Below you will find many resources, downloadables, and contacts relevant to being a Deaf Mentoring Program Mentor!
If you have any questions feel free to contact our program coordinator at jonathan@aslis.com
Contact the program coordinator at jonathan@aslis.com
Attend a KICK-OFF event
Submit an APPLICATION
You must complete a full 8-week semester of mentoring (nine 1.5 hour sessions, 12 hours of mentoring total). Attend all required events: three group “Mixer Meetings” (set up by your Task Force), one “Training Day” and two “Evaluation Sessions” (once at the midpoint, and again at the end)of 30 minutes each time, which will be set up by the Taskforce committee.
Arrange a date/time to meet with the mentee. *Please always arrive 10-15 minutes early prior to the appointment.
You will discuss the mentee’s goals and together set a plan of activities to work on the goals for each session.
Make sure to carefully record each mentor meeting on your Mentor Verification Form: Time, and Date.
The apprentice will pay the mentor $10 dollars at the time of the appointment. ASLIS will pay the mentor $20.00 for every 1.5 hour session. You must submit invoices to get paid!
http://videolibrary.gallaudet.edu/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km-csLudpfk
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpmWbFs6DHNQgyIwd9tj23Q
https://www.youtube.com/user/codawann/videos
Note: Keith Wann is a CODA interpreter notable for funny ASL stories
https://www.youtube.com/user/DackVirnig/videos
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Peter+Cook+ASL
Note: Searchable in YouTube by name
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCht1EmXGDchUwCrukW4BrTw
http://www.interpretereducation.org/aspiring-interpreter/mentorship/mentoring-toolkit/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLBw9nYI_Ks
https://www.ted.com/talks/christine_sun_kim_the_enchanting_music_of_sign_language
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZRWhZFb3cM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocbyS9-3jjM&list=PLSARgCkMkgcKzE9VWZFehmpvPf9PDdISi&index=11
https://www.ted.com/talks/keith_nolan_deaf_in_the_military
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAmnGqjSB4M&list=PLSARgCkMkgcKzE9VWZFehmpvPf9PDdISi&index=6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkD8pwc9Uoc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73zUW76OOxg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcWpUNMyMDg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1NEPdLZbfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiptJm48Ghk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtYHvZ3Iaic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFqYMFCzefk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGPlKsvCo64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=532-yupvwj8
Take turns describing a shape/pattern and the other person must place the correct shape in the correct position. (go here for more information)
Work with children’s books and practice signing what you see in the pictures, focusing specifically on the CLs. (One recommended book series is Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day). Books used in the classroom by an interpreter.
Use ice cream bucket with a hole cut in the top, so that mentee can’t see what’s in it. Have mentee feel an object in there, and describe it using CLs.
• Describe your morning routine
• Describe how to cook a favorite recipe or meal;
• Describe different people in catalogs, pictures, family members, etc., go someplace public and describe the people.
• Describe similar objects. Example: shoes – how are two pair of shoes different? How are they alike? (also try with people, clothing, etc.)
• Walk through a room and describe everything in it (within reason).
Brainstorm different uses of the handshapes in ASL. For example, do one handshape a day/or week and see how many different uses you can think of or notice in model texts.
• Practice “interpreting” silent movies (some can be found at Pixar.com)
• Practice signing what’s happening on a videogame, provide details on shapes and movements.
Instead of drawing on paper, the Mentee uses classifiers and the Mentor will guess what it is. Then alternate.
• Mentor model fingerspelling within conversation, and Mentee retells the information back to the Mentor including all the fingerspelled words.
• Mentor tells about family event, i.e. Christmas or Thanksgiving, and include as many family names as possible. Fingerspell as many other items like specific Christmas presents, names of places, and different food that was there.
• Mentor describes a topic of interest (football, hockey, hunting, baking, their workplace, etc.) and fingerspelling of the specific terms with that area.
• Discuss a book or movie both have seen or know, and fingerspell as many of the names and places as possible.
• Mentor thinks of a game and explains the rules of a game. (Card game, outside game, sports game). Mentee repeats the rules back to them.
• Mentors thinks of a game and explains the rules of a game. Mentor and mentee both play the game to see if the mentee gets the rules right.
Mentee tells of an experience and Mentor repeats it in ASL. They repeat the process until the mentee’s ASL is correct to the Mentor.
• How did I decide to become an Interpreter?
• A High School Experience in sports or other activity
• A lesson from a class I am interpreting in
• Cooking a favorite meal
• A horrible cooking mistake!
