Meet the 2019 cohorts

The DeafBlind Interpreting National Training and Resource Center (DBI) is proud to introduce the 2019 DeafBlind Interpreting Institute (DBII) cohorts! This amazing group of interpreters has committed to participate in over 60 hours of online learning, facilitated discussion, a week long face-to-face training, community service in the DeafBlind community, 1:1 mentorship with a DeafBlind mentor, and post-training internship placements.

Learn more about this great group of interpreters who are committed to changing the practice related to DeafBlind interpreting! Click on their photos below to read about them.

Tan female, early 40's, with wavy black-brown hair, below shoulder-length, all hair-down to left side of the shoulder. Brown eyes. One dimple on the left cheek. One birthmark dot on the nose. Wearing black shirt, long sleeves, crew neck. Also wearing off-white, pearl-like earrings and a silver necklace with small butterfly charm on upper chest area.

Black woman smiling cheek to cheek with white teeth showing. Curly Afro hair on top of her head and shaved sides and back. Pink-purple lipstick. Long lashes with relaxed eyes. Teal Earrings. White blouse with mustard cardigan jacket.

Smiling white bald male with a short salt and pepper beard and brown glasses wearing a navy blue zipped sweater over a blue collared shirt and patterned red tie with bare trees, mountains, and clouds in the background

Caucasian female with light brown shoulder length curly hair, blue eyes.

White, female with blonde wavy shoulder length hair, hazel eyes, wearing orange shirt, white background. I'm average weight and only 5 feet 1 inch.

African-American gentleman with almost completely bald, brown eye with black semi-rimless frame include non-reflective lens, medium build wearing a light blue formal shirt and paisley pattern blue and light blue tie with full black suit. My hand is sign as “home” on my right face slightly below my cheek while giving a short comment at the Award ceremony.

In the grey background, I’m a Black female (She/Her), black long hair at shoulder length, brown eyes, brown/cream glasses, and wore dark and light grey zebra sweater.

Picure of a white female with extremely long brown hair and blue eyes smiling at the camera, wearing a high white collared shirt with a black and grey pullover sweater.

Professional head shot of a smiling light-skinned white female with shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes, and green glasses wearing a black turtleneck and a grey sweater

A white, early 30s woman with shoulder length wavy brown hair looking directly at the camera. She is smiling and wearing black shirt. The background is off-white wall

White female with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes smiling directly into the camera. She is wearing large blue glasses, a blue scarf with multi-colored feathers, and a black jacket. Photo taken outdoors with a street and trees in the background.

White Female smiling with Brown hair pulled back With black frame glasses with grey / white pattern background.

Facing the camera, Amy, white lady, wearing light purple tunic with black rectangle framed eyeglasses with mixture of gray and light brown hair in it's own curls. The background is several wood shiplaps. On the left there's a gold plague with wordings that reflected the Signing Starbucks in Washington D.C.

Female, white woman with shoulder-length curly, light brown hair is smiling into the camera with trees and blue sky in the background.

White male with very short brown hair and blue eyes smiling, wearing a dark suit coat with pinstripes, white button up shirt and a tie with thin rectangle designs outlined with black lines that alternate in color in rows from maroon, to white, to grey and repeat. The background includes a white brick building, large and small queen palm trees, green grass and white and red flowers.

In her 50’s look with curly, neck-length brown and white hair and is a white lady. She has brown eyes and is using medium-colored rimmed glasses, wearing black top and is in a large frame body. She is standing in front of a tan wall with white trim.

Dominick Hill. White male with a toothy smile taking a “selfie” in his friend’s living room. He has fair skin, blue eyes, brown hair (thinning on the top), and a 3 inch dirty blonde/light brown beard. He is wearing a blue sweater with a black collared shirt underneath. In the background are Christmas lights hung from the ceiling, although not turned on. To the right of Dominick, a TV is in the background reflecting an image of a dinosaur light outside of the view of the picture. There is a window behind the TV bookshelf next to that. To the left is a painting of a zebra’s head on the wall behind him and a couch. There is a salt lamp behind the couch, along with other unclear items.

White man with eyes wide staring down the camera. He has rainbow colored on his beard, along with white hair on top of the cotton leather jacket. There’s dark background that seems to be inside a home.

Female, white, long blond hair, blue/green eyes, black eyeglasses, charcoal shirt. Behind her is an outside painted red wood wall.

White male in his 40s, bald, with dark blue eyes and orange facial hair. Picture has an overall bright and warm coloring and its close-up framing is a perfect square, beginning just above his head and ending at upper chest. He is looking directly at the camera with a slight smile and is wearing a black, autumn peat coat with its collar turned upward to protect against the brisk wind. Just 5 feet behind him are the thin, mostly-bare, fall-time branches of some small trees, sparsely flecked with round yellow leaves. Much of the light blue sky and its bright sunlight can be seen through the branches.

