By Giovanna Carriero-Contreras, AAITE Chair

What happens when spoken-language and sign language interpreters move beyond parallel professional paths and begin to see themselves as partners in the same educational mission?

My experience at the 2026 National Association of Interpreters in Education Conference offered a compelling answer: collaboration begins when we are willing to enter one another's spaces, listen with humility, and recognize the purpose we already share.

Entering an Unfamiliar Space

I attended the NAIE Conference in Las Vegas last month as Chair of AAITE with several goals: to represent spoken-language educational interpreters, learn more about the priorities of the sign language educational interpreting community, strengthen AAITE's relationship with NAIE, and present a framework for collaboration across language modalities.

I also arrived knowing that I was stepping outside my professional comfort zone. I was the only spoken-language interpreter at a conference attended by sign language interpreters and educators. Many participants were understandably curious about why I was there. During the first day, all formal presentations were interpreted, but informal conversations and networking often took place exclusively in sign language. Without an interpreter supporting those interactions, I found myself observing rather than participating.

That experience was both challenging and illuminating. Signed conversations are visible: meaning unfolds through movement, expression, and space. I watched communication take shape around me while remaining, for a time, outside it. The experience gave me a personal reminder that access is not limited to scheduled presentations. Belonging is also created in hallways, during meals, and through the informal exchanges where professional relationships often begin.

The following day, the atmosphere changed. I was formally welcomed as the representative of a sister organization, and interpreters were assigned to support my participation throughout the conference. While presentations were interpreted into American Sign Language for attendees, interpreters provided whispered English interpretation so I could engage fully in every session. Their skill, preparation, and professionalism were exceptional. Many were BIPOC professionals, staff and volunteers affiliated with the University of Northern Colorado and the Preparing School Interpreter Project, and their work deserves recognition.

Learning Before Presenting

My workshop was scheduled for the second day, and I intentionally spent the day before it listening and learning. The sessions helped me better understand educational interpreting from the sign language perspective and confirmed that AAITE brings meaningful expertise to the broader conversation.

They also reinforced the central premise of my presentation: spoken-language and sign language interpreters have developed through different professional histories, but we share more common ground than our separate pathways sometimes allow us to see. We are guided by ethical responsibilities, professional standards, and a commitment to meaningful language access. Wherever our work intersects, so do our responsibilities.

The evening before the workshop, I met with members of the interpreting team. We reviewed the presentation slide by slide, discussed terminology, clarified the purpose of each activity, and anticipated areas that might require additional context. It was an outstanding example of why preparation between presenters and interpreting teams matters. Access is strongest when it is planned collaboratively rather than added at the last moment.

A Workshop That Became a Conversation

The three-hour workshop, One Purpose, Many Paths: Leveraging Our Collective Strength in Educational Interpreting, became much more than a presentation. Before introducing the framework, I invited participants to share their experiences working alongside spoken-language interpreters. Their perspectives shaped the session and created space for an honest conversation about assumptions, boundaries, and missed opportunities for collaboration.

I made my purpose clear. I was not there to teach sign language interpreters how to do their work or to offer solutions for challenges within their profession. I was there to explore a relationship that has rarely been intentionally defined, even though spoken-language and sign language interpreters frequently serve the same schools, students, and families.

As we moved between small-group activities and whole-group reflection, participants encountered aspects of spoken-language interpreting that many had not previously considered. I also continued learning from their experiences. The atmosphere in the room gradually shifted from cautious curiosity to recognition, connection, and possibility.

“You challenged and eliminated my bias about spoken-language interpreters. I am excited to use what I learned to become a more collaborative teammate and help ensure that all of our clients receive the access they deserve.”

Before Anything Else, We Are Interpreters

One of the most powerful moments came during the Empty Chair activity. It brought us back to a simple but consequential truth: before anything else, we are interpreters. The populations we serve and the languages we use may differ, but our professional identity, ethical obligations, and responsibility to facilitate communication are fundamentally connected.

This does not mean that one group should perform the specialized work of another. Collaboration does not erase professional boundaries or distinct competencies. It asks us, instead, to recognize our shared responsibility for equitable communication across the educational environment.

When either profession responds to an access gap by saying, “That is not my job,” we may unintentionally reinforce the very barriers we hope to dismantle. A Deaf student may have hearing parents who use a language other than English. A Deaf parent may need access to a meeting about a hearing child. A single educational encounter may require professionals with different language modalities and areas of expertise to work together. In these moments, no one interpreter can meet every need—but every interpreter can help protect the conditions that make complete access possible.

Every family deserves equal access, equal respect, and equal participation in a child's education. Every Deaf child deserves equal access, equal opportunity, and equal participation alongside hearing peers.

A Bridge Worth Building

Conversations with NAIE leaders also helped clarify potential areas for continued cooperation. AAITE and NAIE are each exploring the future of professional credentials through approaches shaped by their respective communities. Although each has their pathway, the dialogue remains valuable.

The conference accomplished far more than the delivery of a workshop. It established AAITE as a respected voice within the educational sign language interpreting community, strengthened relationships with NAIE leaders, and reopened conversations about the places where our missions intersect.

It also reminded me that meaningful collaboration often begins with the willingness to be the outsider—to listen before speaking, to remain present through discomfort, and to approach another professional community with genuine respect. Competence, knowledge, passion, and a clear sense of purpose gave me the confidence to represent AAITE authentically. Openness made it possible to build relationships.

The bridge between spoken-language and sign language educational interpreters is not yet complete. But the conference demonstrated that there is genuine interest in building it. If we continue to learn from one another, clarify our respective roles, and act on our shared responsibility for access, our different paths can lead toward one purpose: educational environments in which every student and every family can communicate, participate, and belong.