CDI Specialized Communication Modalities and Linguistic Diversity 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is tactile ASL, and for whom is it primarily used?
- A visual enhancement of ASL using colored gloves to improve low-vision access
- A form of ASL where the receiver places their hand(s) on the signer's hand to perceive signs through touch, primarily used by DeafBlind individuals (Correct answer)
- An ASL variant that uses exaggerated slow movements to assist late-deafened adults
- A simplified sign system used in occupational therapy settings for Deaf individuals with motor impairments
Correct answer: A form of ASL where the receiver places their hand(s) on the signer's hand to perceive signs through touch, primarily used by DeafBlind individuals
Tactile ASL allows DeafBlind individuals to receive signed communication through touch by placing their hand(s) on the signer's hand, preserving much of ASL's grammatical structure.
Question 2: What is ProTactile (PT), and how does it differ from tactile ASL?
- ProTactile is a trade name for a tactile ASL training program; it is identical to tactile ASL in practice
- ProTactile is an evolving DeafBlind-centered language community and communication system that extends beyond tactile ASL by incorporating back-channeling and environmental feedback through touch (Correct answer)
- ProTactile refers to any signed communication that uses props or physical objects to convey meaning
- ProTactile is a legal designation for interpreters certified to work with DeafBlind consumers in medical settings
Correct answer: ProTactile is an evolving DeafBlind-centered language community and communication system that extends beyond tactile ASL by incorporating back-channeling and environmental feedback through touch
ProTactile is a DeafBlind-led movement and emerging language system that goes beyond tactile ASL by using the receiver's body to convey environmental information, back-channel signals, and spatial referencing.
Question 3: What is 'tracking' in the context of DeafBlind interpreting?
- A method where the DeafBlind consumer lightly holds the interpreter's wrist or forearm to follow the movement and location of signs (Correct answer)
- A note-taking system used by support service providers to log environmental information for DeafBlind consumers
- A GPS-based navigation tool used to help DeafBlind individuals orient in new environments
- A documentation protocol required by the RID for interpreters working with DeafBlind consumers
Correct answer: A method where the DeafBlind consumer lightly holds the interpreter's wrist or forearm to follow the movement and location of signs
Tracking allows a DeafBlind consumer with some residual vision to follow the interpreter's signs by maintaining light physical contact with the interpreter's wrist or forearm as signs are produced.
Question 4: What is the role of a Support Service Provider (SSP) in relation to a CDI working with a DeafBlind consumer?
- The SSP serves as the primary interpreter and the CDI acts as a relay between the SSP and the hearing party
- The SSP provides sighted guide assistance and environmental/visual information while the CDI facilitates communication between the DeafBlind consumer and other parties (Correct answer)
- The SSP replaces the CDI in all community interpreting settings involving DeafBlind consumers
- The SSP translates written English into Braille so the CDI can focus solely on sign-to-sign interpretation
Correct answer: The SSP provides sighted guide assistance and environmental/visual information while the CDI facilitates communication between the DeafBlind consumer and other parties
SSPs provide mobility and environmental access (sighted guide, describing surroundings) while the CDI handles language/communication interpretation, and both work together to support the DeafBlind consumer.
Question 5: When interpreting for a DeafBlind consumer using tactile methods, where should the CDI ideally position themselves?
- Directly behind the consumer to allow the consumer to rest both arms comfortably
- Directly in front of the consumer, close enough for comfortable hand-over-hand contact without the consumer overextending (Correct answer)
- To the left of the consumer to match standard sighted-guide positioning protocols
- At a table across from the consumer with a light source behind the CDI for maximum visibility
Correct answer: Directly in front of the consumer, close enough for comfortable hand-over-hand contact without the consumer overextending
For tactile communication, the CDI positions themselves directly in front of the consumer at a distance that allows comfortable, relaxed contact with minimal physical strain for both parties.
Question 6: Signed Exact English (SEE) is best described as which of the following?
- A fully natural signed language that developed organically in Deaf residential schools
- A manually coded system that attempts to represent English morpheme-by-morpheme using invented and borrowed signs (Correct answer)
- A contact variety between ASL and English used in professional interpreting contexts
- A simplified sign system used exclusively for teaching literacy to hearing children of Deaf parents
Correct answer: A manually coded system that attempts to represent English morpheme-by-morpheme using invented and borrowed signs
SEE is a manually coded English (MCE) system—not a natural language—that uses signs (some borrowed from ASL, some invented) to represent English words and grammatical morphemes in English word order.
Question 7: A CDI is assigned to work with a late-deafened adult who communicates primarily through speech and lip-reading with little sign language proficiency. What is the most appropriate first step?
- Refuse the assignment because CDIs are only qualified to work with ASL users
- Assess the consumer's preferred communication mode and adapt strategies accordingly, which may include writing, speech-reading support, or minimal sign (Correct answer)
- Use full ASL throughout the interaction to model sign language and encourage the consumer to adopt it
- Immediately request a co-interpreter who specializes in oral interpreting and observe only
Correct answer: Assess the consumer's preferred communication mode and adapt strategies accordingly, which may include writing, speech-reading support, or minimal sign
CDIs must first assess how the individual communicates most effectively and then adapt their strategies to the consumer's actual needs rather than assuming ASL is the preferred modality.
CDI Specialized Communication Modalities and Linguistic Diversity 2
What is tactile ASL, and for whom is it primarily used?