Image is a caucasian female with red hair, blue eyes and freckles standing against a dark green wall wearing a blue shirt and a floral scarf.

black and white photograph: black background with a pop out of myself with a beard and crew cut hair. My hair is brown, beard is redish/gray, and sea green/blue eyes.

Annie is a Caucasian female with a long reddish/blonde hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a black inside shirt with gray jacket. Smiling at the camera!

Background: Art mural at my son's preschool. Person in the picture: Billy, White Male, Brown hair and eyes in camouflage vest.

ID: a white female with brown hair pulled back into a bun. She is wearing black soft rectangle framed glasses, her eyes green. She has a small stud on the left side of her nose. She is smiling with a full set of white teeth. Wearing a black cardigan and is standing against a tan wall

Black background. Picture portrait of Female, smiling, Caucasian, grey wavy hair ending above shoulders, wearing glasses. She is wearing black, collared dress shirt.

Chrys, a White womyn with hazel eyes, straight dirty-blonde, shoulder-length hair and a wide smile, is sitting at a slight angle and turning her torso to look at the camera. She is wearing a black blouse with the sleeves rolled up to a 3/4 length and a gray, silk vest with a breast pocket. She is sitting in front of a black backdrop.

MJ, a Black/Filipinx and light brown skin Trans masculine person, is standing in front of a brick wall with a shelf of potted plants and stacks of books on it. On the bottom half of the wall is navy colored fabric backing to a restaurant booth. MJ is the focal point of the image and is smiling toward the camera wearing their black rimmed glasses, a big smile, turquoise gauges in their ears, and a dark grey suit with a black button-up shirt. MJ has dark brown eyes, short black hair and a short beard beneath their chin. MJ is also wearing a turquoise/light blue bow tie that has floral print.

Paula, a white woman, is smiling. She has short brown hair and is wearing a black turtle neck in front of a blue background.

Peter is a white male who is smiling with hazel eyes and spiky hair. ( A close up picture of the face)

Female, early 20's standing front and center in photograph with long tangled wavy hair, smiling sincerely with slight eye wrinkling at the bridge of her nose. Hair parted to her right. Dark brown eyes and dark brown hair that fades to light copper-brown at the ends. Simple one centimeter dangly diamond earrings with a boat-neck black shirt on standing in front of a beige sandy wall.

Benj is facing the camera with a closed-lip smile on his face. He is a white male in his 30's with a full trimmed beard and a sharp haircut. His beard is brown with a reddish and blonde touch meanwhile the hair on his head is solid brown at the top and graying slightly at the sides. Benj is wearing black framed Ray Ban glasses which is slightly tinted, revealing the blue color of his eyes. In one ear a hearing aid mold is colored neon green and a clear thin tube goes over the ear. Benj is wearing a black suit with an electric blue dress shirt and a tie swirling with grey, white, and electric blue colors imprinted with paisley.

A woman (Susie) in a park during Fall. Susie is wearing a green long sleeve shirt with a multi-colored scarf of blue, burgundy and white, jeans and is smiling. Susie is leaning against a tree trunk that has some green moss on it. In the background there are fallen yellow leaves on the ground as well as a path and other trees.

Female, caucasian, short wavy blonde hair with blue eyes, wearing a plaid hat, black and white turtle neck sweater with red heart earrings smiling and sitting in a restaurant with bar behind her.

white woman with a white and green fedora with a floral band. Wearing black glasses and an uneven brownish hair cut that comes to her lips on one side and her eyes on the other. Wearing a brown v-neck shirt and standing against an orange stucco wall. She is smiling and squinting into the sun with rosy cheeks.

A red haired, brown eyed, white woman is wearing a black v-neck blouse with small white polka dots and a solid black sweater over her shoulders.. She is smiling at the camera while standing behind a solid black backdrop, with a yellow lanyard around her neck.

A white female with black-rimmed glasses and curly, salt and pepper hair is wearing a blue top. She is outside, turned to her right and laughing. Old buildings of Paris and a black lamp post are in the distant background.

Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program strives to be a culturally-responsive program. To that end, PLI is committed to continuous improvement and welcomes feedback related to your experience.

Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program Research and Resource Center with Deaf communities (RRCD)
Richard Woodcock Education Center
Western Oregon University
345 N Monmouth Ave
Monmouth, OR 97361
[email protected]

Federal Disclaimer: The contents of this website were developed under grant number H160D210002 from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.

PLI is grant-funded by the US Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration, and is a project under the Research and Resource Center with Deaf communities at Western Oregon University.
2016-2022: RSA Grant H160D160005; 2021-2026: RSA Grant H160D210002

Meet the 2019 CohortS