IRIS: Alternative Pathway Program
Content of this page is presented by Joshua Beckman in American Sign Language.
The journey to national certification poses challenges for many reasons, especially for interpreters in rural areas. The absence of formalized interpreter education in rural regions and gaps in organizational support are significant issues.
The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) recognizes these challenges and has collaborated with IRIS to provide the Alternative Pathway Program (APP) via the IRIS Project. Together, we aimed to address this gap by providing a supportive IRIS-based environment that offers an alternative pathway toward national certification.
This program is designed for individuals who: (1) work as interpreters, (2) are not RID certified, and (3) do not have a bachelor鈥檚 degree, a requirement by RID to take the CASLI Generalist Performance exam for national certification.
Throughout the IRIS: Alternative Pathway Program, participants will experience the following:
- Producing verification of one鈥檚 completed college coursework;
- Producing verification of one鈥檚 interpreting work experiences;
- Producing verification of one鈥檚 interpreting professional development;
- Compiling verification to satisfy the requirements of the RID Alternative Pathway;
and
- Submitting required documentation to RID for APP approval.
Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Identify systematic barriers that rural interpreters face in the RID Alternative Pathway process;
- Locate documentation of alternative lived experiences that satisfy the RID Alternative Pathway process;
- Collate documented experiences in the format as required by the RID Alternative Pathway process;
- Articulate short and long-term goals for obtaining RID national certification; and
- Submit a completed application for the RID Alternative Pathway Program.
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