Grievances: Issues and Interests that Drive Complaints Against American Sign Language / English Interpreters

It is essential to identify and examine the issues and underlying interests fueling disputes when pursuing a deeper understanding of conflict in the field of American Sign Language/English interpreting. This study analyzed grievances filed against interpreters within the RID Ethical Practices System to discover and understand more clearly the issues and interests igniting and escalating conflicts to the level of formal complaint. The conceptual context outlined decision-making models currently used in interpreter education and research, based in theories of conflict and dispute resolution, including a diagnostic tool and framework for identifying types of conflict and underlying interests. Document analysis of 49 mediated agreements and grievances was conducted to systematically explore the conflicts presented in formal complaints filed by Deaf and non-deaf consumers, and interpreters against their colleagues. Additionally, the responses to interview questions posed to five mediators from the RID mediation system were analyzed to uncover both issues and interests within the conflicts as well as strategies for effective conflict resolution. Many themes emerged from the document analysis and interviews. What stands out are the five major categories of conflict that surfaced: Confidentiality, Attitude and Respect, Impartiality and Boundaries, Professional Behavior, and Technical Interpreting Skills. Relationship conflicts, embedded in poor communication and miscommunications, were prevalent throughout the complaints, fueled primarily by process and substantive interests. Process interests specifically related to how an interpreted assignment was managed and by whom; substantive interests primarily revolved around the handling of confidential information. Insights gleaned from dispute resolution practices within the mediation system included the power of relationship-building through active listening, empathy building, and a spirit of collaboration. These analyses provide a basis for recommendations regarding topics for educating students of interpreting, working interpreters and consumers of interpreting services on how to understand, address and resolve conflicts that will naturally occur within the context of their interactions

Vegetative Buffer and Fly Ash Pad Surface Material System Application for Reducing Runoff, Sediment and Nutrient Losses from Livestock Manure Windrow Composting Facilities

Applying livestock manures to agricultural cropland continues to contribute significant levels of sediment and nutrient pollutants to streams and other water bodies. Vegetative buffers have been extensively demonstrated to reduce surface runoff flow, sediment, and nutrient losses. The coal-fired combustion by-product fly ash also has been shown to exhibit significant water-absorption and phosphorus-sorbing properties. This study investigated a vegetative buffer and fly ash pad surface material system for reducing runoff flow and water quality effects from a livestock manure windrow composting facility. Surface runoff, runoff percent of rainfall, total solids, nitrate-nitrogen, ortho-phosphorus, and total phosphorus were researched during 2002-2004 at a central Iowa dairy cow manure windrow composting research facility. Three compost windrow: vegetative buffer area ratios comprised the surface runoff treatments that included 1:1, 1:0.5, and 1:0 (no buffer control) area ratios, respectively. The 1:1 and 1:0.5 area ratios represented a 6.0 m-wide x 23 m-long fly ash composting pad area compared to vegetative buffer areas of equal and one-half size, respectively, with three replications of each treatment for a total of nine runoff plots in a randomized complete block design. Results from this study showed significantly high levels of runoff flow, sediment, and nutrients from the 1:0 control plots compared to the 1:1 and 1:0.5 vegetative buffer plots. The 1:1 and 1:0.5 vegetative buffer treatments were not significantly different and average runoff loss reductions from the 1:1 and 1:0.5 vegetative buffer plots were 98% and 93%, respectively, when compared to the 1:0 control plots. These findings underscore the efficacy of vegetative buffers in reducing surface runoff flow, sediment, and nutrient losses from a livestock manure windrow composting operation. Mass balance analysis results also indicated 41% and 26% of ortho-phosphorus were lost from the compost windrows during the 2004 early season and late season composting periods, respectively. However, only 0.1% and 0.4% of ortho-phosphorus were lost to runoff from the 1:0 control plots during the respective 2004 early season and late season composting periods. These results indicate the significantly lower ortho-phosphorus losses in runoff are attributed to the inherent chemical and physical phosphorus-sorption characteristics of the fly ash composting pad surface material. This vegetative buffer and fly ash pad surface material system application can significantly reduce surface runoff flow, sediment, and nutrient losses from a livestock manure windrow composting facility

