Workshop Descriptions

Presenter: Lauri Metcalf 
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This workshop is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the development, format, and rating processes of the BEI Performance Tests. It will delve into the format of the Performance Test, offering a detailed description of each section. Participants will explore the format, genre, and expectations for each section of the test. Additionally, the workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to interpret short mock samples from each section, enhancing their practical understanding of the test.
Audience: Working Interpreters and Interpreting Students Interested to Learn More about the BEI Interpreting Tests

Presenter: Stephanie Rotheram
CE: 12 IL CE Only, 1.2 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This session will provide candidates with strategies and decision-making techniques to improve English comprehension and give them a knowledge base for the Test of English Proficiency (TEP). They will focus on how to analyze a written passage and understand the relationship of ideas within the passage, and work with vocabulary that falls outside their comfort zone.  It will allow for hands-on practice with sentences containing missing items, as well as identifying synonyms and antonyms. 
IMPORTANT: Your participation in all four sessions in order of sequence is required. You will not be allowed nor receive the credit or CEUs for missing or skipping sessions.
Audience: Interpreting Students and Working Interpreters Planning to Take the BEI Test of English Proficiency.

Presenters: Amy Kalmus and Lauri Metcalf
CE: 18 IL CE, 1.8 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This workshop will walk pre-certified interpreters through an overview of certification testing, providing examples and opportunities for hands-on practice and discussion for those preparing to sit fora performance test. There will be components of the workshop to help participants differentiate between expressive interpreting and expressive transliterating as well as receptive interpreting and sight translation. Through video examples, open dialogue, vocabulary discussion and hands-on practice, attendees will complete the workshop with a better understanding of how to utilize the necessary skills when sitting for the BEI Basic test.
IMPORTANT: Your participation in all six sessions in order of sequence is required. You will not be allowed nor receive the credit or CEUs for missing or skipping sessions. Participants will need to purchase a GoReact Account $31.99 for 6 months access to all practice activities.
Audience: Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students Planning to Take the BEI Basic Test.

Presenters: Lauri Metcalf (July 27/28) & Alaina Webb (August 17-18)
CE: 12 IL CE, 1.2 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: The focus of this two-day workshop is to help candidates prepare for the BEI Advanced Performance Test including review of the five sections and expectations of the BEI Advanced Performance Test. Participants will have the opportunity for hands on deliberate practice in both individual and group activities.
IMPORTANT: Your participation on both days is required. Participants will need to purchase a GoReact Account $31.99 for 6 months access to all practice activities. 
Audience: Certified Interpreters Planning to Take the BEI Advanced Test

Presenters: Janis Guedea Hanson & Lauri Metcalf
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This workshop is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the development, format, and rating processes of the BEI Performance Tests. It will delve into the format of the Performance Test, offering a detailed description of each section. Participants will explore the format, genre, and expectations for each section of the test. Additionally, the workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to interpret short mock samples from each section, enhancing their practical understanding of the test.. 
Audience: Certified Interpreters Planning to Take the BEI Master Test

Presenter: Connie Sefcik
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This course focuses on the importance of conveying meaning and concepts accurately in ASL interpretation rather than avoiding confusion by using word for word translation.  To identify the conceptually accurate signs to help interpreters express appropriate ASL. Exercises may help participants refine their skills in producing conceptually accurate interpretations.
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenter: Carla Shird
CE: 1.5 IL CE, .15 PPO RID CEUs
Course Description: This workshop delves into the concept of team interpreters—professionals who understand and respect the cultural nuances of diverse teams. Participants will explore strategies for identifying and selecting interpreters who can effectively bridge cultural gaps. The session will also address the influence of biases on decision-making processes, offering insights into mitigating biases to ensure fair and informed selection practices.
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters, Educational Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenter: Connie Sefcik
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: Are you ready to elevate your ASL skills and ensure accurate communication in informal settings? Join us for an engaging workshop focused on the use of colloquial ASL. Designed for interpreters and ASL teachers, this course will delve into the nuanced differences between similar-looking signs and their distinct meanings, essential for conveying the right message
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenter: Sharon Neumann Solow
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: The concept of the “flavor of Deafness” will be introduced. Participants will take part in discussion regarding the nature of Deafness as a cultural pocket like ethnic neighborhoods or countries. We will discuss challenges such as the fact that there is no Deaf country, the reduction in schools for the deaf and the increase in integration of Deaf students and employees. Participants will be urged to work and think collaboratively, to be welcoming and to give and take as much as possible away and share it with their colleagues. Participants will gain an appreciation from others in attendance and will come away with strategies to assist them in integrating, analyzing and drawing conclusions from their experience in this workshop.
Audience: TBA

