History
In 2010, the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), awarded a grant (H325K100234) to the University of Northern Colorado, Distance Opportunities for Interpreter Training (UNC-DO IT) Center that focused on improving the quality of services provided by interpreters working in education. Seven investigations were conducted from 2010-2014 (in press) to determine patterns of practice within the field of educational interpreting. These included several specific analyzes of existing publications and websites, an expert group review of national findings, an online national survey of educational interpreters, a national summit of working practitioners, and a data analysis of the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment system. Consensus from all stakeholders in the OSEP investigations revealed that the field of educational interpreting needed a professional organization that focused specifically on the complex work that K-12 interpreters do to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing. From the results from the OSEP-funded investigations, a national steering committee with a wide range of expertise in the field of educational interpreting was established in the fall of 2015 with the goal of developing the organizational infrastructure, mission and belief statements, and a 5-year strategic plan.
2015-2016 STEERING COMMITTEE: Frances Beaurivage, Nebraska Susan Brown, Colorado Tracey Frederick, Maine Pat Himes, Colorado Sue Ann Houser, Pennsylvania Leilani Johnson, Colorado Racheal Ragin, North Carolinia Jenna Schellenber, Washington Rachel Sera, Washington Stephanie Zito, Wisconsin
STEERING COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTORS: LaNae Phillips, Colorado Carol Schweitzer, Wisconsin Rachel Sera, Washington Janet Sloand, Pennsylvania Kevin Williams, New York Caryl Williams, New Mexico
Photo: 2016 Board of Directors (Left to Right): Patricia Himes, Jenna Schellenberger, Stephanie Zito, Tracey Frederick, Susan Brown, Kory Cross, and Jeremy Tuttle.
In the spring of 2016, the National Association of Interpreters in Education was established as a non-profit organization, which promotes the pursuit of professional excellence regarding interpreting services in educational settings.
Official launching of NAIE commenced at the 2016 National Conference on Interpreting in Education: A Changing Landscape, June 23-26, 2016 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado.
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