• An embarrassing moment
• Share a favorite poem
• Share a favorite song
• Recount an ASL poem
• Recount an ASL song
• Tell about family members
• Tell about pets
• Tell about a person’s personality
• What I like/don’t like to clean
• Explain an opinion on a current event
• Practice “interpreting” silent movies (some can be found at Pixar.com)
• Practice signing what’s happening on a videogame, provide details on shapes and movements.
Instead of drawing on paper, the Mentee uses classifiers and the Mentor will guess what it is. Then alternate.
• Mentee relates a conversation. Mentor repeats it back in ASL. Mentee copies the mentor’s ASL. They repeat this process until the mentee’s ASL is correct to the mentor.
• Recount a dialogue in a movie or TV show
• Using a children’s book, show the dialogue back and forth in the story.
• Recount a conversation between somebody and a family member
• Recount a conversation between somebody and a child
• Recount an argument
• Recount a conversation a mentee/mentor witnessed or heard about
• Tell a joke
• Describe a dream date or a first date
• Describe a college experience
• Describe the big moment of one’s life
• Describe a first job interview
• Describe a prom memory
• Mentor explains something to a mentee and the mentee summarizes what they said back to them.
• Ask the mentor to teach a mentee something new: how to play a card game, process of what they do at their job, how to make something
• Mentor tells a Deaf joke or cultural story (“famous Deaf story”)
• Mentor expresses opinion about a certain book or movie or current news event, politics
• Mentor describes a vacation or plan for future vacation
• Mentor describes a medical procedure they have had
• Mentor tells opinion about cochlear implants, mainstream school, what struggles at their job
• Mentor explains a series of steps to do finish a task
• Mentor compares goal/dreams from childhood to dreams/goals now
• Mentor describes a conflict with family, friend, coworker and how it was resolved
• Mentee concentrates and finds examples of non-manual markers (expressions on the mouth that have meaning) while the mentor is signing.
• Mentee makes a note of signs that the mouth marker is replacing. Example: “cha” can
replace the sign “large” or “huge,” and the mouth marker “ee” can replace the sign “right there” or “so close”
• Mentee spends time on own watching ASL vlogs and finding examples of nonmanual
markers and practices using them in a story and then showing it to Mentor.
• Mentee provides a list of sentences that the mentor can sign with non-manual markers in it, and mentee can shadow/copy.
• Mentee repeats mentor’s story including the non-manual mouth markers.
• Mentee signs a story about learning to drive a car, (or use other ideas in the above categories) and instead of some signs, replaces them with the non-manual mouth markers.
• Every house on this block is average size except the one on the end, is a mansion!
• At Thanksgiving, the table is loaded with food!
• When I removed the gas pump from my gas tank, the gas kept pouring out and spilled everywhere.
• That kid is a genius!
• Look at that gorgeous red corvette!
• There’s a really hot guy just down the row from us.
• When I pulled out of my driveway, I just barely missed hitting another car coming down the street!
• I live way out in the country.
• Making a cake is easy.
• That poor dog looked so thin and sickly.
• Oh. I ate way too much.
• Mentee practices ASL sentences using specific facial expression. Mentor models correct facial expression. They repeat the process until the facial expression is correct ASL to the
mentor.
• Use a child’s storybook from the classroom the mentor works in, to practice the correct facial expressions to tell the story.
• Play “20 questions” and use the correct facial expression for asking questions.
• Play the board game “Guess Who” and use the correct facial expressions for questions.
• Play “If Then” in which the mentor states a cause and effect sentence like, “If I eat too much chocolate, then I will get sick.”
Then the apprentice takes a turn starting with “If I get sick, then I will have to call in to work.”
Then the mentor continues with “If I call in to work, then they will have to call in the crazy substitute.” and on and on for a while to practice the correct facial expressions for “if . . . then.” Pay close attention to transitions within the mentor’s conversation and pause the mentor to repeat what they said with the transition facial expressions.
Fill out online here. Or send your own invoice to your task force: Write an invoice number (can use date)on the form, and have interpreter apprentice sign and intial the form. Submit verification form to Bethanne Weltmer either through email, or in paper.
If you submit between 1st-15th of the month, you will be paid on the 30th. If you submit between the 16th-30th of the month, you will be paid on the next month 15th.
If you are travelling 30+ miles total roundtrip you may bill mileage over 30. Fill out our online invoice for easy math.
Talk to your local task force. They are in the best position to help resolve any problems or arrange a different mentee.
Answer in progress. Contact your coordinator in the mean time.
It is important to attend all program events if at all possible. It may be acceptable to join another location’s event – but talk to the program coordinator about it
Answer in progress. Contact your coordinator in the mean time.
No, the mixers are open to the greater signing community. Those not directly involved in the Deaf Mentoring Program, but who are a part of the Deaf/hard of hearing and interpreting communities are welcome to join.