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| About the Mentorship Program |
| The Mentorship Program was created in 1993 in response to the severe shortage of qualified interpreters available to fill an escalating number of interpreter requests following the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The brainchild of MassRID, the program was established with start-up funding from the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and New England Telephone, which housed the TTY relay service at the time, and with input and support from Deaf community leaders. DEAF, Inc. originally housed the program and continues to act as our fiscal agent. Our original program, the Interpreting Mentorship Program, focuses on fostering the growth of new interpreters, helping them prepare for the state screening examination and entry into the field of professional interpreting. This is done through a combination of one-to-one mentorship with a nationally certified interpreter mentor, participation in work groups for mentees, and skills and professional development workshops. While the majority of our mentees have not yet earned interpreting credentials, we also welcome credentialed interpreters (state screened, Ed:K-12, RID certified) seeking to enhance their skills. The ASL Mentorship Program, piloted in 2007/2008, provides one-to-one mentorship in ASL with a Deaf mentor. This program is separate from our interpreting mentorship, and mentees have the option to participate in one or both programs. By providing opportunities to enhance both ASL fluency/cultural understanding and interpreting skills, we believe mentees will be better equipped to serve the needs of our diverse Deaf community. Our newest program, the ASL/Interpreting Mentorship Program, provides opportunities for new interpreters across the state of Massachusetts to participate in 10 hours of one-to-one mentorship with a Deaf mentor plus 10 hours of work groups focusing on ASL enhancement and interpreting practice. Work with Deaf mentors and work groups are offered in each of five regions across the state: Greater Boston, Northeast, Southeast, Central and Western Massachusetts. In Mentoring for Performance Exams, mentees engage in private mentoring in preparation for the performance portion of the Massachusetts state interpreter screening. This is a flexible program, with the number of mentoring sessions based on the needs of each individual participant. Click on Programs to learn more about Interpreting Mentorship, ASL Mentorship, ASL/Interpreting Mentorship and Mentoring for Performance Exams. The Mentorship Program also provides professional development workshops for interpreters at all stages of their career. Click on Workshops for a full list of current and previously offered workshops. This year, we are continuing our outreach through social events, as well as meetings of aspiring and working interpreters of color. For more information, contact Adell Irvin at adell.irvin@massmentorship.org. We are also continuing our initiative to make all of our services more accessible and welcoming to interpreters of color by including individuals of diverse backgrounds in all aspects of our programs, as staff members, planners, presenters, mentees, mentors and consultants. We believe that having a multitude of perspectives and cultures enriches our offerings and better prepares our mentees for work within our culturally diverse community.
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