deaf-blind interpreting through the lens … interpreting through the lens of the demand ......

Susanne Morgan Morrow, MA, CI, CT

Tomina Schwenke, PhD, CI, CT???

DEAF-BLIND

INTERPRETING

THROUGH THE

LENS OF THE

DEMAND

CONTROL

SCHEMA

• Demonstrate knowledge and applicability of

the Demand Control Schema to interpreting

scenarios requiring deaf-blind interpreting

strategies.

• Analyze potential demands placed on the

interpreter when working with consumers

with atypical vision.

• Identify controls to assist in any scenario that

is deemed as “deaf-blind interpreting.”

LEARNER OBJECTIVES

Demand Control

Schema & Deaf-Blind

Interpreting

General categories of modifications potentially needed by Deaf-Blind consumers.

Strategies for Deaf-Blind individuals are applicable across settings.

Possible controls within each category.

The link between the Demand-Control Schema in relation to deaf-blindness.

PREVIEW

Points of assessment & how they can be applied.

Understanding

Deaf-Blind

People

Hearing Vision

It is important to understand that the

combination of hearing loss and vision

loss isn’t addition, it’s multiplication:

X

MODES OF COMMUNICATION

• Communication or Picture Cards

• Oral/Spoken Language

• Oral/Printed Communication via Text

• Printed Communication

• Sign Language – Visual

• Sign Language – Tactile

• Combination of Modalities

Age of Onset

Progressive or Stable

Mode(s) of Communi-

cation

Available Supports

Self-Knowledge

Amount & Type of

Training

Affecting factors in

deaf-blind

interpreting are at

the core of the

Demand-Control

Schema.

•A theoretical framework

that allows us to assess

and mitigate the stressors

that are inherent in the

work of sign language

interpreting.

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

Dean and Pollard (2001)

•Demands – Part of the job

regardless of who

the interpreter is.

– What is needed:

knowledge,

capability,

characteristics,

traits, working

conditions

•Controls – Interpersonal and

varying.

– Resources and

options (rather than

controlling� the

situation).

– There isn’t a one-to-

one match of

demands and

controls

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

Dean and Pollard (2001)

Four Discrete Demands:

1. Environmental

2. Interpersonal

3. Paralinguistic

4. Intrapersonal

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

Four Discrete Demands:

1. Environmental

2. Interpersonal

3. Paralinguistic

4. Intrapersonal

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

“Environmental demands are

interpreting challenges or success

requirements that pertain to the

assignment setting (e.g., the need to

understand consumers' occupational

roles and specialized terminology

specific to a given setting or tolerance

of space limitations, odors, extreme

temperatures, or adverse weather)”

Source: Deaf Wellness Center, Univ. of Rochester Medical Center

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

Physical surroundings:

•Room temperature

•Chemicals and odors

•Seating arrangements/sight lines

•Lighting quality

•Visual distractions

•Background noise

•Space (people, furniture, equipment)

Source: Dean & Pollard (2001) UNC DO IT Center http://www.unco.edu/doit/home.html

•There are four

environmental factors

that affect the

interpreting process

for individuals with

vision loss.

1. Seating

2. Contrast

3. Lighting

4. Distance

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Physical Environment

• Being on the same plane with the consumer will assist

in facilitating communication

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

•Adjust your chair up or down

accordingly, if possible

•Request for a different style of

chair

•Sit at an angle to each other

with a comfortable distance

1. SEATING

UNEQUAL PLANES Arm overstretching

Head angled

Neck pressure

1. SEATING

EQUAL PLANES Direct eye contact

Arms at comfortable

lengths

Accurate sign production

• Be sure you and the consumer both have sufficient

support during communication interactions

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

•Use corners of tables

•Use arms of chairs

•Use pillows or rolled jackets behind

backs

•Sit on the edge of the chair to place

weight on legs, not back

1. SEATING

Bad Support Good Support

• The interpreter needs to provide a solid contrast to

her hands/arms to enhance reception of sign language.

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

Prepare wardrobe in advance with

the following considerations:

Wear dark colors for light

pigmentation (not red/pink), light

colors for dark pigmentation (not

white), No open collars or v-neck

shirts, No patterns

Keep a smock or sweater handy

2. CONTRAST

Washed Out

– No Contrast

Hands/Face Clear

– Good Contrast

• Be aware of the backdrop behind you while signing

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

–Request a solid backdrop

–Move to a location in the room

that is less visually cluttered

2. CONTRAST

VISUALLY

CLUTTERED

- Congested

background

- Complex

attire

- No contrast

VISUALLY

CHALLENGING

- Congested

background

- Improved

attire

- Good

clothing

contrast/poor

background

VISUALLY

OPTIMAL

- Clean

background

- Contrasting

attire

- Reduces

eye fatigue

3. LIGHTING

• Additional illumination may be needed in order to

enhance visual access to sign language production

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

–Request that the space be more

illuminated

–Request additional lighting

Lamps that can be angled are often

best

–Move to a different location in the

environment that is better illuminated

Beware of natural lighting – glare and

shadows!

