Hello, everyone. We're excited to share an update on the progress of our Interpreting Forward initiative.
Over the past several months, the participants and team have been hard at work with two dedicated working groups, Interpreter Pathways and Community Engagement.
Let's start with the Interpreter Pathways group. We've been focusing on interpreting practices in Minnesota with a special emphasis on the growth and development of ASL
interpreters, including hearing, deaf CDI, and deafblind interpreters. We've put together a diverse team comprised of deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing consumers,
interpreter training program professionals, Deaf and hearing interpreters, agency leaders,
and other system stakeholders. It's been an amazing journey of collaboration and learning.
Next up, let's talk about our Community Engagement team. They've been out there
conducting interviews and running an anonymous survey. And guess what?
We've had an overwhelming response with over 280 participants already.
We truly appreciate your involvement and input in shaping the future
of interpreting services in Minnesota.
Through these working groups and interactions with stakeholders like you, we've witnessed a genuine appreciation for the chance to discuss and shape the future of interpreting services. Your insights have been invaluable and are steering us
in the right direction.
Based on your feedback, we've got something exciting planned. We have begun a tour of communities in Greater Minnesota to connect, gather feedback on the experience of interpreting consumers in Greater Minnesota, and consider how to improve quality and availability of interpreting services across Minnesota.
Our team will be organizing and visiting the following communities.
Rochester
St. Cloud
Moorhead
Bemidji
Duluth
Marshall
Thief River Falls
Faribault
In most of these communities, there will be two sessions. Please come and join the discussion when we come to an area near you. We will have refreshments. It will also be a good time to connect with your friends and neighbors, discuss your experiences and share your ideas on how to improve interpreting services in your community.
On the Commission website, you can find links to more information, including how to RSVP for each of these community conversations. Also, sign up for the Commission's social media to keep on top of all that's going on.
Come share your ideas on improving the number and quality of interpreters for all of Minnesota. We hope to see you at one of these sessions.
To each and every one of you., your support and contributions make this initiative possible. Together, we're going to make a positive impact, and we couldn't be more excited about the journey ahead.
If you have any questions or ideas, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to interpreting forward.
Until next time, stay awesome and we'll catch you in the next video. Bye.
Credits
The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing thanks:
Albert Walla for ASL talent.
The workgroup members and community members who contribute their time, ideas and energy.
The Dendros Group
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