Daryl Crouse, CI, CT

Watch Out for the Interpreter!

Danny Mafia and Brittany Taylor, students in the American Sign Language Interpreting Education (ASLIE) program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), show us what it’s like to be the ASL interpreter at a data analysis class.

Video Conferencing Setup 101

With the rising price of oil in the world market, companies have to cut down on certain expenses in order to show a profit. You can cut down the number of times that an employee travels on business trips and instead have a video conferencing facility setup that accomplishes the same objective.

But how do you setup video conferencing? The easiest way of saying it is simply by buying the equipment, having it installed and letting someone in the office take care of it. But it is not that simple. There are things you have to aware of first so you are able to purchase the right system.

Let’s first talk about the devices that are used to make this work. There are three types namely desktop, small group and learn group. Naturally, the prices of each one varies but the common denominator is the fact that they can be used over ISDN or IP.

When you have chosen which of the three you want, the next hurdle is to work on the bandwidth. A T-1 for instance fives you only one line of communication. What if you need to speak with different offices simultaneously? For that you will need a T-3 or higher.

If you are having problems with your IP network since it is not able to handle the additional traffic, the best thing for you to do is to get circuit switched networks or to deploy additional IP bandwidth capacity.

Earlier, we mentioned ISDN and IP networks. What is the difference? ISDN stands for integrated services digital network. IP on the other hand stands for Internet protocol.

Video conferencing through ISDN happens as you are able to integrate both analog or voice data together with digital data over the same network. This means you are able to encompass frame relay service for high speed data in large bursts.

This can also be done using your IP network which is very similar to how you are able to browse the web. In the US, more people use IP’s compared to ISDN but in Europe, this is the exact opposite because it happens to be much cheaper than IP’s.

When you are budgeting how much will be needed for video teleconferencing setup, you have to break down the fixed acquisition costs from the recurring costs. The fixed cost depends largely on how many units you will be ordering. There is also the license that you have to get that is 0 to ,000 each and if you are a very large company, you might just exceed 0,000 per package since you also have to consider the hardware and software components needed.

Is it worth all that just to have video conferencing? A lot of people say yes because their employees are more productive, decisions are made quickly and the company saves money.

In fact, private companies are not the only one using it as the government, the education and the healthcare sector have also taken advantage of this to conduct hearings, teach children and help patients.

If you want to know more about video teleconferencing setup and how much it will cost, go look for vendors and ask them for an estimate. After comparing the quotes from various companies, surely you can find the right one that fits within your budget.

Steve Cownley

http://www.video-conferencing.net46.net

a career in law

Are you interested in a career in law? Lets look at some options?

If you are interested in the law there are a number of career options available to you. We have listed below a few legal careers, with basic information on educational requirements career choices
You may choose to become a lawyer:

As to background education prior to attending law school, one may choose any undergraduate degree..  Related choices include liberal arts    accounting, business, health care, engineering are acceptable. Any degree in social sciences,social work or psychology is extremely beneficial in any client oriented profession.A social work or psychology background would be excellent as these are not included in a legal degree. Being an attorney takes people  as well as legal and courtroom skills. The most important  aspect of the undergraduate education for law school is receiving good grades in whatever field of  you choose, as well as developing your general communication skills.  The most important function of an attorney is the communication of ideas, both verbally and in writing. Other skills that you should be working to develop include a good vocabulary, a good memory, ability to listen, ability to express ideas and thoughts concisely and articulately, be able to comprehend complex written materials. An ability to feel the anxiety and stress of your client is also helpful.

Sometime prior to or during one’s senior year in college, if going straight to law school, the LSAT admissions test, administered by the Law School Admission Council (http://www.lsac.org/) must be taken. Similar to the ACT or the SAT, the test is used by law schools in the admissions process.  Law schools determine admissions on the basis of a formula computing grades and the LSAT tests score together, as well as other factors.

If you think you may be seriously interested in a law career, you may wish to consider contacting local law firms, legal service organizations or other law-related entities to see if you may be able to volunteer or obtin a summer job. Any exposure you can gain in the field will benefit you in your future career. If you cannot obtain volunteer work in a law office, try a family court,parole probation dept or even the prison system. These are all excellent expriences for developing a keen legal mind.

Law school requires  three years of full-time study.

Applicants to the Bar usually must:  1) be at least 21 years of age; 2) have a high school diploma or the functional equivalent; 3) complete 90 semester hours in attendance at a qualified university; and 4) successfully attend and graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. Having met these requirements, the applicant must be of good moral character and general fitness to practice law, pass the bar examination and the “ethics test,” register with the State Supreme Court and be sworn in.
JD/Msw degree is a new degree being offered by many Social Work schools. This is a unique and excellent combination combining  the lawyer aspect with the client listeninging skils of a social worker.

