Dynamic Equivalence Blog

Pixabay image by Ally Laws. Updated 04.27.2022; Originally published February 2021 I was recently reminded of the important role we play in informing our elected officials of what is important to us, how their decisions affect us, and what we, as their constituents, expect from them. Last week, I received a nudge prompting me to write down my thoughts when Mireya Pérez , who created the Brand the Interpreter podcast , tagged me on a post about State of Washington House Bill (HB) 1153 asking me for my thoughts.  Before I share my thoughts, I would like to clarify that my thoughts are those of a private individual who does not live in the State of Washington. All thoughts and recommendations shared are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  Why care about legislation? At different points in my career, I have cared about specific legislation for different reasons. For example, as a healthcare interpreter I was particularly interested in Section 1557...

Photo by Aaron Burden This Thursday I had the opportunity to co-present a webinar for the NCIHC Home for Trainers series with Nora Goodfriend-Koven on Interpreting IEP Meetings. I was able to share some of the key concepts that helped me prepare for and effectively interpret at IEPs, as shared in the Preparing for IEPs online training available through MasterWord. So, what makes interpreting at IEPs unique? Is it legal, medical or educational? In my humble opinion, one of the things that makes interpreting at IEP meetings so challenging is the intersect between legal, medical, and educational interpreting. The individualized education program/plan (IEP) is, as the name entails, a program designed for a particular student to meet his or her personal academic goals. IEPs are only developed for students who have a special need, as established by law, and qualify for modifications to the general (sometimes called regular) curriculum for their grade level. Since it is a program governed by ...