The interpreter needs to be aware of seating & positioning. Never sit in front of windows or bright light.

3. LIGHTING

Contrasting backdrop

Lighting from the front

Lighting should always come from the

front of the interpreter,

over the shoulder of the

consumer.

3. LIGHTING The

interpreter should select a position that allows for a

more contrasting

background.

• Distance between communication

partners may be closer (low vision) or

further away (reduced peripheral fields)

• Distance between the Deaf-Blind person

and communication partners within the

environment may not be accessible

• Materials and things are at a distance

may not be accessible

4. DISTANCE

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

– Pre-conference with the Deaf-Blind person

to determine a comfortable seating distance.

– Pre-conference with the Deaf-Blind person

to discuss what information within the

environment is of interest

– Determine a strategy with your partner and

the Deaf-Blind person as to when this

information will be incorporated into the

interpreting process.

4. DISTANCE

ACTIVITY Environmental

Four Discrete Demands:

1. Environmental

2. Interpersonal

3. Paralinguistic

4. Intrapersonal

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

Interpersonal

“Interpersonal demands are interpreting

challenges or success requirements that

pertain to the interaction of the

consumers (e.g., the need to understand

and mediate cultural differences, power

differences and dynamics, differences in

fund of information (Pollard, 1998), or

the unique perceptions, preconceptions,

and interactional goals of the

consumers.)” Source: Deaf Wellness Center, Univ. of Rochester Medical Center

INTERPERSONAL

POSSIBLE DEMANDS:

• Understanding of the interpreter role

• Adherence to expected role norms

• Communication directed to the interpreter

• Power and authority dynamics

• Oppression, dishonesty, & unfairness

• Communication control (e.g., turn-taking)

Source: Dean & Pollard (2001)

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:

• What are the relationships between people?

• How are the individuals the same or different

- e.g. sociolinguistic and cultural background

• What are the expectations of the interpreter, the deaf-blind person, audience members?

• What are the power dynamics at play?

• Are there oppressive or unfair events present?

• Who is controlling the communication?

• How is turn taking happening?

INTERPERSONAL DEMANDS

MENTAL HEALTH -Confidentiality -Transference -Countertransference -Vicarious trauma

INTERPERSONAL

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

• Self-awareness

• Strategies for managing biases, judgments & sensitivities

• Ability to maintain professionalism when interactions are emotionally charged

• Personal insight

• Strategies for caring for self

INTERPERSONAL

ACTIVITY Interpersonal

Four Discrete Demands:

1. Environmental

2. Interpersonal

3. Paralinguistic

4. Intrapersonal

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

Paralinguistics

PARALINGUISTIC

POSSIBLE DEMANDS:

• Communication modalities

• Linguistic fluency

• Communication speed

• Communication clarity

• Voice volume; signing space

• Receptive and expressive skills

• Technical vocabulary Source: Dean & Pollard (2001)

1. Seating

2. Contrast

3. Lighting

4. Distance

5. Time

6. Space/Pace

PARALINGUISTIC FACTORS

Physical Environment

Process in Environment

• In order to produce

an accurate

interpretation

additional time might

be necessary.

• Processing time for

satisfactory visual

access may be

prolonged

• Time to read (visually

or tactually)

materials may be

extended

5. TIME

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

– Pre-conference with the Deaf-Blind person

to discuss how the viewing of materials will

take place.

– Pre-conference with your team interpreter

on strategies for maintaining on-going

information. • Notetaking during process, visual referencing for

consumer

– Determine specific roles: language

interpreter vs. visual information

interpreter.

5. TIME

S P A C E

6. Space/Pace

S P A C E • Space between communication

partners gets larger or smaller

• Signing space can get larger or smaller

• Personal space between

communication partners changes

• The concept of space and where things

are located in the environment changes/

takes more precedence.

S P A C E

• Rate of sign language production may

be altered

• Fingerspelling & numerical production

is slowed

• Moving from place to place may be

slowed

• Accessing printed materials takes

longer

CHANGING

NEEDS

-Face-to-Face Two-

Handed Tactile Sign

Language

-Enlarged font via

Large Screen TV

ACTIVITY Paralinguistic

Four Discrete Demands:

1. Environmental

2. Interpersonal

3. Paralinguistic

4. Intrapersonal

DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA

Intrapersonal

“Intrapersonal demands are

interpreting challenges or success

requirements that pertain to the

internal physiological or

psychological state of the interpreter

(e.g., the need to tolerate hunger,

pain, fatigue, or distracting

thoughts or feelings.)”

