident where an alleged fake sign language interpreter stood on the stage next to President Obama and other dignitaries celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, many of your viewers may be wondering what sign language interpreters do and how they become qualified for that work. The Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre (DHCC) of Swarthmore, PA is an non-profit organization with a 40-year-history providing advocacy for communication access for individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing in the Delaware Valley. We also provide American Sign Language interpreters and captioning services for public events, business and government organizations, medical providers, as well as emergency situations for Deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind individuals. If your news program would like to explore these issues in depth and help your viewers/listeners/readers have a better understanding of how American Sign Language interpretation works, how people become interpreters in the United States, how to get interpreters, and what local regulations for interpreters exist in the region, DHCC has experts available to discuss those issues. As a person who is Deaf, Neil McDevitt, DHCC’s Executive Director will be available to answer questions that your outlet may have regarding the Deaf and hard of hearing community in the region as well. Please contact us at 610-604-0450 or email us at info@dhcc.org for more information.   You can also find us at www.facebook.com/DHCC.org or @DHCCtweets on Twitter.