JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council (MODDC) awarded the National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages (NAETISL) with a $200,000 grant to support language access in schools.
“I am excited to work with NAETISL on this project,” says Katheryne Staeger-Wilson, MODDC project coordinator, “They are national leaders, incorporating an innovative, grassroots approach to this important work.”
Highlights of this three-year project include:
- Trainings for school leaders about their legal obligations to provide language access. The trainings will be statewide, virtual trainings.
- Coaching sessions for school leaders who complete the trainings. The coaching will help school leaders apply what they learned.
- A database of qualified interpreters.
- Outreach to Latinx and other emergent bilingual families with students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
- A train-the-trainer program about language access and education advocacy for a select group of bilingual families and students who have I/DD. This group of families and students will share their new skills with their schools.
- A family support hotline for Spanish speaking and other emergent bilingual families, common in Missouri.
Through this project, it is expected that more Latinx families who have students with I/DD will have their language access needs met and have access to the supports needed for language access and education advocacy. Additionally, schools will have an increased awareness of their legal responsibilities to provide language access; schools will have the resources and supports they need to provide better language access for families and students with I/DD; and schools will have a database of qualified providers for quality translation and interpreter services.
NAETISL’s mission is to establish a collective understanding of the standards, qualifications and certification requirements for educational translators and interpreters of spoken languages to enhance emergent bilingual family engagement, student achievement and meaningful home-school connections.
To learn more about NAETISL, visit www.naetisl.org.
The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council is a federally-funded, 23-member, consumer-driven council appointed by the Governor. Its mandate under P.L. 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, is to assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity and integration in all aspects of community life.
To learn more or to get involved, visit www.moddcouncil.org.