As a certified Deaf interpreter, I see the lack of support for our Deaf clients—oftentimes, they don’t feel understood by hearing communities. There’s a big gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds. Because I am a native American Sign Language (ASL) user, I live and breathe my language, which is ASL—the grammar, the structure, the culture, it’s all part of who I am and how I interpret. As a Deaf person, I know where my Deaf compatriots are coming from because I’ve had their same challenges and troubles getting access.

I’m from rural Massachusetts, where there was a dearth of interpreters, so it was difficult to get access to support. Fortunately, I went to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the only liberal arts college in the world for the Deaf. I finally had access to a culture where ASL was the dominant language. I was able to socialize with all types of people and realized that every Deaf person has a different way of communicating. Some sign very fluently, and others kind of rely on home signs made up within the family. And so, I’m uniquely positioned to become a bridge between the hearing interpreters and the Deaf community.

Here at the U, all students, staff and faculty request interpreter support through the Center for Disability & Access. I think some people misunderstand the difference between a certified Deaf interpreter and a hearing interpreter—they may ask for one when they want the other. As a Deaf interpreter, many people assume that I will be speaking. That’s not how it works. I work in tandem with certified hearing interpreters who can, obviously, hear and speak. They’ll process English into ASL, and I fine-tune the information to make sure that it meets the needs of both language users and Deaf folks. Outside of my role at the U, I am brought into complex, sensitive situations in medical and legal settings. On campus, I work side by side with hearing interpreters to make plays at Pioneer Theater Company accessible to Deaf patrons who use ASL. Theater is so fun, but when you watch it in ASL, it adds a whole new level of visual expression that even the hearing audience appreciates.

Folks on campus can learn more about our services during Neurodiversity & Disability Week. In my keynote, I’ll share my perspective as a Deaf person and how I navigate my life as a student, a mentor, a colleague and as an instructor of ASL. I’d like to share some of my experiences so that people understand that we’re all humans, we’re all the same.

—Adam Janisieski-Chacon, Certified Deaf Interpreter, adjunct faculty of American Sign Language, keynote speaker for Neurodiversity & Disability Week on Feb. 17.