Another needed profession is law librarians:

Law librarians work in a variety of legal settings, but most commonly in law schools, large private law firms or government libraries.  The American Association of Law Libraries states that “85% of those working as law librarians have a graduate degree in library science,” with most jobs requiring a master’s degree from an American Library Association accredited institution. Nearly 30% of all law librarians also have a Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree. It is often the case that law librarians at law schools also hold faculty status so they must have a law degree. There is usually no law degree requirement for law librarian positions in large law firms, corporations or public, county or governmental law libraries. You will find some good resources below:

American Association of Law Libraries
53 W. Jackson, Suite 940
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312.939.4764
http://www.aallnet.org/services/
Becoming a Legal Secretary

Another option is a legal secretary,paralegal or legal assistant. A college degree is usually not required. What is needed is a good work ethic with attention to accuracy and detail-oriented proficiency.  You may be able to complete complicated tax documents or important divorce or child custody papers to be filed in the court. Taking this work seriously is paramount. Accuracy, grammar and spelling are all important. It is also important to have a working knowledge of basic accounting skills, as you may be responsible for billing clients. Be familiar with a variety of office machines, computers and other technologies. Legal secretaries in small firms may be responsible for answering phones, making appointments, preparing documents, creating and maintaining complex filing systems so the lawyers are able to check for conflicts between clients. This position requires a high degree of confidentiality and professionalism. Paralegal will interview clients and be expected to have a working knowledge of the legal category they are assisting with.  Many paralegald go to court with the attorney, speak to judges and act as legal liasons for the law firm. Attorneys depend on them for screening , interviewing and closing new client cases. Sales skills  can be important as well.

some resources are listed below:

Legal Secretaries International, Inc.
8902 Sunnywood Dr.
Houston, TX 77088
www.legalsecretaries.org
Becoming a Sign Language Interpreter for the Courts

Sign language interpreters facilitate communication between the deaf and/or hard of hearing population and people who can hear. Courthouse interpreters must remain detached and unemotional and must translate accurately and take great care to not modify meaning or tone. Court interpreters may work in a variety of settings, including attorney-client meetings, depositions, trials, sentencing hearings, and more. Court interpreters may interpret verbal conversations or may be asked to interpret written documents into American Sign Language (ASL). This profession usually requires specialized training. Interpreters must pay careful attention and understand what is being communicated, which means being familiar with courtroom procedures and terminology. Mental dexterity and a good memory are vital. High levels of professionalism and confidentiality are required. This profession is one that allows great flexibility in work hours and you may be asked to visit a variety of law offices or courtrooms. It should be noted that American Sign Language has its own grammatical rules, sentence structure, cultural nuances, idioms, etc, and involves much more than a simple literal translation. There is currently no certification or licensing of sign language interpreter; however, both the National Association of the Deaf and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf offer certification for sign interpreters and have developed an exam.

National Association of Judiciary Interpreters
603 Stewart St., Suite 610
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: 206.267.2300
http://www.najit.org
Becoming a Court Reporter

Court reporters have the responsibility of recording everything that is said by all of the parties participating in formal trials. Courses on becoming a court reporter are taught at community colleges, four-year universities and at private business schools. These training programs can take two to four years. High school graduation is required, and it is important that court reporters have strong language skills with a good vocabulary. The National Court Reporter’s Association has lists of schools that offer courses in court reporting.

National Court Reporters Association
8224 Old Courthouse Road
Vienna, Virginia 22182-3808
Phone: 703.556.6272
http://www.ncraonline.org/about/index.shtml
Becoming a Law-Enforcement Professional

Most law enforcement officers must meet certain minimum requirements to serve as police or state troopers. These may include a minimum age requirement of 21 years; must be a citizen of the United States, must have a valid driver’s license, must not have been convicted of a felony, must be a high school graduate and may require an associate of arts or sciences degree or other college credit and/or work experience. Applicants may also have to pass physical examinations (including agility, vision and strength) and written tests.

There are numerous options for those interested in pursuing careers with the federal government. Because of the variety and complexity of job offerings, we recommend you research:

* The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) via www.fbi.gov (click on employment then click on support vacancies)
* The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) via www.jobs.irs.gov (click on other professional careers)
* The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) via www.dea.gov (click on job applicants)
* The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) via www.atf.gov (click on jobs then click on types of jobs at ATF)

There are numerous other professions that could be considered law-related. You could become a:

* Corrections Officer
* Forensic Scientist
* High School Law/Government/Political Science Teacher
* Human Resources/Personnel Director
* JAG Officer (Judge Advocate General) or Military Lawyer
* Legal Nurse Consultant
* Legal Researcher (Lexis/Nexus, Westlaw)
* Legislator or Other Elected Official
* Lobbyist
* Parole Officer or Probation Officer
* Private Investigator or Private Detective
* Transportation Security Screener/Customs Officer
* Victim Advocate

Additional information on many professions can be found through the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics at http://bls.gov/home.htm and specific information for students can be found at http://bls.gov/k12/index.htm

Choosing a career in the law

Becoming a lawyer is a desirable career option for those who want to protect the rights of people as well as assist them with the legal issues they face.
The educational background of someone interested in the law is not a constraint as long as the person received good grades in high school and/or college and has good communications abilities. Other desirable skills include a good vocabulary, a good memory, the ability to listen, the ability to express ideas and thoughts concisely and accurately and the ability to comprehend complex written materials.
Most people who seek a law degree have also completed college. If a person is going straight from college to law school, the LSAT admissions test must be taken. The test is used by law schools in the admissions process. Many law schools determine admissions solely on the basis of a formula that computes a student’s grades with his or her LSAT score.
Those who are seriously interested in a law career would benefit from working even as a volunteer for a law firm, legal service organization or other law-related entities to see if they require assistance.
Completing law school routinely takes three years of full-time study .
Once a student completes law school, he must pass a bar exam.

