October 19, 2010
For immediate release
Douglas College is first post-secondary institution in Canada to win sign language interpreter program award
Douglas College is the first post-secondary institution in Canada to win a North America-wide award presented to sign language interpreter programs for their contributions to the field.
Douglas’s Program of Sign Language Interpretation was given the 2010 Video Relay Service Interpreter Education Program Award of Excellence by Sorenson Communications.
The annual award is given to an interpreter education program (IEP) that is making a meaningful contribution by expanding curriculum and responding to the ever-increasing demand for interpreters.
“It’s incredible,” says Jan Carrie, Dean of Child, Family and Community Studies. “This is an award of excellence for all of North America, and to get an award of this calibre says a lot for our program.”
Cheryl Palmer, Coordinator of the Douglas College Sign Language Interpretation program, says the award reflects the program’s uniqueness and dedication to its students.
“Our program has been fortunate over the last 20 years because we have been the beneficiary of extensive support and encouragement from the local deaf and interpreting communities,” Palmer says. “As well, our curriculum is widely-acknowledged as state-of-the-art in our field and our faculty takes pride in their ability to work together to focus on the progress of each student individually as they develop their skills.
“Our standards are high,” she continues, “and as a result Douglas College has a well-earned reputation for graduating some of the best qualified ASL-English interpreters in the business. This award is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication on the part of our faculty and administrators, and we are grateful to Sorenson Communications for the recognition and for their generous support.”
The program will receive a cash award of $10,000 plus $5,500 in credits to purchase resources materials for the program.
Sorenson Communications is an American company that provides video relay service for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who use sign language to communicate. Sorenson is the largest supplier of this service in North America and has operations in BC and across Canada.
Video Relay Service (VRS) is a communication service that allows deaf people to make phone calls using video through an American Sign Language interpreter. The interpreter relays the signed message to a hearing listener and the spoken message to the deaf person via video.
Douglas College is one of the largest colleges in British Columbia, providing a variety of bachelor’s degrees, university transfer, career and developmental programs for over 20,000 students each year. The College is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. For more information, visit douglascollege.ca.
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Contact:
Tamara Letkeman
Writer/Media Specialist
Marketing and Communications Office
Douglas College
Phone: 604-527-5325
E-mail: letkemant@douglascollege.ca
