When is it effective to use video interpreting for encounters between Deaf people and the police? Researcher Robert Skinner is seeking input for his ongoing investigation of the these types of interactions. Have an opinion? Email Skinner! From his blog:
- Do you think video interpreting could be used to
- report an incident as a witness;
- call for assistance;
- report an incident and obtain a crime reference number (for insurance purposes);
- make a statement (as a victim or witness), for example when a police officer comes to your home as part of a non-sensitive investigation;
- facilitate a roadside interaction;
- report a missing person;
- report a hate crime;
- report a domestic issue
I’d be interested to know where you think the technology can or can’t be used and why, or maybe you have actual experience of using a video interpreting service to reach the police? Get in touch if you’d like to share your thoughts or find out more about my research and participate.
[pl_button type=”primary” link=”http://proximityinterpreting.com/2017/07/05/where-and-when-could-the-police-use-video-interpreting/” target=”blank”]View Full Blog[/pl_button]
Find the full blog entry HERE, along with Skinner’s full post, in English and BSL. Skinner is located in Scotland, and is a PhD student at Heriot-Watt University.
TerpTheatre and Oakland University co-produced a production of Police Deaf Near Far in 2012, which focused on interactions between Deaf people and the police – and the sometimes tragic consequences of mis-communication. For an archive of the production click below.
[pl_button type=”warning” link=”https://terptheatre.org/police-deaf-near-far/” target=”blank”]PDNF Archive[/pl_button]

Danny McDougall, PhD, CSC — “Dr. Danny” — owns and manages TerpTheatre. Since 1986, he has interpreted in hundreds of plays, musicals and other performances on stage – most in the shadowed style. He teaches and lectures on the theory and practice of theatre interpreting. Danny is the chair of Sign Language Studies at Madonna University, and holds a PhD in Translation and Interpretation from Heriot-Watt University – where his dissertation explored the relationship between space and meaning during interpreted theatre performances.