Registration*: $40 all day, $25 morning only
(Registration for the full day is limited to 45 participants, registration for the morning only is unlimited)
*Registration cancellations and refunds are available up until September 30th.
Half of the proceeds from this workshop will be donated to EMBERS Eastside Works.
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is a complex and dynamic community where many Deaf people receive services that necessitate the use of an RSLI. What are the best practices for working in settings where mental health, substance use and harm reduction, trauma experience, cultural competence, idiosyncratic language use and social stigma are common demands?
This workshop is an opportunity for interpreters to learn more about the context and practice of working with allied professionals to provide access to vital services such as healthcare, housing and harm reduction to a Deaf consumer group who face multiple access barriers beyond language and communication.
Workshop presenters and facilitators - a clinical nurse educator, social worker and RSLIs, will share their experiences working with Deaf consumers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with these goals:
- To provide a snapshot of the context of the DTES relevant to interpreting work.
- To share the competencies, philosophical approaches and practical strategies some experienced professionals rely on when working in the DTES.
- To review common demands related to language-use in this setting, including English and ASL vocabulary.
- To incorporate theoretical frameworks such as role-space and demand-control schema in our discussion around discovering and building on best practices for interpreting in these types of settings.
- To provide a forum for questions and discussion with professionals who have experience in this type of setting to help interpreters determine their own professional development goals related to this setting.
This workshop will be structured so that participants have the option of a half or full-day professional development experience.
Morning presentations (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Elizabeth Dagg, Mental Health Clinician (VCH Deaf Well Being Program), Mo Gaffney, Clinical Nurse Mentor (VCH) and Kirsten Hagemoen, RSLI (WAVLI) will describe the community context and demands of working the DTES and share strategies and approaches for increasing access.
Afternoon discussion groups (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM): The presenters and other RSLIs experienced in working in the DTES will facilitate smaller group discussions on the main themes of the presentation. This is also an opportunity for participants to ask more questions and share their own expertise in this area. Participants will join 2 different breakout discussions on the topics they are most interested in, followed by a large group debriefing and resource sharing.
Both the morning and afternoon sessions will include breaks. This virtual workshop will take place on Zoom.
Presenters will use English and ASL. ASL-English interpretation will be provided.
