Written by C.M. Hall
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Western Oregon University will host pioneering training sessions from August 7 to 20 in the language of Protactile (PT), an emerging language within the DeafBlind community.
While traditional American Sign Language is a visual language, Protactile, created in the early 2000s, is fully contact-based and communicated by touch between two or more people. Approximately 30 professional American Sign Language/English interpreters and 22 DeafBlind mentors will fly into Oregon from 10 other states (California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington) for the Protactile Language Interpreting Institute and will learn co-presence skills, will study Protacile language, and co-navigation skills. Seven nationally-renowned DeafBlind leaders will train these interpreters. Along with the interpreters, the DeafBlind individuals will receive further instruction in mentoring to support interpreters in their local communities. Interpreters will learn from the DeafBlind trainers, then return to their home communities to work with DeafBlind individuals and share their new skills.
“This is an exciting opportunity,” said CM Hall, co-director of the Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program. “The expectation is to maintain a fully immersive ‘co-presence’ for all professional and social interaction. The interpreters selected to attend have invested about 150 hours so far preparing and studying for months, and will continue their training as they apply their skills and learn literally firsthand.”
In 2021, Western Oregon University was awarded a five-year, multimillion-dollar federal grant through the Rehabilitation Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Education, to train sign language interpreters working with DeafBlind individuals who use this new language. Hall shares that Western won the grant, in part, because of the university’s leadership in research and effective interpreter education. Western has also built relationships with leaders in the national DeafBlind community and movement..
The group of trainers and interpreters will spend most of their time at the Independence Conference Center and around Independence and Monmouth. On Tuesday, August 12 and 19, day trips are planned to Newport to experience the tactile art sculptures, as well as engage in a Lunch and Learn series where the interpreters will have the opportunity to apply their new skills. In the social outings, the group will walk in dyads and clusters as the interpreters describe the visual environment and practice their emerging Protactile skills, such as finding opportunities for tactile exploration.
Learn about Protactile language, and see it in practice.
Note: Institute attendees are excited about media coverage, but suggest that live coverage would be difficult because of the time needed to interpret. Activities in Newport or at the Independence Conference Center are ideal for photography/video. Please contact CM Hall to schedule coverage: 503-888-7172.
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About Western Oregon University
Western Oregon University, established in Monmouth in 1856, proudly stands as Oregon’s oldest public university. Hosting around 4,000 students, Western embodies a mid-sized, NCAA Division II institution, with approximately 80% of its students hailing from within the state. Notably, its diverse student body comprises individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, veterans, and non-traditional learners. Western stands as the preferred campus in Oregon for those pursuing an enriching education within a nurturing, student-focused environment, characterized by faculty-led instruction. Where YOU belong.
