2026-2027 Interpreter (Deaf and Hard of Hearing)

The School District of Lee County•Fort Myers, FL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position involves providing interpreting services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in academic and vocational settings. The interpreter will facilitate communication between students, teachers, and peers, adapt classroom materials, and utilize specialized equipment. Responsibilities include voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice interpretation, recording assignments, collecting student performance data, and assisting students in various school-related activities. The role requires preparation for daily assignments, adherence to ethical guidelines, and participation in ongoing professional development.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent.
Two (2) years of study at an institution of higher education; or Associate’s degree or higher; or successful completion of a formal academic assessment that demonstrates either knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing in reading, writing, mathematics, and other academic subjects or knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness.
Certification as a Florida Registered Interpreter of Deaf or proof of enrollment and attendance in training leading to certification.
Clear and concise oral and written communication skills.
Organizational and management skills.
Interpersonal skills.
Exceptional skill and speed in repetitive use of fingers, hands, and limbs.
Knowledge of the deaf culture in contrast to the hearing culture.
Knowledge of pertinent regulations, policies, and procedures for the functional area of assignment.
Knowledge of HIPAA, Public Records, Sunshine Law, FERPA, and other laws/regulations related to student and employee privacy, public information, and records retention.
Knowledge of and experience with industry-standard equipment, materials, practices, computers, and applications.
Ability to professionally and effectively respond to customer needs and requests for service or assistance.
Ability to understand and utilize a variety of communication modes used by students and the ability to voice interpret the signed communications of students.
Ability to stand for prolonged periods.
Ability to listen closely (more acute and enduing than normal daily life).
Ability to simultaneously listen and sign for up to ninety (90) minutes at a time, seven (7) hours per day.
Ability to manually interpret conversation at 120-160 words per minute for up to ninety (90) minutes at a time.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s degree from an accredited institution.
One (1) year of experience interpreting for the deaf.
Relevant work experience or education may be substituted to satisfy minimum qualifications.

Responsibilities

Attend academic and vocational classes with hearing impaired students, interpreting classroom instruction and facilitating communication in the classroom to enable students to be active members of the class.
Facilitate communication and interaction of hearing-impaired students, teachers of the hearing impaired, general education teachers, and hearing students.
Adapt classroom materials by signing or use of visual materials.
Establish, in conjunction with classroom teachers, appropriate physical settings for communication interaction including seating, lighting, and acoustics.
Utilize and maintain specialized equipment for the deaf and hard of hearing and instruct others in the use of equipment.
Provide voice-to-sign interpretation through comprehension of spoken language, simultaneously converting the spoken message into an appropriate mode of signing at the student’s level of comprehension. (Modes may include Signed English, American Sign Language, fingerspelling, and gestural or oral interpretation.)
Provide interpretation of teachers lectures, instructions, lab presentations, discussions, other students’ responses, classroom comments, announcements, TV news, and videotapes so that hearing-impaired students may participate in classroom and extracurricular activities.
Provide sign-to-voice interpretation through comprehension of the manual signs, fingerspelling gestures, and utterances of deaf and hard of hearing students, simultaneously converting them into a verbalized accurate English equivalent for the teacher and students in the class.
Record classroom assignments and ensure that students are aware of assignments and have access to complete notes for each class.
Collect data regarding student behavior and classroom performance on a daily basis and provide to the teacher of the hearing impaired; serve as liaison between classroom teachers and teacher of the hearing impaired.
Assist and interpret for hearing impaired students during counseling sessions, evaluation sessions, Individual Education Program (IEP) conferences, disciplinary situations, assemblies, and school-related extracurricular activities.
Prepare for daily interpreting assignments for each class by studying content areas and course outlines, reading printed materials for the purpose of making notes and explaining vocabulary, by viewing videotapes, and by reviewing upcoming assignments with classroom teachers.
Adhere to required policies and the Interpreter Code of Ethics in regard to matters of confidentiality concerning personal information about students.
Attend teacher-conducted conferences for the purpose of interpreting and providing information to parents and/or school personnel relative to the student’s functioning in academic and vocational settings, under the direction of the teacher of the hearing impaired.
Participate in ongoing training to refine and increase interpreting skills and to update sign skills to reflect varying sign cultures of students and continually changing signs as language of the deaf evolves.
Perform Medicaid administrative claims reimbursable activities as directed in accordance with Chapter 3 of the federally approved School District Administrative Claiming (SDAC) Guide.