Presenter: Sharon Neumann Solow
CE: 6 IL CE, .6 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: The Child Protective Services (CPS) process does not travel a linear path. From the moment a referral is made, to closing a case, this process can take many twists and turns. Far too often, CPS will appear at a school without an interpreter expecting the educational interpreter to provide interpretation between the child and CPS. While this may be more convenient for CPS, there are multiple reasons why this isn’t most appropriate for the child, the educational institution including the educational interpreter and CPS. During this webinar, small group sessions will be utilized to discuss these and other issues. Professional knowledge and experience will be supplemented with the presenter’s personal experiences as a foster and an adoptive parent. This webinar is beneficial for all members of a dDeaf child’s educational team. 
Audience: TBA

Presenter: Lauri Metcalf
CE: 3 IL CE, 3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: Interpreters often decide they need to practice either to increase a specific skill or to prepare for a certification test. Often, they may watch a video or practice interpreting a piece a couple of times and then give up because they are not sure what to do and can’t tell if what they are doing is effective. This workshop will help interpreters learn how they can use deliberate practice to identify their specific goals and then develop a plan to achieve them.  
Audience: Interpreting Students who have completed all Interpreting course work, pre-certified interpreters and working interpreters.

Presenter: Amy Kalmus
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This 3-hour workshop will be an interactive discussion on what interpreting looks and feels like using a virtual platform. In addition, discussion and the unique ethical decisions interpreters are faced with working online will be explored. Topics regarding dress, lighting, backdrops, and technology will be part of the discussion with ethical dilemmas and scenarios woven in to allow group discussion and collaboration on how to address this unique setting.
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenters: Alaina Webb
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This three-hour workshop will review some basic principles of both expressive and receptive fingerspelling with the goal of increasing interpreters’ ability and confidence in properly managing the challenges of interpreting fingerspelling and numbers.  Learning how to “flex” lag time to accommodate fingerspelling, phrasing of spelling for words and groupings for numbers, and tips for managing mental resources are just a few of the techniques and concepts we will cover. Practical application of these concepts will be done through participation in small groups or pairs, and participants will leave with new resources to continue working on fingerspelling through deliberate practice.
Audience: Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students with Minimal to Advanced Skills    

Presenter: Todd Agan
CE: 6 IL CE, .6 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: Most healthcare interpreters’ framework of this setting is based on limited coursework in an ITP or developed through on-the-job experiences supplemented with continuing education workshops. This 6-hour session intends to provide a new way for interpreters to understand general healthcare concepts, settings, and use of terminology, in order to align our situational schema with that of healthcare practitioners (doctors, nurses, etc). 
Audience: Interpreters Interested in Healthcare Interpreting  

Presenter: Allisun Kale
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This session will analyze cohesion skills in English to ASL interpretation as they relate to the use of space and spatial mapping when showing historical timelines and using map orientation in ASL. Session will include large group lecture/discussion, two English to ASL practicums (including vocabulary preparation), and review of native ASL discourse interpreting models to guide our work and reflections. Come join this late summer session to practice your interpreting skills in a safe and productive environment! Interpreting Practicum texts: “Historical events & Geographic locations"
Audience: Educational Interpreters & Working Interpreters

Presenter: Allisun Kale
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This session will analyze cohesion skills in English to ASL interpretation as they relate to the use of space and spatial mapping of people and objects in an interpretation. Session will include content lecture/discussion, two English to ASL practicums (including vocabulary preparation) and review of native ASL discourse/Interpreting models to guide our work and reflections.  Come join our session to practice your interpreting skills in a safe and productive environment! Interpreting Practicum texts: “Ice Breakers for Groups & Tour Group in D.C.”
Audience: Educational Interpreters & Working Interpreters

