Meet Katey Hernández

Interpreting Associate

BA, AAS

Education:

• Associate of Applied Science in American Sign Language Interpretation & Deaf Studies Certificate

• Bachelor of Arts in Special Education & Early Childhood Education

Katey began her unconventional journey to interpreting in 2011, when she visited the Ohio School for the Deaf in her Introduction to Special Education class during undergrad. It was that experience that prompted her to start learning ASL; she took her first ASL class the next semester, and her love for the expressive language and the diverse and rich Deaf community has grown ever since.

After graduation, Katey spent four years as a high school Intervention Specialist, while also continuing to learn ASL, before she eventually decided to step away from teaching. Unsure of exactly what she wanted to do, but knowing she wanted to continue immersing herself in ASL and the Deaf Community, Katey joined the Interpreter Education Program at Columbus State Community College in 2018.  

Despite a global pandemic and a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, Katey graduated from the Interpreter Education Program in 2021, and it's one of her proudest accomplishments to date. While in her last year in the program, she worked for the Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association as a secretary in their Community Center.  It was in that environment, where she really gained her confidence and language development, and she accredits much of her growth from her time spent there.

During her time as an Interpreter, Katey has worked in a variety of settings, including medical, mental health, business, government, post-secondary, religious, and non-profit services. She is experienced in Deafblind interpreting, video interpreting (including VRS), and enjoys working with Deaf Interpreter teams.

Katey highly values continuous education and has participated in a variety of professional development programs. Recently, she participated in Northwestern University's Center for Atypical Language Interpreting (CALI) Mentoring Cohort Program. She also had the opportunity to be part of DeafBlind Support and Access Network (DBSAN)'s DeafBlind Retreat of New England as a Co-Navigator, where she spent a week learning and using Protactile alongside other co-navigators and DeafBlind participants. She has passed the CASLI written Generalist Knowledge and Ethics exams, and plans to take the Performance exam within the coming year.