WHAT WE DO

American Sign Language Classes

KCD offers ASL classes for 8 weeks at 1.5 hours once a week. The class meets in-person at KCD and uses the Signing Naturally curriculum.

KCD offers Basic ASL Classes for free.

KCD offers Basic ASL Class level 2, Intermediate ASL Class Level 1, Intermediate ASL Class level 2, Advanced ASL Class level 1, Advanced ASL Class level 2, and Conversational ASL Class at $75 per person per class.

Please contact Lara Whitfield-Garfinkel at lwhitfield@kcdtn.org

Case Management & Outreach Referral Program

This program offers two separate services. Case Management provides guidance and assistance in accessing medical, social, community, legal, and other needed services.  Outreach Referral provides educational training on interpreting services, ADA Law, deaf community and culture, and creates partnerships with local businesses, agencies, and others to strengthen the inclusion for all.

DeafBlind Program

The program provides resources and social events, coordinates Supported Services Providers (SSP) to meet the deafblind individuals’ daily needs, and provides resources needed bay DeafBlind individuals.

Interpreting Services

Knoxville Center of the Deaf is all about connecting people. Facilitating communication between Deaf people and hearing people is our business…and nobody does it better!

 

How to use interpreters?

  1. Interpreter comes to your office/ clinic/ business/ education/ church/ court or other location.
  2. Interpreter facilitates communication between hearing and Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and DeafDiabled people for meeting, appointment, interview, and services.
  3. Everyone gets equal access to information.

 

If you have a need to communicate with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and DeafDisabled people, you need an interpreter or other appropriate accommodation.

 

  1. On site service will send you an interpreter to your location.
  2. An interpreter on location will circumvent any barriers due to technology glitches.
  3. Video Remote Interpreter (VRI) is available upon request.
  4. A team interpreting is required for 1 hour or longer appointment of any kind. A team interpreting consists of two interpreters.
  5. A Deaf Interpreter is a specialist who provides interpreting, translation, and transliteration services in American Sign Language and other visual and tactual communication forms used by individuals who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and Deaf-Blind. As a Deaf person, the Deaf Interpreter starts with a distinct set of formative linguistic, cultural, and life experiences that enables nuanced comprehension and interaction in a wide range of visual language and communication forms influenced by region, culture, age, literacy, education, class, and physical, cognitive, and mental health. These experiences coupled with professional training give the Deaf interpreter the ability to successfully communicate across all types of interpreted interactions, both routine and high risk. Use of a Deaf Interpreter enables a level of linguistic and cultural bridging that is often not possible when hearing ASL-English interpreters work alone.
  6. Typewell Services (TBD)

Social Events

KCD understands and values the unique language and culture embedded in the Deaf community. Therefore, KCD encourages and coordinates the celebration of American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Deaf Communities. The Deaf communities partner with KCD in coordinating and establishing social events. The Deaf communities highly favor the following social events: Back to School Cookout, Labor Day Cookout, Deaf Awareness Day, Fall Fest, Halloween Trunk & Treat, Friendsgiving, Christmas Dinner, and many, many more.

Educational Workshops

KCD acknowledges the value of providing educational workshops to provide the resources and strategies necessary to empower the Deaf communities to meet the challenging needs in their daily lives.

Interpreters’ Educational Workshops

KCD wholeheartedly believes in thriving the ASL interpreters by providing and partnering with others in providing educational workshops that discuss different aspects of interpreting to encourage interpreters to improve their ASL skills and learn new techniques and trends.

American Sign Language (ASL) Classes

KCD offers American Sign Language (ASL) classes to the community at large to bridge the relationship between hearing and deaf communities, to encourage second language acquisition, and for all to flourish together as communities.

KCD offers basic ASL Classes A & B, Intermediate classes A & B, Advanced A & B, and Conversational ASL Classes in person at the KCD facility. The classes meet once a week for eight weeks for 1.5 hours.