PIE à la mode
Autumn, 2003
Volume 5, Issue 3
PIE's Finest News Source
Ingredients
You've heard of a "poetry slam", right? This past July, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) hosted a weekly event on campus called "Crip Slam! Disability takes on the Arts!"
On the evening of July 30, the audience was treated to performances by Chicago native and Deaf poet Peter
Cook, creator of the "Flying Hands Project", and Jim Ferris, Associate Faculty in Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The following poem by Mr. Ferris appeared in the March/April 2000 edition of Ragged Edge Magazine , and is reprinted here with the artist's permission.
Poems with Disabilities
by Jim Ferris
I'm sorry -- this space is reserved
for poems with disabilities. I know
it's one of the best spaces in the book,
but the Poems with Disabilities Act
requires us to make all reasonable
accommodations for poems that aren't
normal. There is a nice space just
a few pages over -- in fact (don't
tell anyone) I think it's better
than this one, I myself prefer it.
Actually I don't see any of those
poems right now myself, but you never know
when one might show up, so we have to keep
this space open. You can't always tell
just from looking at them, either. Sometimes
they'll look just like a regular poem
when they roll in -- you're reading along
and suddenly everything
changes, the world tilts
a little, angle of vision
jumps, focus
shifts. You remember
your aunt died of cancer at just your age
and maybe yesterday's twinge means
something after all. Your sloppy,
fragile heart beats
a little faster
and then you know.
You just know.
And the poem
is right
where it
belongs.
INTERPRETER SURVEY FOLLOW-UP
by Stephanie Kerkvliet
If you are a hearing interpreter who works for PIE on a part time basis, you should have received an Interpreter Survey from us during the month of September. We sent out about 30 surveys (with stamped return envelope) and so far have received 13 back. If you did not receive a survey and would like one, please contact us and we will send one to you. If you still have the survey please accept this friendly reminder to ...SEND IT IN!!!
This feedback is important to us and we do take it seriously. In fact, because of the information supplied by some of you, PIE will follow up the survey with an invitation for part time employees to be a part of a focus group whose goal will be to analyze and provide feedback to PIE on our Pay rate form. Rate of pay is of course an important issue to employees.
PIE's mission continues to be, "To provide excellence in quality services to Deaf, Deaf/Blind, Hard of Hearing and non-deaf (hearing) individuals with highly skilled professionals who offer premier interpreting services ." PIE respects both full & part time employees who make this statement a reality. We look forward to an open discussion with you on how PIE can meet your needs allowing you to continue to support and carry out our mission. This may be an advance notice of the focus group. If you are interested send either a note or an e-mail to PIE. Otherwise, watch for an invitation in the mail. A date and time has not yet been selected so if you have preferences or limitations please do let us know. Many thanks to all of you for the effort and thought you put into your profession.
Got Ethics?
by Stephanie Kerkvliet
Here is a model developed by Jan Humphrey and Bob Alcorn to assist Sign Language Interpreters with making ethical decisions (taken from "Decisions? Decisions! A Practical Guide for Sign Language Professionals" By Janice Humphrey):
*Meta-ethical principles are large, over-riding principles that encompass an extensive range of behavior, morality, valued rights, and responsibilities. Specific ethical or behavioral standards such as confidentiality grow out of these broad principles.
- Collect all information and facts possible;
- Identify goals and relevant meta-ethical principles*;
- Note all possible options (divergent and creative thinking);
- Identify all potential beneficial or negative results growing out of each option;
- Review foundational goals or principles;
- Identify any emotions that may bias or influence judgment;
- Consult with colleagues as necessary (reflective and evaluative thinking);
- Rank options (convergent thinking);
- Take action; and
- Review and evaluate action taken
PIE does carry liability insurance . Any interpreter working for PIE IS COVERED by this insurance when engaged in work for PIE .
