Miss-Delectable
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http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16991806&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475626&rfi=6
Nimble fingers are a fact of life for Danny Campbell.
He's been signing since he was a youngster, which has translated into a long career at the Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf in Big Spring.
"I started signing at a pretty young age. I had a real good friend growing up that was deaf," said Campbell, who grew up in Farmington, N.M. "I had no idea what I was going to do in college. I was majoring in biology, but I didn't want to be a doctor. I was friends socially with Dr. Douglas Burke, founder of the college."
The Greenwood resident has a bachelor's and master's degree in biology from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. He has worked at Southwest Collegiate Institute since the doors opened in 1980.
"I took sign language classes and got very involved in the deaf community there," he said.
In his job with Southwest Collegiate Institute, Campbell coordinates the interpretive training program, oversees 10 workforce programs and teaches biology.
"... It's been a perfect job for me. I love it," he said.
Workforce Education includes welding, auto tech, graphic arts, dental lab,building trades, computer science, business, data entry, office technology and paraprofessionals in deaf education program.
When SWCI was established, by law it only admitted deaf students. In 1984 or 1985, the law was changed to allow hearing students to attend in the paraprofessional and interpreter program. Total enrollment last year was 130 -- 15 to 20 percent of them are hearing.
"I view the deaf more as a people group that have a unique culture and language," Campbell said. "One thing I stress to my interpreters is they aren't interpreters for the deaf, they are there to interpret for the person who doesn't speak the language of the client."
"It's important to have perspective. We're not helping the deaf. They don't need help," he added.
Advances in technology make now an especially good time to be an interpreter. Video relay interpreting and video relay service, which allow deaf and hearing people to communicate and see each other, both require certified sign language interpreters.
There is also video relay service so instead of typing, the deaf person can sign. Video remote interpreting is also in strong demand.
"Deaf people just love it. They absolutely love the video relay. Almost all the deaf people I know have that system and can communicate with anyone in the world with a phone," Campbell said.
With the video relay service, Campbell said students have a new avenue to use their skills. Starting Sept. 1, rules for Texas interpreters will change to where you need a bachelor's degree to be certified. The state will phase it in, however.
Campbell said he thinks the demand for more educated interpreters is there because many deaf leaders have become more educated themselves and want someone who can keep up with them.
"Most of those services are screaming for interpreters. The pay could range from $30 to $50 an hour to work in video relay centers (with) full benefits," he said.
"We really need more people to get into the profession. There is such a lack of interpreters right now, I don't know of any agency that has enough," he said.
Campbell and his wife, Shirley, who is also a deaf interpreter, have four children and have lived in Greenwood for 12 years.
Nimble fingers are a fact of life for Danny Campbell.
He's been signing since he was a youngster, which has translated into a long career at the Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf in Big Spring.
"I started signing at a pretty young age. I had a real good friend growing up that was deaf," said Campbell, who grew up in Farmington, N.M. "I had no idea what I was going to do in college. I was majoring in biology, but I didn't want to be a doctor. I was friends socially with Dr. Douglas Burke, founder of the college."
The Greenwood resident has a bachelor's and master's degree in biology from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. He has worked at Southwest Collegiate Institute since the doors opened in 1980.
"I took sign language classes and got very involved in the deaf community there," he said.
In his job with Southwest Collegiate Institute, Campbell coordinates the interpretive training program, oversees 10 workforce programs and teaches biology.
"... It's been a perfect job for me. I love it," he said.
Workforce Education includes welding, auto tech, graphic arts, dental lab,building trades, computer science, business, data entry, office technology and paraprofessionals in deaf education program.
When SWCI was established, by law it only admitted deaf students. In 1984 or 1985, the law was changed to allow hearing students to attend in the paraprofessional and interpreter program. Total enrollment last year was 130 -- 15 to 20 percent of them are hearing.
"I view the deaf more as a people group that have a unique culture and language," Campbell said. "One thing I stress to my interpreters is they aren't interpreters for the deaf, they are there to interpret for the person who doesn't speak the language of the client."
"It's important to have perspective. We're not helping the deaf. They don't need help," he added.
Advances in technology make now an especially good time to be an interpreter. Video relay interpreting and video relay service, which allow deaf and hearing people to communicate and see each other, both require certified sign language interpreters.
There is also video relay service so instead of typing, the deaf person can sign. Video remote interpreting is also in strong demand.
"Deaf people just love it. They absolutely love the video relay. Almost all the deaf people I know have that system and can communicate with anyone in the world with a phone," Campbell said.
With the video relay service, Campbell said students have a new avenue to use their skills. Starting Sept. 1, rules for Texas interpreters will change to where you need a bachelor's degree to be certified. The state will phase it in, however.
Campbell said he thinks the demand for more educated interpreters is there because many deaf leaders have become more educated themselves and want someone who can keep up with them.
"Most of those services are screaming for interpreters. The pay could range from $30 to $50 an hour to work in video relay centers (with) full benefits," he said.
"We really need more people to get into the profession. There is such a lack of interpreters right now, I don't know of any agency that has enough," he said.
Campbell and his wife, Shirley, who is also a deaf interpreter, have four children and have lived in Greenwood for 12 years.