Profession in pentimento

Cortisol dysregulation among American Sign Language interpreters in different work settings: Confirmation of occupational health risks

“…VRS has long been characterised as a high-demand, low-control environment for a number of reasons. Brunson (2011) and Peterson (2011) are highly critical of the policies and procedures common in VRS work settings compared with community interpreting settings. "Given the remarkable difference between what interpreters do in the community and what they do in VRS, I believe it is inaccurate, unethical, and misleading to call work done in VRS under federal and corporate constraints 'interpreting'" (Peterson, 2011, p. 215, emphasis added).…”

“…Although Maffia indicates that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC, which oversees the U.S. VRS industry) has modified its policies to lessen extreme perceptions of VRS rules, he asserts that such modifications are not widely known by VRS interpreters. In addition to the widespread belief in this "10 minute rule," both Peterson (2011) and Maffia (2015) assert that it is widely believed that VRS interpreters cannot enquire about the nature of an incoming call and, accordingly, cannot prepare for the situation nor assess their qualifications or "fit" for mediating the call until both parties (the caller and the recipient of the call) are connected.…”

“…In the United States, emergency calls initiated by deaf persons (i.e., via dialling 911) are routed to the first available VRS interpreter (D. Maffia, personal communication, March 29, 2021), not to individuals with special training to mediate such calls. Both Peterson (2011) and Maffia (2015) point out that such policies, practices, and widespread beliefs prevent interpreters from fulfilling their ethical responsibility to "accept assignments using discretion with regard to skill, communication mode, setting, and consumer needs" (Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, 2005).…”