PIE has the following new e-mail addresses:
PIE Training and Development Update
by Linda Lonning
GRAYBILL EVENTS A SUCCESS
Thanks to all who joined us in welcoming Patrick Graybill to Milwaukee and thanks to our friends at the Milwaukee Archdiocese Deaf/Hard of Hearing Ministry, including Pamela Sommers, program Director. We had an excellent turn-out Sept. 12th and 13th, with about 55 people participating in Friday's workshop (Incorporating Dramatic Techniques into Your Interpreting), about 75 people participating in Saturday's workshop (text analysis for interpreters and lectors), and we figure about 125 people for Saturday night's Comedy Club with our community partner, the Milwaukee Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance (DHHA). All proceeds from the Comedy Club were donated to DHHA. I'd like to extend special appreciation for the PIE staff members who all regularly take on duties related to carrying out T & D events, and to our student volunteers who came out from NTC, MATC, and UWM. The attitudes of both of these groups were top-notch and they were a huge help to pulling these events off well.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR T & D?December, 2003 - ITP Grads' Reception for Spring 2004 graduating students.
We're trying to hold this event at a different time for the 2004 class--Winter Break. PIE has held an event to honor our grads from all five of our ITP's/EITP's for two years now. We're hoping that more grads will come out and join us for the event, so we are experimenting with not holding this event at the end of the school year, but mid-year. Fingers crossed for a GOOD turn-out this year.
2004's Workshop Schedule
I have put in a good bit of time in working to plan the T & D schedule a full year in advance . PIE (full-time) staff employees said on a 2003 survey on the T & D Program and the Coordinator's work that "We want people to call up and say, 'Hey, what's PIE T & D got coming up next?'" In order to try to get us closer to that picture, I believe giving people even more notice about future events could be a great thing. This is no small task to accomplish, but I have kept that goal in mind in the work I've done this year.
Winter/Spring 2004 - Bob Fish, CPA on Terps & Taxes . This may be a 1 or 2 part workshop offered at PIE on a weeknight.
Often times we graduate from ITP's without any instruction on business practices that we will be faced with, particularly if we work in community-based interpreting--either as an independent contractor or as an employee of a company. Tax deductions, meal allowances, allowances for overnight travel, mileage...we have to figure all of this out and what the IRS permits us to deduct may vary depending on if we are an employee or independent contractor (our own business entity). Watch for more information on issues that we will explore to enable us to organize ourselves throughout the year so when tax-time rolls around we can deduct all that the IRS permits us to.
Changes coming to T & D . Due to some changes we are implementing in the T & D Program, I am not going to elaborate on other 2004 events at this time. Watch for future information in your PIE Ala Mode.
PIE's Training and Development e-mail address is still:PIEIncTandD@hotmail.com.
A ROAD TO CERTIFICATION (part one of a two part series)
by Amy Free
This article is dedicated to Bob Free (in case I never write a book!) ILY, Dad.
My road to certification... began with a phone call.
There I was, a year and a half out of college. I had my degree in Zoology and a certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. I worked at Applebee's as a full-time waitress. It was fun for a while, no doubt, but as I approached the summer of 1998, the feeling of being unfulfilled had reached a new level.
Let me digress... After finishing my Bachelor of Science in Madison in December of 1996, I worked at the Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay System as a Communication Assistant. Prior to this, I had taken a sign class at the UW, and had been going to the Madison Association of the Deaf ASL classes. I knew ASL was cool, I knew some cool Deaf people, and I thought it might be cool to work with the Deaf community. I got in contact with Bette Mentz Powell - at what was then "WDHH" - and she sent me information about the ITPs in Wisconsin. I wasn't sure if interpreting was what I wanted to pursue. I saved all the info throughout that next year... through my stint at Relay... through my move back to Milwaukee... through my internship at the Milwaukee County Zoo... and through my spring of full-time waitressing. If you've followed along, that puts us at the summer of 1998.
I was in an ASL II class at MATC in Milwaukee, and was wanting something "more" in life. Again I looked at the materials from Bette. I wondered what interpreting was all about. I was curious about other careers related to the Deaf community. Looking up "deaf" in the yellow pages, I found listings for a variety of service agencies. My plan was to do informational interviews with all sorts of professionals working with D/HH people. I left messages at WDHH's Milwaukee office and at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I called a company named "Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professional Interpreting Enterprise, LLC" and someone answered. That someone was Debra Gorra. Debra Gorra and Stephanie Kerkvliet were the co-owners of the company "PIE". My request for an informational interview was granted, and a few days later, I entered PIE for the first time. PIE was a couple years old at that point, and was housed - literally - in Debra's basement. I vividly remember walking in, meeting Debra, Stephanie, Traci Alwardt, and Lisa Perry ("huh? What's a 'Deaf Interpreter'?? Smile!) After asking Debra a standard list of informational interview questions, she let me know that PIE was looking to hire an Interpreter Coordinator. Wow! I interview *her* and she offers *me* a job!?! Of course, it wasn't quite that simple, but it was close. Steph and Debra had to make a careful decision about hiring me for the Coordinator position. They knew I was considering the ITP, which would mean I'd only be able to work at PIE full-time for one year before leaving to go to school. They hired me :) I started working at PIE in June of 1998. Little did I know that random phone call had put me on a great road to certification...
