Students studying in the Troy University Interpreter Training Program (ITP) are playing host to a groundbreaking conference on campus for deaf interpreters that will be accessible nationally June 19-23.

The event, entitled Alabama Interpreting Metamorphosis (AIM) Training, will be a multi-track conference.

Attendees participating remotely will have the option to choose from multiple tracks at a given time, much like dropping in on different workshops at a traditional conference in person.

ITP Director Lynne Wiesman said AIM will be a valuable educational tool for students in the ITP degree program.

“The students rarely get an opportunity to experience conference interpreting,” she said.

And with streaming video available nationwide, Wiesman said AIM promises to be an innovative way for students to not only develop and practice American Sign Language (ASL), but also learn how to be more efficient professionals in the interpreting community.

Weisman said the main goals of the conference are to extend student experiences beyond the classroom, show them how to develop and host a conference, teach them how to be a member of a conference interpreting team and provide a chance for students to learn from mentors in the industry, while allowing them the opportunity to network with those professionals.

“All proceeds go to the ASL/ITP Club for linguistic and cultural immersion experiences,” Wiesman said.

Weisman said the conference is being hosted by Troy’s ASL/ITP Club, but it could not be possible without the help of several sponsors, including the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind; The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services; The Alabama Department of Mental Health; The Alabama State Department of Education; Sorenson Communication; Troy University; PEPNet South; ACCESS; Signs of Development; And the Alabama Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

Speakers at the conference will include Janice Hawkins, Troy University’s first lady and former Department of Education specialist for vision impairment and blindness; Steve Hamerdinger, nationally recognized motivational speaker; Crom Saunders, playwright, director and play interpreter; And others.

Troy’s ITP program is a four-year Bachelors of Science degree program and it is the only one of its kind in any university in the state of Alabama.