The Vermont Interpreter Referral Service Marks 10 Year Anniversary

The Vermont Interpreter Referral Service (VIRS) is
celebrating ten years of providing interpreting services for Vermonters.
The Vermont Interpreter Referral Service was founded October 1,1992. It
has grown steadily as awareness of the Service, its effectiveness, and the
implications of the landmark federal legislation, Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), also enacted in 1992, have grown.
VIRS provides state-wide interpreter and CART referral services for
American Sign Language (ASL)/English interpreting assignments in settings
such as governmental, mental health, medical, legal, employment,
educational, civil and recreational. VIRS serves all Vermonters, both
hearing and deaf, in need of securing a sign language interpreter.
VIRS also provides advocacy for deaf clients, training opportunities for
interpreters and serves as an informational resource throughout the state.
Initially established with funding from the Vermont Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation as a pilot project, the Service is currently funded with a
grant from the Department of Aging and Disabilities and with funds
generated from finder¹s fees.
Rene¹ Pellerin, Coordinator of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing,
says, "Without question, VIRS enables a far more efficient and effective
system of locating interpreters for assignments throughout the state of
Vermont. Without them, it would be a time consuming task for individual
agencies and businesses to obtain interpreting services."
In honor of the tenth anniversary, and marking yet another leap forward in
the evolution of communications access within the state, VIRS is pleased to announce the official launch of a new comprehensive website,
at: www.virs.org, providing information online for businesses,
organizations, interpreters, deaf and hard of hearing people as well as
interactive options for requesting interpreters.
A special anniversary event, open to the public, is scheduled for May 3,
2003 at the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 60 Austine
Drive, Brattleboro. Additional details will be announced closer to the
date.