Source: Df Wellness Center, Univ. of Rochester Medical Center

INTRAPERSONAL

POSSIBLE DEMANDS: • Nature and intensity of event

• Vicarious reactions

• Safety concerns

• Physiological responses (e.g., sweating, upset stomach, heart racing, fatigue, etc.)

• Distractions

• Doubts regarding performance

• Availability of supervision and/or peer support

• Liability concerns Source: Dean & Pollard (2001)

INDIVIDUAL

EXPERIENCE:

ACTIVE

INTERNAL

PROCESS

Feedback or internal dialogue (e.g., making a gesture while

thinking, mentally sorting out non-verbal behavior of

another person, thinking about the next meal, etc.)

INTERNAL PROCESSING: • Self-dialogue

• Self-talk

• Inner monologue

• Internal dialogue

• Internal speech

• Process of thoughts, sparking

feelings/emotions and then actions

• Positive or negative

INTRAPERSONAL

POSITIVE: • Thoughts are positive

• Resulting in positive emotions

Examples:

• That was interesting/fun/thought

provoking/informative/inspiring

• That was challenging but I could handle it

• I am improving/learning/growing

• I think he/she likes/respects me

• I feel good about that event/assignment/interaction

• I want to work with that person again

Self-Talk

Self-

Talk

Negative: • Impaired ability to concentrate on the message

• Limiting the capacity to express the thoughts or feelings of others

• Overloaded thoughts and feelings

Examples:

•He/she doesn’t like me

•I’m not good enough

•I’ll never improve

•He/she will complain about me

•I never do that right

•Why did I think I could handle this assignment

Self-Talk

Acknowledging

mistakes,

humanness

and

moving

on…

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

Encouraging self talk

• Consciously acknowledging variables

– the presence and significance of a given demand

– the impact it has on the interpreting assignment

• Awareness of the quality and quantity of your self talk

–Is it primarily positive, negative, or a mix?

–Are you perfectionistic?

–What is the impact on your work?

–How is your personal life influenced?

Intrapersonal Communication

PERFECTIONISM

•The construct – negative and neurotic (Burns, 1980).

– balanced view of perfectionism with positive or normal perfectionism distinguished from a negative or neurotic perfectionism (Hamachek, 1978).

•Contemporary definition – Perfectionism is a multidimensional construct, with both

maladaptive and adaptive potential (Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, & Ashby, 2001).

PERFECTIONISM

Maladaptive potential •Concerns about performance, including skill competency, are identified as significant contributors to an interpreter’s experience of stress and burnout (Dean & Pollard, 2001; Roziner & Shlesinger, 2010)

Adaptive potential •Conscientiousness includes striving for achievement, efficiency, hard-work, and perfectionist traits and is a significant predictor of occupational performance (Bontempo & Napier, 2011)

PERFECTIONISM

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

Self care

• How do you feel?

–Are you stressed?

• How do you cope?

–What do you need?

–How can you care for yourself?

INTRAPERSONAL

STRESS & COPING

How to Address Stress – Self-care

– Nurturing activities

– Escape

How to Transform Distress – Create meaning

– Infuse a current activity with meaning

– Challenge your negative beliefs and assumptions (e.g.,

Nihilism, cynicism, and despair)

– Participate in community-building activities (e.g., RID

committee, Habitat for humanity, meditation group)

STRESS & COPING

POSSIBLE CONTROLS:

Supervision/Mentorship

• Talking about your thoughts with those

more experienced, finding solutions

Peer support

• Sharing thoughts and feelings with

peers

INTRAPERSONAL

• Issues of Confidentiality

• DB community small

• Dual relationships common

• Job structure-not a lot of time to chit-chat, rushing, may or may not be with partner, sometimes unpredictable work situations

• Not well understood

• Confusing professional issues for loved ones, therapists, & others to comprehend

Challenges to sharing:

Asking for help

• Depends on personal factors

• Including:

• Professional stage of development

• Social Support

• Community Involvement

• Access to Supervision

Resources & Support

STRESS &

COPING

Independent of client-related issues

•Typical environmental

–Problems with workplace

-Administration

-Support

Suffering from serving

•Can lead to exhaustion

•May be unaware

–Unconscious

Compassion Fatigue

• Reserved for extreme circumstances

– Health is suffering

– Outlook on life is negative

– Feel overloaded

– Independent of clients

•Environmental issues

•Problems of workplace

administration

BURNOUT

• Burnout is described as “a syndrome of emotional exhaustion and cynicism that occurs frequently among individuals who do ‘people-work’ of some kind” (Maslach & Jackson, 1981, p. 99).

• Individual begins to experience an increased feeling of emotional exhaustion – which leads to a general feeling of being depleted of

the emotional resources needed to psychologically give of themselves (Maslach & Jackson, 1981).