Presenter: Jasi Sefcik
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This three-hour workshop delves into the challenges and opportunities faced by deaf individuals with language dysfluency. It offers practical strategies for effective communication and explores the vital role of interpreters. Participants will learn how to collaborate seamlessly with the Deaf community.
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenter: Todd Agan
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This 3-hour session will introduce participants to various components of patient and healthcare interpreter safety. Discussion will begin with an overview of the sections of HIPAA that are most relevant to healthcare interpreting, with particular attention paid to penalties for violations. In the second half of this session, participants will also be given recommendations regarding how to protect themselves and patients from bacterial and viral contamination in healthcare settings.
Audience: Working Interpreters in Healthcare Settings

Presenter: Amy Kalmus
CE: 6 IL CE, .6 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This workshop will walk participants through how to differentiate between expressive interpreting and expressive transliterating when preparing to sit for the performance test. Through video examples, open dialogue, vocabulary discussion and hands-on practice, attendees will complete the workshop with a better understanding of how to utilize the necessary skills and ASL vocabulary to effectively interpret in ASL and transliterate in a more English like manner. 
Audience: Second year students in an IEP/ITP Program, recently graduated, and newly certified interpreters. 

Presenter: Carla Shird
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: Join us for 'Prioritizing Self-Care: Mastering Boundaries and Well-Being in Your Professional Life', where we delve into essential strategies for interpreters to maintain balance, resilience, and professional boundaries. Explore how burnout and vicarious trauma impact interpreters, emphasizing the crucial role of self-care in maintaining well-being. Discover tailored self-care practices to enhance your resilience while navigating the complexities of interpreting.
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters, Educational Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenter: Lauri Metcalf
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: Before the BEI Certification test was released in 2007 the concept of Sight Translation was a term not often used in our profession.  From the information gathered in the Job Analysis we learned that interpreters often interpreted written documents.  This workshop is designed to help the audience gain an understanding of what is Sight Translation, who might ask for a document to be interpreted from and what is involved in the successful interpretation of a document. 
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenter: Alaina Webb
CE: 6 IL CE, .6 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: This interactive workshop is designed for participants who are interested in pursuing work in a legal setting. Interpreters have mixed feelings about working in court, but the reality is that much of what we do is legal in nature without actually being in a courtroom. The information presented in this workshop is primarily vocabulary/concept based and is designed to provide a foundation from which to build a more well-rounded knowledge of what it means to work in legal and quasi-legal settings. All court/legal settings share the same set of vocabulary and concepts. This workshop will be vocabulary intensive and will also include common phrases encountered in both legal and quasi-legal settings.
Audience: Working Interpreters with Beginning to Advanced Skills  

Presenter: Denise Campbell
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: Earn Ethics CEUs while exploring dilemmas (some outrageous and some too close for comfort) against the backdrop of the Code of Professional Conduct. Participants will examine the content, composition, and application of Ethical standards by engaging in activities and case scenarios that capture diverse interpreting settings. Participants will be challenged to examine their morals and biases, understanding that ethical behavior involves more than simply following the law.
Audience: All Levels of Working Interpreters & Interpreting Students

Presenter: Sharon Neumann Solow
CE: 3 IL CE, .3 PS RID CEUs
Course Description: Interpreters are often challenged with the complexities of relating to the Deaf community as their home community and as their consumer base. These challenges are felt from all sides. I would like to work with participants to help uncover some of the strategies and approaches that make us more comfortable together without losing our required professional status and boundaries. This workshop will offer a general overview of the challenges facing the communities of interpreters and Deaf people. We will discuss suggestions from our communities of consumers, approaches to overcome personal differences and strategies for creating a sense of unity. Participants will discuss and practice a variety of approaches to networking and supporting one another as a community. They will learn and apply strategies for negotiating with one-another respectfully and creating a collaborative environment in their work. Participants will collaborate in the application of their vision for the profession to their everyday work.
Audience: TBA