Before the late 20th century, those who supported and used sign languages were called

manualists.

services

We provide a range of services: editing, translation, interpretation, consulting, workshops and training sessions, course development, interpreter diagnostics and screening, presentations, and so much more. See below for a description of services. Contact us for rates.

Editing

Have a document that needs editing? We offer proofreading, copyediting, and premium editing packages. Our goal is to make your work shine. The basic package edits for basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The standard package includes syntax repair and suggestions for improvement. The premium package includes light re-writing to clarify content or meaning.

Translations

We offer translation from ASL-English, English-ASL, International Sign-ASL/English, or English/ASL-International Sign. Translation projects are priced based on project specifications. If videos need to be done, we also offer captioning and subtitling services.

Interpretation

Naomi is contracted with multiple agencies and organizations in the Twin Cities and across the United States to provide deaf interpreting services which includes ASL-English/English-ASL, DeafBlind interpreting including ProTactile, visual gestural communication, and International Sign. She is available for direct contracts. Her specialization is medical interpreting. She also works in educational, vocational, and legal settings. Her Minnesota Court Interpreter Roster ID is #6580. She also does video remote interpreting (VRI) work.

As specialists in Deaf Studies, Disability Studies, deaf history, and sign language interpretation & translation, we offer many types of consulting services.

Interpreting Service Provisions

We consult on how interpreting services within educational institutions and non-profit and for-profit agencies can be more deaf-centered and socially conscious. We conduct evaluation reviews of the existing structures as well as scheduling platforms and offer recommendations.

Educational Institutions & Grant Projects

We consult on new course development, revisions to existing courses, and modifications to grant projects. Our consulting includes recommendations for inclusive design and practices, updated scholarship in relevant fields, and best practices. We also develop courses for faculty and offer ongoing support through the first semester the course(s) are taught. We emphasize deaf-centered, socially conscious interpreter education in interpreting courses, training programs, and studies. We emphasize cultural competency, disability-cultural humility, equity literacy, and critical thinking skills.

Workshops, Training Sessions & Invited Talks

We offer a variety of face to face workshops and trainings ranging from 1 hour to 5 days. Visit our workshop page for a complete list of past presentations, trainings, and workshops. We are willing to travel both within and outside the United States.

Interpreter Diagnostics & Screening

Naomi is a long-time interpreter diagnostician. She offers simple screening evaluations and in-depth diagnostic reports for educational institutions and interpreting agencies to get a better idea of interpreters’ language use and interpreting skills they are employing or entering into contracts with.

Language Coaching & Interpreter Mentoring

We offer language coaching and mentoring support for deaf presenters and performers as well as deaf/non-deaf interpreters who who wish to have further language development and mentoring.

about

Naomi Sheneman

Ph.D., CDI, ASLTA-Professional

Naomi has extensive experience in the field of sign language interpretation and translation. She knows the field inside and out as an interpreter, interpreter educator, former private interpreting referral agency executive, a collegiate interpreting services administrator, and as a consumer. In 2018, she became the first deaf woman to earn a Ph.D. in Interpretation & Translation from Gallaudet University. She has published on ethics, interpreting in international settings, and power dynamics in interpreted contexts. Naomi, a Certified Deaf Interpreter, has 20+ years of experience as a deaf interpreter. She was the first deaf interpreter to pass the Minnesota English proficiency exam, a newer requirement for Deaf interpreters to fulfill to be on the state roster of court interpreters.

She has parlayed her experience to provide a wide range of trainings for interpreters. You can find a full list of her previously presented topics here as well as her upcoming topics here. Naomi has also worked with state and private agencies, school and college districts, nonprofit organizations, and individuals to provide screening, diagnostics, evaluation, and consulting to improve the delivery and effectiveness of services. Naomi’s portfolio also includes course development for interpreter education programs and research and logistical support for state and federal grant projects focused on themes of accessibility, successful pathways to certification, and improved quality of health care for deaf people. She also developed the Deaf Interpreter Resource Library for the Graduation-to-Certification Program under the CATIE Center.

Naomi is a deaf sighted white cisgender woman born to deaf parents. Her parents experienced language deprivation. She was also mainstreamed for much of her education and experienced many barriers to access as a child in the foster care system. Those experiences shaped her life and views on communication equity. Her experience as a cancer survivor informs her research, interpreting work, and ethics surrounding medical interpreting. She is committed to using her privileges as a literate and educated white deaf person to advance the cause of equity in access.

Naomi’s research interests are ethics, deaf situated knowledges, interpreting in health care settings, deaf interpreting, pedagogy in interpreter education, and power dynamics in interpreting.

Outside of work, Naomi enjoys a variety of activities: yoga, cooking, and athletic challenges such as the Alcatraz-San Francisco bay swim, the YWCA Minneapolis women’s triathlon, and the New York City five boro bike ride. At home, she enjoys playing and cuddling with her three dogs: Small, Medium, and Large.

Octavian Robinson

Ph.D.

Octavian is a professional historian and disability studies scholar. He earned his Ph.D. in history from The Ohio State University. His teaching fields are modern U.S. history with an emphasis on disability; women, gender, and sexuality; and African-American. His dissertation explored questions about sign language protectionism in U.S. history and its relationship to whiteness, masculinity, and gender politics. Since then, he has pivoted to ableism in deaf and interpreted contexts. He has published papers on deaf epistemology in scientific research, neoliberal critiques of the University in the context of disability, critical disability studies, deaf women’s history, and ableist rhetoric in the U.S. deaf community. Prior to his Ph.D.,he earned his Master of Arts in Deaf Studies from Gallaudet University.

Octavian is a deafdisabled sighted white transgender man born to nondeaf parents. His family used sign language in the home. He has been committed to using his literacy and education privileges to advocate for greater access and movements for equity.

Octavian teaches writing-intensive courses on social movements, language, and disability. He also teaches American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Deaf Studies. He has presented on a wide breadth of topics including inclusive excellence in ASL teaching and pedagogy, disability studies, Deaf Studies, Deaf culture, ableism and ableist rhetoric, power and privilege in sign language interpreting, and history. You can find a full list of his previously presented topics here as well as his upcoming topics here. He also consults programs on grounding ASL-Interpreter education in the principles of critical pedagogy, the humanities, and the liberal arts.

Octavian's current research projects focus on power dynamics, epistemic justice, and disability justice in sign language interpreting. He is juggling several current writing projects. A chapter on ableism in the academy, a long-languishing piece on epistemic justice, contributions to a book about language attitudes and inclusive excellence in sign language teaching, and smaller pieces on disability justice in sign language interpreting.

Outside of work, when he’s not dreaming of California and St. John where his heart lives, he is a voracious reader, emerging green thumb, occasional chef, and amateur interior designer. He is also a competitive player at Karma, the card game.

The logo, hand-in-hand, was illustrated by one of Naomi’s former students, Lee Ennis. Lee gifted Naomi with the painting in recognition of oft-repeated themes in her teaching centered on allyship, collaboration, and coalitional work.

We chose this typeset because it evoked the newsprint of little paper families. Lpfs, as they were called, were important sources of information and news about deaf people during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.