The Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program is designed to establish interpreter training programs or to provide financial assistance for ongoing interpreter programs to train a sufficient number of qualified interpreters throughout the country in order to meet the communication needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind by—

(a) Training interpreters to effectively interpret and transliterate between spoken language and sign language and to transliterate between spoken language and oral or tactile modes of communication;

(b) Ensuring the maintenance of the interpreting skills of qualified interpreters; and

(c) Providing opportunities for interpreters to raise their skill level competence in order to meet the highest standards approved by certifying associations.

Public and private nonprofit agencies and organizations, including institutions of higher education, are eligible for assistance under this program.

The following regulations apply to the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program:

(a) 34 CFR part 385 (Rehabilitation Training), sections—

(1) 385.3(a) and (d);

(2) 385.40 through 385.46; and

(b) The regulations under this part 396.

(a) Definitions in EDGAR. The following terms defined in 34 CFR 77.1 apply to this part:

(b) Definitions in the rehabilitation training regulations. The following terms defined in 34 CFR 385.4(b) apply to this part:

Individual With a Disability

Institution of Higher Education

(c) Other definitions. The following definitions also apply to this part:

Existing program that has demonstrated its capacity for providing interpreter training services means an established program with—

(i) A record of training qualified interpreters who are serving the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind communities; and

(ii) An established curriculum that uses evidence-based practices in the training of interpreters and promising practices when evidence-based practices are not available.

Individual who is deaf means an individual who, in order to communicate, depends primarily upon visual modes, such as sign language, speech reading, and gestures, or reading and writing.

Individual who is deaf-blind means an individual—

(i)(A) Who has a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a field defect such that the peripheral diameter of visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees, or a progressive visual loss having a prognosis leading to one or both of these conditions;

(B) Who has a chronic hearing impairment so severe that most speech cannot be understood with optimum amplification, or a progressive hearing loss having a prognosis leading to this condition; and

(C) For whom the combination of impairments described in paragraphs (i)(A) and (B) of this definition causes extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining a vocation;

(ii) Who, despite the inability to be measured accurately for hearing and vision loss due to cognitive or behavioral constraints, or both, can be determined through functional and performance assessment to have severe hearing and visual disabilities that cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining vocational objectives; or

(iii) Who meets any other requirements that the Secretary may prescribe.

Individual who is hard of hearing means an individual who, in order to communicate, needs to supplement auditory information by depending primarily upon visual modes, such as sign language, speech reading, and gestures, or reading and writing.

Interpreter for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing means a qualified professional who uses sign language skills, cued speech, or oral interpreting skills, as appropriate to the needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, to facilitate communication between individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and other individuals.

Interpreter for individuals who are deaf-blind means a qualified professional who uses tactile or other manual language or fingerspelling modes, as appropriate to the needs of individuals who are deaf-blind, to facilitate communication between individuals who are deaf-blind and other individuals.

Novice Interpreter means an interpreter who has graduated from an interpreter education program or enters the field through an alternate pathway, is at the start of his or her professional career with some level of proficiency in American Sign Language, and is working toward becoming a qualified professional.

Qualified professional means an individual who has—

(i) Met existing certification or evaluation requirements equivalent to the highest standards approved by certifying associations; and

(ii) Successfully demonstrated interpreting skills that reflect the highest standards approved by certifying associations through prior work experience.

Related agency means—

(i) An American Indian rehabilitation program; or

(ii) Any of the following agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities under an agreement or other arrangement with a designated State agency in the area of specialty for which training is provided:

(A) A Federal, State, or local agency.

(B) A nonprofit organization.

(C) A professional corporation or professional practice group.

The Secretary may award grants to public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations, including institutions of higher educations, to provide assistance for establishment of interpreter training programs or for projects that provide training in interpreting skills for persons preparing to serve, and persons who are already serving, as interpreters for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and as interpreters for individuals who are deaf-blind in public and private agencies, schools, and other service-providing institutions.