Programs & Resources
IRIS Project's Programs
Shana Gibbs presents program information in American Sign Language.
The IRIS Project, Improving Rural Interpreter Skills, positively impacted the interpreting and Deaf Communities living in rural America by increasing the quantity and quality of interpreters working and living in rural settings by cultivating educational opportunities and sustainable connections that support professional growth. The IRIS Project was a $2.1M, five-year interpreter training grant (#H160D210006) awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Between 2021 and 2025 (funding ended one year early), the IRIS Project developed and delivered multiple educational and professional growth opportunities. Summaries, content guidance, and the materials of these programs have been compiled and added to their respective program pages (below).
The following five core values were the foundational underpinnings of the CORE Initiative, RIPPLE, Induction, and Alternative Pathway programs:
- Centering deaf perspectives;
- Recognition of systemic barriers inherent in interpreting work;
- Learning via intentional collegial dialogue;
- Cultivation of introspection and reflection; and
- Examination of one's own interpreting work apart from the person via an Integrated Model of Interpreting framework.
Additionally, the IRIS Project developed a self-directed course designed for Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals fluent in ASL. This course explored the demands and challenges facing rural interpreter practitioners and the rural deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind communities.
IRIS Project's Resources
Additionally, as the IRIS Project administered the multi-year interpreter training grant, it compiled various resources related to increasing the quantity and quality of interpreters working and living in rural settings.