COORDINATORS' CORNER: A Message from Behind the Scenes
by Tracy Vetter (one of the newer pieces of PIE ...)
Christine Skoczynski, MA, CSC, CI and CT, Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the UW-Milwaukee Interpreter Training Program, once said, "Every interpreter should spend some time as a coordinator". I have spent the past 15 months understanding just how true her statement was. The lessons I have learned are countless! Everything from:
- Time management -to- customer service,
- Appropriate interpreter for the job -to- consumer preferences, and
- Questions that should be asked prior to a job -to- follow up that should happen after a job.
Just to name a minute few.
PIE's mission is, "to provide excellence in quality services to Deaf, Deaf/Blind, Hard of Hearing and non-deaf (hearing) individuals with highly skilled professionals who offer premier interpreting services". Let me tell you, we're not kidding. I have learned that EVERY request is unique. I treat every interpreter request with special attention and care. Those of you that have not coordinated would be shocked to see the amount of work that goes into the coordination and scheduling of interpreters. Those of you who have coordinated know what I'm talking about. The job of an Interpreter-Coordinator makes the concept of "multi-tasking" look like child's play. Our job requires particular attention to detail at every phase of a very complex process. Honestly, I could write a book explaining that process to you! The amount of training time for a PIE Interpreter-Coordinator is undefined, and for good reason. You could learn 25 new things on a daily basis for a YEAR and still not know everything there is to know about this job. This brings me to my next point. "Team work"! Whenever I have needed guidance, PIE staffers, AND I MEAN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, have been there for me. As busy as they are, they have never been too busy to answer a question or brainstorm problem solving strategies or whatever my need might be. This team has been there for me ...been there for each other; meeting, calling, emailing and paging 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! -no question too trivial, no idea left unexplored. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the phone or emailing a coworker after hours, and I wouldn't have it any other way. We are in the business of communication. Our ability to communicate with each other is the key to our success! Now, how exactly do the "Interpreter-Coordinator pieces" fit into this "PIE"? PIE Interpreter-Coordinators organize ten full time staff member's schedules, as well as, servicing and supplying job information to a varying number of our 27 part timers! And don't forget the requestors. Our phones are ringing all day long. Not to mention the requests that come in via fax and email. But it doesn't stop there. The mentoring and observation opportunities that PIE provides to our community add additional communication and collaboration tasks to the coordinator position. Then there is education, referrals, the list goes on! Our office, "ground central", is where the behind the scenes magic happens. I say this with pride and confidence that comes from the numerous complements we receive on a daily basis. To quote some interpreters: "You guys ROCK! You are always one step ahead of the game!"; "I don't know how you do it. I can't even imagine what it takes to do what you do." To quote some requestors: "You guys are wonderful! I don't know what we'd do without you!"; "Somehow you guys always manage to come through for us in a pinch. You are amazing! I hope you all know how much we appreciate your hard work", and my favorite one, "We used to go for the cheapest interpreter... but now, I don't care what your services cost, you guys are worth every penny!" To quote some Deaf, Deaf-Blind and/or Hard of Hearing consumers: I don't care which of your interpreters you send, ALL of your interpreters are the best!", "Thank you for taking the time to explain how everything works for me" & "Thank you so much for helping me communicate with my doctors office to get an interpreter set up". Appreciative words like these are a constant reminder that we are on the right track, appropriately serving our interpreters, our requestors and our Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing consumers J .
I am sharing this with all of you for four reasons.
One, I have found that many people (myself included at one time) don't know how complex a coordinator's job is ..."Oh, you answer the phones" ..."Oh, you give interpreters their job schedules". My thoughts being, "Well, yes, but it's more; much, much MORE than that".
