18 January 2022
Dear Registrants and Regulated Trainees,
We want to hear from anyone who wants to do the Signature Level 6 course in Working Effectively with Deafblind Manual, Visual Frame and Hands on Signers.
As many of you are aware, there are currently no training centres in the UK offering the Signature Level 6 course in Working Effectively with Deafblind Manual, Visual Frame and Hands on Signers. This means that whilst there is a route to registration to become a NRCPD Registered Interpreter for Deafblind People, those wishing to enrol and complete the course to join the Deafblind Interpreting register are not able to do so.
We have been in dialogue with Signature and Deafblind UK to find a way forward and there is a very clear confirmation from the deafblind community that this level of registered professional is in very short supply and is still very much needed, and the numbers of Registered Interpreters for Deafblind People must be increased as a matter of urgency. The first step is to know the scale of interest for completing the Signature Level 6 course and NRCPD is now gathering this information.
So, this email is an appeal to all Registrants and Regulated Trainees to let us know if you are interested in doing the Signature Level 6 course in Working Effectively with Deafblind Manual, Visual Frame and Hands on Signers in order to become a RIDB, and in what timescale you would want to start. Even if you believe you have registered your interest with us before, or with Signature or with a training centre, please let us know. Please note that applicants to the register for Interpreters for Deafblind People must also have a Level 6 qualification in British Sign Language.
Once we have those figures, we will work with Signature to examine how we can get the course running at one or more of the training centres. The numbers of professionals that come back to say that they would be interested in completing the course will be instrumental in doing this.
To register your interest in the course and becoming an Registered Interpreter for Deafblind People, please email us at: enquiries@nrcpd.org.uk, by Thursday 27th January 2022. Please begin the title of the email with "L6DB".
With many thanks,
NRCPD.