Financial Support Programs For Disabled Persons To Continue Their Studies

Most disadvantaged among the minority group with one or the other kind of disability can also carry on with their normal life at ease and pursue education of their choice, with none other than government grants. Government has set aside some amount from its total fund to fill the lives of these disadvantageous groups with new hope of light.

Any person seriously affected from disability, whether in form of physical or mental pain, but still has willingness and enthusiasm to continue studies, can avail the grant money. The grant money is coming through various programs or schemes like of Harry Truman Scholarship Program, Rehabilitation Training: Continuing Education, Tech-Prep Education, Training Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf & Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind and Special Education Preschool Grants.

Rehabilitation Training-Continuing Education program is being run by Office of Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department Of Education. This program aims to support training centers involved in the training activities and meeting the current and common training needs of rehabilitated persons through out the geographical area.

Under this scheme, grants are meant to deliver, without hindrance, education programs for rehabilitation counselors, administrators, independent living specialists, audiologists, rehabilitation teachers for blinds and providing aid to rehabilitation technology specialists who give vocational, and client assistance services to individuals having disabilities.

Another scheme like Training Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf & Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind is made to enter into the educational stream to make skilled interpreters through out the county to facilitate the deaf-dumb individuals. Funds are specially allotted to give proper training to the interpreters to ensure their skills, raise their level of competency and imbibe in them the unique trait of understanding deaf and dumb people and enable them to prove their celibacy as a voice of these speechless people.

All non-profit organizations, other agencies and general public willing to give their services to these less privileged sections of the society are eligible for grants. There are different regulations that are applied in case of different programs like the Training of Interpreters for Individuals, who are deaf and individuals who are deaf-blind.

Interpreter means qualified professionals who are making use of the sign language skills to understand and meet the needs of deaf and dumb.

Tech Prep is yet another scheme aiming to provide help to the states to provide grants to consortia of LEAs and post secondary educational institutions with an aim for development and operation of programs constituting two years of secondary education with two years postsecondary educational institutions to give boost to the development and operation of programs. United States Department of Education site can be visited to have a complete knowledge of details of the grant program.

ASL interpreter for Michelle Obama
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Sign Language Terms Regarding Everyday Events

When you have a friend who happens to be deaf or hearing disabled, it is beneficial you know sign language words so you can communicate together with them with no problems. You may be wondering the way to study signing to be able to communicate. It is possible to start by mastering basic hand movements and fingerspelling.

Whenever you need the education only to be able to connect on occasion with a hearing impaired individual, then you might want to research tactics to gain knowledge in sign language in regards to holidays plus normal life circumstances.

Some typical normal items involve communications over clothing, food and time. So you should look into learning American signing for frequently utilized gestures associated with such activities. A few you might want to master are yes, no, hello, goodbye, please, numbers, hungry and water.

In case you decide to research choices on methods to gain knowledge in sign language words in regards to regular use, then one item you have to understand will be the way to utilize your palm while creating hand movements. Generally the palm of your hand must be in front of an onlooker. Your palm should be situated somewhat right of the individual who you are interacting along with. Though, in the event you are left handed, then it will point towards the left of the opposite person. Signing with your palm facing yourself, it is usually performed to place further significance or even to make additional effect regarding that sign.

Observed holidays will be fantastic events for friends and relatives to join together. Whenever you have got a deaf or hard of hearing member of the family, then these times might be extremely uncomfortable on their behalf since he or she is unable to connect well while the festivities are on. Teaching friends and family can assure cheerful holiday occasions regarding everyone. You are not only providing fun events but additionally boosting the self confidence regarding a deaf individual.

When you plan to visit folks who have hard of hearing members, then it is advisable you be courteous and learn basic festivity gestures that can help you have conversations together with them. It is possible you will want to look into how to gain knowledge in sign for the holidays. Typical words related to Christmas you will want to study are reindeer, Santa Claus, elf, ornament, present, gift, wreath, Christmas, carol, sleigh, stockings and mistletoe. The Easter holiday would require making use of terms including spring, nest, lily, lamb, grass, Easter, dye, decorate, chocolate, candy, bunny and basket. The holiday of Halloween consists of terms for example devil, Halloween, vampire, pumpkin, monster, costume, ghost and witch. Quite a few internet sites will have an in depth list of examples via the internet. On top of that, photos will be shown in order to demonstrate the gestures. Others will have videos for making training a lot easier.

Educating yourself in sign language can be complicated occasionally. The quantity in addition to type of training you require really is determined by the purpose behind learning sign. If you would like to understand sign language words regarding conversationals matters, then learning tends not to be especially challenging. Nevertheless, learning for interpreting and teaching could be fairly difficult . People who know how to become proficient in signing simply ought to share this information amongst other people so learning will be easier.