Tillage and Herbicide Incorporation Effects on Runoff Losses

The 1995 Food Security Act required producers with highly erodible land to develop erosion control plans to be eligible for farm program benefits. Conservation tillage was a part of many of those plans; however, mechanical incorporation of herbicides to reduce runoff losses can be a problem while trying to maintain crop residue. Soil, water, and herbicide losses (with water and sediment) were measured from continuous com runoff plots (1.7 x 12.0 m) in 1993 and 1994 under natural rainfall conditions. Four tillage/herbicide application treatments were studied: notill/herbicide broadcast sprayed (NT); fall chisel plow-spring disk/herbicide broadcast sprayed after disking (DS); fall chisel plow-spring disk/herbicide broadcast sprayed before disking (SD); and fall chisel plow-spring mulch master /herbicide applied with John Deere\u27s Mulch Master (MM). Residue measurements after tillage and planting generally showed NT with the greatest percent residue cover, MM second, and SD together with DS the least. By storm event, NT generally had the least erosion and the lowest runoff volumes. For the herbicides studied, atrazine, metolachlor, and cyanazine, concentrations in sediment and runoff water were generally in the order NT\u3eDS\u3eMM\u3eSD. Lack of incorporation and/or application to more crop residue with NT was believed responsible for the higher concentrations with that system. Total losses for all three herbicides each year were generally less than 2% of that applied. Because the herbicides used are not strongly adsorbed and have similar adsorption coefficients, over 95% of the runoff loss in each case was associated with runoff water. Depending primarily on runoff volumes, which in turn were dependent on the storm and the time of year, relative losses for notill were variable, sometimes being the greatest, sometimes the least; however, for the other three treatments, losses were usually in the order DS\u3eMM\u3eSD

Intentional Teaming: Experiences from the Second National Healthcare Symposium

Abstract The second National Symposium on Healthcare Interpreting was developed and hosted by the CATIE Center of St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN, on July 22-25, 2012. As one of six centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration to advance interpreter education, the goal of this symposium is “to improve the understanding of the complex role of interpreters, including the linguistic, cultural, social and ethical challenges inherent in these settings” (CATIE Center, n.d., National Symposium on Healthcare Interpreting section, para. 2). In 2012, 135 Deaf and hearing interpreters, interpreter coordinators and health care providers from 25 states, Canada and Australia attended the symposium to access research and best practices in medical and mental health interpreting. Attendees had the opportunity to advance their understanding of the complex nature of healthcare interpreting work, particularly with peers and professionals. Plenary and concurrent sessions were presented in either American Sign Language (ASL) or English, with interpretation provided for nearly all sessions. The symposium audience of healthcare providers and experienced interpreters, combined with dense, technical content and varying interpretation needs, presented unique challenges for the symposium interpreting team. This article takes a closer look at those challenges and the process of intentional teaming that occurred so that the team could successfully provide effective interpreting services during the symposium. It also provides a documentation of the symposium’s successful team approach, processes and reflections. Note that the information in this article is provided with the consent of the interpreting team and the presenters’ gracious permission. Specific names are not used in the article because the focus is on the team and its dynamic rather than specific individuals. In this way, it is hoped that the examples and strategies shared can be applicable in other situations with different teams and events

Transracial Foster Care and Adoption: Issues and Realities

The article places transracial foster care and adoption into a broader perspective that highlights social and cultural factors and the reasons for controversy about this adoption option. The first section describes the demographics of children in the foster care system. This is followed by an overview of requirements for approval as foster and adoptive parents in Massachusetts and information about the laws governing transracial adoption. The controversy over transracial adoption is laid out by explaining the race-blind and race-matching positions. Policy priorities are outlined that take into account the main points of controversy. The final section focuses on growth in the multiracial and multiethnic population and how it will continue to shape transracial adoption. Race significantly structures peoples’ perceptions, which must be recognized. But race can overly determine judgments and policy decision. A balance is necessary to ensure that the overarching priority emphasizes the needs of children

Subsurface Application of Herbicides

Traditional methods of preplant herbicide application often involve a broadcast spray followed by one or more incorporation passes. Incorporation reduces the amount of crop residue on the soil surface, which can lead to increased soil loss through wind and water erosion. Incorporation also distributes the herbicide more evenly throughout the soil profile, reducing chemical concentrations in the surface mixing zone. Chemicals located within the 1-2 em mixing zone contribute to herbicide losses with surface runoff (Mickelson et al., 1983; Baker et al., 1979). Conservation tillage, as defined by leaving a minimum of 30% of the soil surface covered by crop residue after planting, allows for incorporation of herbicides while still leaving adequate residue on the surface to reduce erosion losses. Although incorporation has been shown to be extremely effective in reducing surface runoff losses of herbicides, it also is the major contributor to reduced residue cover. No-till, the extreme end of conservation tillage, uses no tillage and maximized residue cover for maximum erosion control. Unfortunately, due to surface application of herbicides, no-till often prevents the use of the more volatile and moderately adsorbed herbicides. In some cases, no-till can increase herbicide concentration and losses with runoff water when compared to conventional tillage (Mickelson et al., 1995)