Interpreter Services Program

(On the left) Executive Director Melinda Fruendt is aided by ASL Interpreter Tonya Garman when talking to individuals who are deaf or need alternative communication.

The Interpreter Services program provides sign language interpreters and real-time captioning to assist Vocation Rehabilitation or Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired clients who are deaf, hard of hearing, or Deaf-blind. DRS contracts with interpreters who are certified through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and the Oklahoma Interpreter Certification and Resource Center. DRS does not provide interpreting services to the general public. Listed below are the sign language referral agencies that do provide interpreting services for the general public.

Equal Access to Interpreting

Sign Language Resource Services

Tulsa Speech and Hearing Association

Find an interpreter

The Oklahoma State Department of Education maintains an independent list of SDE approved educational interpreters which can be accessed in the Department of Education Interpreter Listing.

List of ICRC certified interpreters available for download

Find a RID Member ( Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf)

QAST General Information

The Interpreter Certification and Resource Center (ICRC), which is under the State of Oklahoma, uses the Quality Assurance Screening Test (QAST) system to evaluate individuals who want to become certified in sign language in the state. The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDHH) administers QAST in accordance to the 56-199.2 State Department of Rehabilitation Services “Cooperation with commissions and state agencies – Interpreter Services” law.

Open QAST General Information document

Oklahoma Interpreter Certification and Resource Center

The Oklahoma Interpreter Certification and Resource Center is the state certifying body for Oklahoma interpreters. The ICRC uses the Quality Assurance Screening Test to evaluate the proficiency of individuals interested in becoming employed as interpreters for the deaf in the state of Oklahoma. You may download the application for testing, or contact the ICRC Program Specialist. All ICRC Interpreters are required to know and adhere to a set of Code of Professional Conduct as well as the Levels of Limitations for Oklahoma sign language interpreters. The ICRC maintains a list of all Oklahoma ICRC certified interpreters.

ICRC is not responsible for the interpreter’s courtroom certification, for more information please visit this site: Certified Courtroom Interpreters – Oklahoma Bar Association (okbar.org)