CHS & IRID Partner to Create the First Master Mentorship Program in Illinois for Sign Language Interpreters
CHICAGO (July 23, 2021) – Every day in Illinois, American Sign Language users who are Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing face barriers to receiving effective communication. According to the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, there are approximately 750 licensed interpreters to serve the approximate 350,000 Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing ASL-users in Illinois. To foster growth in qualified, certified and licensed interpreters in Illinois, a new collaboration has formed between the Chicago Hearing Society (CHS), a division of Anixter Center, and the Illinois Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (IRID).
Founded in 1916, the Chicago Hearing Society (CHS), a division of Anixter Center, serves any person who is Deaf, DeafBlind or Hard of Hearing from birth to 100+ years old. Programs include Interpreter Services, Community Outreach and Advocacy (DeafBlind, Youth, Domestic Violence, Advocacy/Case Management, and Sign Language programs), and Hearing Health Audiology Clinic. CHS houses the Mary Mulcrone Mentorship Program, founded in the late 1970s which provides mentorship to students, recent graduates and licensed interpreters seeking to specialize in a field of interpreting.
The Illinois Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (IRID) is a state affiliate chapter of the national professional association, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. IRID is a member-driven organization of professional interpreters that strive to advocate for best practices in interpreting, sponsor professional development for practitioners, encourage the highest standards in the provision of interpreting services for diverse users of languages that are signed or spoken.
CHS and IRID have contracted with the Teaching Interpreting Educators and Mentors (TIEM) Center to facilitate four learning modules to fifteen select interpreters and will launch its first cohort in Fall 2021. The Teaching Interpreting Educators and Mentors (TIEM) Center has long-standing experience in the design, development, and implementation of educational and training programs for both interpreting mentors and educators. Partnering with the TIEM Center, CHS/IRID are providing students a development opportunity, with access to top experts in the field, and a proving ground for a mentoring model that is key to the future work of interpreters.
For more information, contact:
Marijo Wimbush (CHS) MWimbush@anixter.org or 773.248.9121 ext. 316 or
Angela Malcomson (IRID) at president@irid.org
or go to
Illinois Master Mentor Program