Two, numerous coordinators have proceeded me. Many of them are still working with PIE as a full-time interpreter, part-time interpreter, mentee, etc. I want to acknowledge all of their hard work. These PIE-pieces are the ones who truly "wrote the book" on this position.
Three, I want to thank Amy Fryman and Amy Free (former coordinators, current RID Nationally Certified full time PIE staff interpreters!) for basically "dumping their brains into mine" and giving me all the information and training I needed to be a PIE Interpreter-Coordinator.
And four, because I want to tell my fellow Interpreter-Coordinators, Laura Cook and Lynda Myers, how proud I am of you! And how proud I am of our team!
SAFETY FIRST
by Tim Mumm and Elizabeth Bergert
On the road with truckers! We may think of those big rigs as monstrous machines that could crush us while turning a corner. The truth is they're monstrous machines that could crush us while turning a corner. The truth also is that they are driven by professional men and women who typically know what they are doing and deserve our respect while on the road. That means we should know what we're doing too!
So, here are some fun facts and recommendations for you to keep in mind when you're on the road:
- A fully loaded truck going 65 mph requires the length of three football fields to stop,
- When a truck slows down or stops, especially quickly, the trailer will sway back and forth,
- Having to slow down too quickly (for an accident or a motorist who suddenly slows down in front of the truck) will cause the load to sway, and may cause the truck to jackknife,
- Trucks will exit freeways at the posted ramp speed; to exit more quickly could cause them to tip over,
- If turning on a city street, when there are two lanes the truck will take the outside lane; cars should take the inside lane; Do NOT change lanes while turning,
- Trucks take time to speed up because of their weight,
- Discourage children from signing to truckers, trying to get them to blow their horn; other vehicles in the area may not understand what's going on,
- Use extreme caution passing trucks on country roads,
- When on the freeway, if you are traveling next to a truck and they want to move into your lane, slow down and give the truck space; if you speed up to pass the truck, vehicles behind you may follow you into the space the trucker wants; trucker courtesy says that when you have backed off, and the trucker has room to move over, flash your lights,
- Whenever you need to slow down below the posted minimum speed limit, especially when going onto or coming off of a shoulder, put on your hazard lights; from a truck's point of view, any vehicle that does not have its brake lights on is going at the speed of traffic. In a situation where a vehicle is slowing dramatically to either get off the road, or when accelerating from a dead stop, having your hazards on lets surrounding traffic know that you are a slow moving vehicle. A truck driver can see the hazards on a slow moving vehicle and slow down much quicker than by determining that he/she is zooming up on a slow moving and adjusting his/her speed as the distance between the car and the truck diminishes,
- Watch the yield signs; most drivers don't pay enough attention to yield signs. If there is not a safe opening in traffic when merging, the driver with the yield sign is expected to stop and wait for a safe opening in which to enter the flow of traffic.
One final comment from Elizabeth: When on the road, remember, All Good Kids Like Milk!
- A: Aim high in steering; look ahead at what traffic is doing,
- G: Get the big picture. Imagine what the space around your vehicle looks like, what is happening in the flow of traffic,
- K: Keep your eyes moving,
- L: Leave yourself an out. (Where can you go in an emergency situation?), and
- M: Make sure they see you. Lights/signals on.
PIE welcomes Linda Myers, our new staff coordinator! Linda is a single parent who has two sons, ages 6 and 4. They keep her busy and make her feel loved. Bike riding, hot wheels and Jimmy Neutron are among her sons' favorite things. Linda enjoys crafts, especially making jewelry and sewing. (Check out the curtains in her house; they change every three months!). Linda also loves movies (except horror) and dancing with friends. Linda's favorite kind of pie, other than Professional Interpreting Enterprise, is caramel apple. Welcome Linda!
PIE is pleased to announce that Lisa Perry Burckhardt will become PIE's new mentoring coordinator.
Theresa Schmechel has changed careers. She is now a full-time mother, and will begin working with PIE part-time, assisting Lisa with mentoring coordination. Theresa will also be moving into the role of Training and Development Coordinator, teaming with Linda Lonning as she learns the ropes and makes T&D her own.