BURNOUT

Physiologic

Responses to Stress 1. Nervous System

2. Musculoskeletal System

3. Respiratory System

4. Cardiovascular System

5. Endocrine System

6. Gastrointestinal System

7. Reproductive System

www.stress.org

• Continued training – Workshops – Coursework – Experience

• Mentorship – Develop relationship with

mentor who has more experience in that area

• Work on your own self-awareness

• Take care of yourself • Collect and share resources

SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES

•Assignment Demands

–Use of technology, multi-media

–Group dynamics/activities

ADDITIONAL DEMANDS

ACTIVITY Intrapersonal

30 you. AA female, congenitally deaf and later deaf-blind (fluent ASL, attended various schools for the deaf) mother of two small children. She was recently hospitalized for attempted suicide with a knife. Symptoms include psychotic features (e.g. hallucinations, delusions), depression, and “rage.”

Case Study

•Outpatient referred for 1:1 psychotherapy, family

counseling, & medication management.

•Individual session goals:

1) Symptom reduction;

2) Suicide/Risk assessment

•Family session goals:

1) Improve communication with father;

2) Encourage independence/empowerment (e.g. financially, parenting)

Case Study

Patient

Therapist Interpreter

Case Study: Individual Session

Patient Dad Child

Therapist Interpreter

Case Study: Family Session

•Split into groups •Identify what the potential Demands & Controls are in the given scenario •Patient is Deaf-Blind

–May communicate using tactile, close vision, or tracking

Activity

DEMANDS Environmental, Interpersonal, Linguistic, and Intrapersonal

CONTROLS Appreciation of mental illness, how depression or psychosis manifests and effects families Knowledge of symptoms of depression (guilt, hopelessness, helpless, tearful) or psychosis (delusions, hallucinations) Understanding of the how questions are asked in mental health settings (more open ended) and the purpose behind specific questions (suicide assessments) Awareness of feelings, thoughts and empathetic experiences

Activity

Pre-Assignment

Assignment

Post-Assignment

Three Points of Assessment

Psychotic disorders occur equally as often (or even somewhat less often) in the deaf population as in the hearing population. Contradictory literature on hallucinations

• Current theory states related to audiological history Challenges of accurately diagnoses (e.g. thought disorganization)

• The etiology of deafness • Language dysfluency • Skill and training of ASL interpreters • Evaluation Measures

SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE

Identifying and Assessing Psychosis in Deaf Psychiatric Patients (Landsberger & Diaz, 2011)

You’ve been asked to interpret a counseling session with a deaf client/ patient and a hearing therapist. The deaf person has recently overdosed on drugs and was taken to the hospital for treatment. The therapist has never met with a deaf patient before, but there is a pre-session planned prior to the session.

- What will be important discussion points?

- What would be different about this scenario if it were in an emergency psychiatric evaluation?

Case Study:

Assignment Arranging

• Interpreter related factors • Experience in deaf-blindness, prior knowledge of

assignment and consumer needs, attire, materials, interpreting tools

Adapted from http://www.terptopics.com/DemandControl.htm

DEMAND-CONTROL

SCHEMA

THREE POINTS OF ASSESSMENT 1. Pre-assignment

A. Interpreter-related factors:

• Prior knowledge of the

assignment & working

environment (i.e. location,

content to be discussed)

• Assignment professional

requirements (i.e. attire,

previously established

relationships)

• Preview of materials

• Consumer language needs

• General experience in deaf-

blindness

B. Individual-specific factors

• Logistical information

– Partner, team, lead

• Educational background

– School for the deaf, school for

deaf-blind, mainstreamed

• Language of the individual

– Tactile, close vision, tracking

• Consumer visual needs

• Potential visual environmental

challenges

• Consumer SSP, additional support

needs

Adapted from http://www.terptopics.com/DemandControl.htm

2. Assignment

• Pre-conferencing with consumer & on-site contacts

• Establishing language/communication preference

• Assessing logistics

• Orientation to the environment

• Incorporating visual information/changes in the

environment

• On-going modification process for optimal language

access

Adapted from http://www.terptopics.com/DemandControl.htm

THREE POINTS OF ASSESSMENT

3. Post-assignment

• Post-conferencing with consumer

• Talk about how the session went for the individuals

involved

• Reflect on how the session went for you

– Pros and cons

– Problems and solutions

• Feedback to hiring agent

• specific to visual and additional support needs of the

consumer

• Checklist for future assignments

Adapted from http://www.terptopics.com/DemandControl.htm

THREE POINTS OF ASSESSMENT

Keeping the Balance

Controls

Demands

• The Deaf Wellness Center at the University of Rochester: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/dwc/

• The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf: http://www.rid.org

• TerpTopics http://www.terptopics.com/DemandControl.htm

• Identifying and Assessing Psychosis in Deaf Psychiatric Patients (Landsberger & Diaz, 2011)

• Your doctoral studies

RESOURCES