Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) for over 200 years is known to be dedicated to providing quality education and fostering a supportive environment for deaf and hard of hearing students in Kentucky. KSD offers an exciting internship opportunity for aspiring Sign Language interpreters who are passionate about supporting the communication needs of deaf and hard of hearing students.
By providing interns opportunities to observe, interpret, and discuss various situations and settings, our department’s goal is to empower and prepare these up and coming interpreters for a future career and provide the Deaf community with qualified interpreters.
Please take into consideration that most internship programs, including ours, can be a competitive process. To ensure your application receives full consideration, we suggest you:
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Are currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in American Sign Language Interpreting.
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Follow the application instructions - Applications will be accepted between August 1st and October 1st.
Submission Deadline: All materials (listed below) must be submitted electronically on or before October 1st.
Selection Criteria - Applicants are evaluated on the following:
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Current resume/Portfolio
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Voice-‐to-‐Sign skills
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Sign-‐to-‐Voice skills
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Letters of Recommendation
Application Preparation - Please have your resume and videos of your work prepared to upload as you begin the application process.
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Application – Use the official application of the form. Answer all questions to the best of your ability. All resumes must be typed. Please make sure to include any volunteer experience related to deafness and any additional skills you may have.
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Video work samples – Each video should be approximately 5 – 7 minutes in length. If at all possible, the voice-to-sign video should also include the speaker in the background. Please make each sample a cold interpretation. Do not practice the material repeatedly beforehand.
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Letters of Recommendation – You will need to include two (2) letters of recommendation from deaf community members, teachers/advisors, or other interpreters. One may be from the college/university you are currently attending. The letters must be current and may not be from a relative. Allow as much time as possible to complete the recommendation.
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Live Interview - All applicants will be interviewed by a panel. Preference for interviews is on KSD’s campus.
Note: Only selected candidates will be contacted for interviews.
We look forward to welcoming a dedicated Intern to our interpreting team at Kentucky School for the Deaf, where you will play an integral role in supporting the communication needs and academic success of our students.
Thank you for your interest in Kentucky School for the Deaf and the opportunities that await. We look forward to hearing from you.
James Overing
Internship Coordinator
Previous Intern experiences:
“Anytime someone asks about my internship at KSD, I always reflect on it fondly. After finishing my coursework, I thought I was prepared to start interpreting on my own. What I didn’t realize was how much real world application would be learned as an intern. KSD provided me with opportunities that I believe I would have missed out on had I taken a different path. I was able to learn from a highly experienced team of interpreters-each of them with their own strengths that were then instilled in me. I worked with a variety of clients ranging widely in age, language background, and interpreter preferences. With the support of the team at KSD, I became more confident in my interpreting work, and more capable of advocating for myself and my consumers. Because of KSD, I was truly prepared to start working as a professional interpreter after graduation. For them, I am eternally grateful.”
“The Internship at KSD played an integral part in making me the interpreter I am today. It came with plenty of hands up time, and really challenged me to step out of my comfort zone. One of my favorite things about the experience was the variety in my day to day work. I also enjoyed the sense of community while I was there. KSD provided a safe learning environment while also helping us strive to be our best.”