ReachAble

This questionnaire is designed to stimulate thinking and dialogue. It is not intended to test knowledge of disability or attitudes toward people with disabilities. As people increasingly find themselves in situations involving people who are disabled they need to make quick decisions on how to respond. This questionnaire provides an opportunity to think about situations involving people with disabilities, to respond, and then to consider the various responses more carefully.

Q. You are talking to a person who is deaf through a sign language interpreter. At the end of the conversation, you decide to talk to the interpreter. As you begin talking, the interpreter continues to sign. You stop him, saying, "You don't have to sign this." However, the interpreter continues to sign everything you say. At this point you should:
a) tell the person who is deaf you are having a private conversation with the interpreter and that you have asked him not to sign.
b) ask the person who is deaf for permission to ask a question of the interpreter; then ask the interpreter if he will have free time to talk to you later.
c) continue talking, but position yourself so that you block the person who is deaf's view of the interpreter.
d) politely draw the interpreter away from the person and explain that you meant your conversation to be private.
e) lightly touch or hold the interpreter's hand so that he will realize that you don't want the conversation interpreted.

b) ask the person who is deaf for permission to ask a question of the interpreter; then ask the interpreter if he will have free time to talk to you later.
When on duty, a sign language interpreter's professional responsibility is to translate communication, without editing or interjecting personal comments. The interpreter in this situation is therefore bound to interpret your comments and cannot engage in personal conversations particularly ones that exclude the person who is deaf. Even more important, however, is the point that to talk in front of a person who is deaf without translating the conversation is the same as whispering in front of a hearing person: it is rude, whether or not the conversation pertains to them. We all like to know what is going on around us, even if we are not being addressed directly.
On the other hand, occasions do arise when you desire to talk personally with the interpreter. In this case, you should first request permission from the person who is deaf to address the interpreter directly. It is courteous to do this since the interpreter is on duty. You should then proceed just as you would if you wanted to ask one member of a group of hearing people for a convenient opportunity to speak privately. However, don't be surprised if the interpreter still signs your question and his response.
Essentially, when communicating in situations involving a sign language interpreter, you will do best if you simply talk with the person who is deaf as you would anyone else. You should not address the interpreter, but rather the person who is deaf. If you say to the interpreter, "Would you please tell Sue that..." the interpreter will probably turn to Sue and sign, "Would you please tell Sue that..." Instead, you should look directly at the person who is deaf and say, "Sue, I want to tell you that..." The interpreter will sign for you while the person who is deaf watches both you and the interpreter, thus gaining a full understanding of the conversation.