After you dive in, there are ripples…
Self-Directed Learning
Starting in January 2027, the CATIE Center will offer self-directed courses available to any interpreter interested in professional support. We are updating courses
Deaf Interpreters
- January -February: Business Practices for Deaf Interpreters
- March-April: Ethical Decision-Making for Deaf Interpreters
- May-August: CASLI Performance Exam Preparation for Deaf Interpreters
- Fall 2027: NEW Course ~ Simultaneous Interpreting for Deaf Interpreters
Coda/Hearing Interpreters
- Schedule Coming Soon.
Cohort Opportunities
Project Ripples will offer 24-week cohort experiences with three tracks.
- Deaf interpreters focused on preparing for certification
- Coda/hearing interpreters focused on preparing for certification
- Coda/hearing interpreters focused on increasing ASL competency
Each cohort will have 8 participants with two facilitators.
Orientation
A six-week orientation will be offered in May-June 2027 and then again in August-September 2027. The orientation will be open to anyone and completing the orientation will be a prerequisite for applying for the cohorts.
Application
Applications will open in October with cohorts starting on November 29, 2027.
Facilitation Support for Partners
Project Ripples is designed to expand the impact of these resources by integrating them into the professional development opportunities for novice interpreters offered by other organizations. Here is the timeline:
- 2027: the CATIE Center will begin training partner organizations in how to facilitate Project Ripples cohort experiences.
- 2028-2031: Support organizations who went through facilitator training to offer cohort programs with Project Ripples support; Continue offering facilitator training for more partner organizations.
If you are interested in being a partner with the CATIE Center, please email Doug Bowen-Bailey at dfbowenbailey@stkate.edu
Exploring AI in Interpreter Assessment
The CATIE Center will be collaborating with a variety of partners to explore the use of AI tools for interpreter assessment. We will be sharing more information about plans and partners soon.
Learn about our Team
Click here to learn about the CATIE Center team that will be developing and delivering Project Ripples
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Project Ripples: Building Capacity to Increase Novice Interpreter Readiness
The goal of Project Ripples is to maximize employment, independence, and community integration for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or DeafBlind. Building on our previous RSA-funded projects (2016-2026), we prepare novice interpreters to be ready for certification and work, using evidence-based lessons learned, enhanced by technological innovation.
Two professional development pathways are established: 1) Specific differentiated cohort tracks offered for Deaf interpreters; Coda/hearing interpreters (interpreting focus); and Coda/hearing interpreters (linguistic focus). Cohorts include asynchronous and synchronous facilitated activities and supervised interpreting and reflection cycles. 2) Structured self–directed learning offered through eight facilitated courses aimed at developing ethical, reflective practitioners prepared for certification exams.
To build capacity, we will prepare partner organizations to educate their own cohorts following our model, increasing interpreter readiness beyond the grant. We will scale the impact through national partners who have committed over $150,000 in annual in-kind donations. We will also pilot AI-assessment tools to increase the capacity for assignment preparation and reflection, and the creation of professional development plans.
Projected Outcomes: 140+ practitioners complete the cohort pathway; 3600+ interpreters take the self-directed certification preparation pathway; and 12+ interpreter referral companies train 80+ interpreters annually after the grant cycle. This project will create a sustainable, scalable pipeline for preparing novice interpreters to be work-ready and certified, with the ripple effect of meeting the communication needs of over 5000 deaf VR consumers.
Project Ripples: Building Capacity to Increase Novice Interpreter Readiness
This poem was written by Doug Bowen-Bailey during the grant-writing process as he thought about what the CATIE Center is trying to achieve through this proposal. This poem is included in the project narrative.
Ripples
for educators everywhere
The beach goes on for miles,
layer upon layer of basalt
washed for a billion years,
rubbed smooth into Superior stone that
massages your bare feet
as you step toward the lake.
Carefully, you make your choice,
lifting one,
then another;
feeling the heft,
the curves,
testing the fit in the flex of fingers.
Reaching back in anticipation of summer,
you experiment with the physics
of an elbow’s fulcrum,
hand flying forward, and
release the gift
back into the waters
from which it came.
In awe of the simplicity
and the grandeur,
you count the skips
as ripples reach out
beyond the horizon,
onward to invisible shores.