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Missouri Governor Jay Nixon recently appointed Geneva Shearburn to the Board of Certification of Interpreters (BCI). Shearburn works for Special School District (SSD) as an educational interpreter for the deaf education program at Lawson Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District.

“I’m honored, extremely pleased and humbled,” she said. “We were the first state in the country to require that interpreters are both certified and licensed, therefore ensuring quality of interpreting services.

“SSD has more than 60 interpreters in St. Louis County, so this is wonderful way to get feedback,” she said. “I think we have a good cross-section of people in the trenches who share information with me and I can then bring that information to the board. Furthermore, the other BCI members and I will gather input from interpreters and consumers, deaf and non-deaf, throughout Missouri. We will also network with similar agencies.”

Shearburn has a passion for working with persons who are deaf and hard of hearing that is rooted in her childhood; both of her parents were deaf. “My parents taught me American Sign Language (ASL),” she recalled. “I am so fortunate and grateful for that. ASL is my first language; later I learned English and the spoken word from my grandparents and in school.

“When I was growing up, there were no interpreters or accessible telephone or television communications. There was discrimination toward deaf people and their use of sign language   “We are very proud of her accomplishment. Geneva not only helps our deaf students, but helps our hearing students to understand what it is like to be deaf,” said Julie Mazar, Lawson’s instructional specialist. “She helps our school community to be accepting and inclusive.” Shearburn’s term ends June 27, 2013.