School sucks

I am so done with school! So DONE! I have impeccable luck with interpreters and I give up. The University is not providing interpreters for University recognized co-curriculars or events which is frustrating beyond belief but I am now seeking legal action to remedy that.

Beyond that I was having issues with an interpreter and her approach (one of those “I only interpret for the professor, hyper-over professional, code of ethics, the University is my employer so I won’t accept feedback from the Deaf person, kind of interpreter). After telling the University about the issues, which I was assured by other Deaf people and interpreters were valid concerns, and nothing happened I got the interpreters and accessibility services together for a meeting. let’s just say that the meeting didn’t go to well.

The interpreter was defensive (obviously) and continuously tried to pin things on me. For example: classes start 10 minutes after the hour, but interpreters are booked and hired from the start of the hour. This interpreter didn’t feel a need to show up at the start of hour because the prof wasn’t presenting yet and when I mentioned that sometimes students or the prof or the TA want to talk to me before the class starts she had the nerve to tell me that she has been working a long time and knows that Deaf people know how to communicate with hearing people. That I live in a hearing world and go to a hearing school so I should be able to do it without an interpreter. I was shocked that she had the nerve to say that.

The meeting got nasty and when I got home I started trying to replace her and a few minutes later was told that she quit. I was not impressed with her at all.

Something goes wrong with interpreter every term. Sometimes part of it is me and I accept that 100%. Really- there have only been problems like this 2 times all together. The other times I have lost interpreters mid term were because 1 didn’t feel qualified (and she wasn’t) but we are still on good terms and I will work with her again. One wasn’t a good match for me, we both agreed, no hard feelings and all is still fine there. Then there was one who I had a conflict with. That was both of us and the boundaries were fuzzy there from the beginning so a bit different. Today it was this interpreter I had never worked with before this term and it just didn’t work for either of us. My expectations did not match her style.

Now I am down one interpreter for one class and while I would rather be down an interpreter than have to work with her again it is frustrating. Sometimes I wonder if I am made for this University thing. At least this hearing university thing. Gallaudet is looking better and better these days and I would so go there if I didn’t have to move to a new country….

I need to vent. Thanks for reading!