Educational Access and Outcomes 1 Educational Interpreting: Access and Outcomes

In his review of the history of deaf education, Lang (2003) noted that despite the efforts of scholars and researchers, the field remains plagued by false assumption and ill-founded attitudes. “This is especially true, ” he claimed, “with regard to the issue of language and its relationship to academic achievement... [where] misconceptions, as well as insufficient bridging of research and practice, have thwarted efforts to effectively teach language and academic content to deaf children ” (p. 9). While the forgoing may be obvious with regard to school placement of deaf students and the modes of communication used in academic settings, in this chapter we suggest that a similar situation has emerged with regard to educational interpreting. Whether through “misconceptions ” or simply a lack of relevant research, the assumption that mainstream education – supported by sign language interpreting – can provide deaf students with fair and appropriate public education may be unfounded. The need for educational interpreting is greater today than ever before, as mainstrea