Barbara Garrett

Barbara is the Principle Investigator for the RISE Project and the Chair of the Department of ASL & Interpreting Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. The department houses both on-campus and online programming which includes an ASL Minor, a bachelor’s degree in ASL-English Interpretation and a MA in Teaching ASL along with several grant-funded projects. Dr. Garrett has been leading departments and educating interpreters at institutions of higher education and through various workshops for more than 20 years. She holds earned degrees in Deaf Education and Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning with a focus on anthropology and linguistics. She has been certified by the RID since 1994 and has served on numerous committees and boards at the local, state and national level.

• Ph.D. in Intercultural Education, Biola University, CA
• M.A. in Education of the Deaf, Missouri State University, MO

• Alumna of the Academic Management Institute: Colorado-Wyoming Network of Women Leaders
• Consultant to school districts and service agencies serving D/deaf and hard of hearing constituents
• Evaluator for several state and national interpreter certification systems
• Former Board member – Conference of Interpreter Trainers
• Nationally certified ASL-English Interpreter through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
• Professional mentor to working interpreters
• Several years of experience teaching ASL English interpretation related to ethical practices, theories of interpretation, upper-level skill development, intercultural communication, and capstone courses

• Educational interpreting ethics, roles, and responsibilities for interpreters working in any language
• Impact of interpreters in K-12 educational settings
• Intercultural communication, teaching, and learning
• Meeting needs of rural interpreters and users of interpretation
• Outcomes of four-year and two-year interpreter education programs
• Roles and responsibilities of non-Deaf members of the ASL community

• Garrett, B. D., Girardin, E. G., Weirick, W. Fisher, C. (2022). The current status of ASL English interpreting programs in the United States. [Conference Presentation]. Conference of Interpreter Trainers, King of Prussia, PA.
• Garrett, B. D. & Girardin, E. G. (2020). Embracing the next generation of interpreters: A call to action for the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Journal of Interpretations, 28(2). https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/joi/vol28/iss2/2/
• Garrett, B.D., Girardin, E.G., & Weirick, W. (2020). The current state of ASL-English interpreting programs: What do the numbers show? [Conference Presentation]. Conference of the Interpreter Trainers, Minneapolis, MN.
• Garrett, B. D. & Girardin, E. G. (2019). American Sign Language Competency: Comparing Student Readiness for Entry into a Four-Year Interpreter Degree Program. International Journal of Interpreter Education, 11(1), 20-32. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/ijie/vol11/iss1/4/
• Garrett, B. D., (2019, October). ASL Expressive Competency: Raising Standards and Support Systems for Interpreters [Conference Presentation]. Missouri Statewide Interpreter Conference, Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Osage Beach, MO.
• Garrett, B. D., (2019, October). National Trends in Educational Interpreting and their Ethical Implications [Conference Presentation]. Missouri Statewide Interpreter Conference, Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Osage Beach, MO.
• Garrett, B. D., (2019, October). The Impact of Collaboration: Navigating New Terrain Together [Keynote Presentation at Conference]. Missouri Statewide Interpreter Conference, Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Osage Beach, MO.
• Garrett, B. D. & Girardin, E. G. (2019, July). Results of ASL expressive competency research and its implications for interpreters working in education [Conference Presentation]. Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Providence, RI.
• Garrett, B. D. & Girardin, E. G. (2018). Comparing the ASL Competency of Applicants: Readiness for 4-year ASL English Interpretation Program Entry. [Conference Proceedings] Conference of Interpreter Trainers, Salt Lake City, UT. https://citsl.org/2018-cit-proceedings/
• Garrett, B. D., (2017, October). Ten questions every educational interpreter should ask and the reasons that will leave you a lot less puzzled [Conference Presentation]. Missouri Statewide Interpreter Conference, Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Osage Beach, MO.

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Passionate Educator, Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (2017)
• Named one of “50 Missourians You Should Know” (2014)