Exploring Perceptions of Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Deaf Interpreters

Abstract

The Beliefs and Attitudes regarding Deaf Interpreters (BADi) scale was developed to assess perceptions of Deaf Interpreters (DIs) among hearing interpreters, community members, and the broader hearing population. This study underwent four phases, encompassing item development, feedback from stakeholders, refinement, and broad data collection. Reliability analysis using Cronbach\u27s alpha demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with a final alpha rating of .72. The BADi items were split into two groups (Deaf and hearing) to investigate the frequencies for each item in both groups. Results indicated that most Deaf and hearing participants responded similarly across items, showcasing an overlap in beliefs and attitudes regarding the role and value of DIs. These findings underscore the importance of understanding and bridging gaps in awareness to maximize the effectiveness and utilization of DIs within diverse communities. As most of the participants were either interpreters or educators, future research should investigate those with limited to no connection to the Deaf community