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Senators back plan to establish ASL/interpreter degree at UH Mānoa; initial funding described as a first step
Summary
Legislative committees voted to advance SB2412 to create a bachelor’s degree in American Sign Language and an interpreter training pathway at UH Mānoa, citing workforce shortages and strong demand for ASL courses; the committee adopted SD1 with technical amendments and left appropriation amounts for budget review.
The joint Senate committees voted Feb. 11 to recommend SB2412, which would appropriate money to establish a bachelor’s degree program in American Sign Language and interpreter training at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa and set a multiyear plan to add a master’s program.
Educators and practitioners testified that Hawai‘i lacks a full local pathway for interpreter education and that existing ASL enrollment and instructor waitlists demonstrate demand. Jan Fried, a professor in interpreter education, told the committee a bachelor’s degree is required by the national professional educational foundation and helps produce qualified interpreters who can pursue advanced training. Peter Arnada, dean of the College of Arts, Languages and Letters, said the program would be housed in the linguistics department and that UH already has over 265 students in ASL courses with a waiting list of more than 120.
Committee members pressed on whether degree requirements would create barriers for people who wish to interpret without pursuing a degree; witnesses explained multiple credential pathways exist in Hawai‘i (state credential through the Disability Communication Access Board, national certification through CASLI, and educational performance assessments for K–12 interpreters) and promised parallel pathways would be preserved.
Questions about funding drew a response that $140,000 (described in committee Q&A as a first step) would be used to fund an initial faculty/APT or staff position; witnesses said additional funds would be needed in later years to build out the program.
The committee recommended passing SB2412 with technical and non‑substantive amendments and blanking out the appropriation amount for the committee report; the measure advanced to budget review.
