Below are some of the many reasons for the U.S.’s ASL interpreter shortage, click each one to learn more.
Lack of Licenses
Every state has different laws regarding American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting, particularly for those working in the court and criminal justice systems. A lot of courts on a state level and all federal courts, according to The Federal Court Interpreting Policy Vol. 5, require a specific certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) called a Specialist Certificate: Legal also known as a SC:L. Holders of this certification had “demonstrated specialized knowledge of legal settings and greater familiarity with language used in the legal system.” However, this certification was placed in a memorandum by RID in 2016. Meaning only interpreters who gained certification during the period from 1998 to 2016 can legally interpret in federal courts. As it stands, there are no federal provisions that grant any other ASL interpreters accreditation to interpret in federal courts.