UTRGV American Sign Language Interpretation Program

Healthcare should never make Deaf patients feel invisible.

Work with Deaf patients. Do not assume. Not every Deaf person uses ASL, so ask what their preferred communication method is. Most importantly, involve them in their own care.

Make eye contact. Speak directly to the patient, not the interpreter. Give them the same respect, communication access, and understanding every patient deserves.

🎓✨ CONGRATULATIONS TO THE UTRGV ASL & INTERPRETATION PROGRAM GRADUATES! ✨🎓

Today, we celebrate YOU!
After all the hard work, dedication, and countless hours of practice, you have earned every bit of this moment. We are so incredibly proud of each and every one of you.

You came. You learned. You signed. And now you go out into the world ready to bridge communities, amplify Deaf voices, and make a lasting impact.

The world needs skilled, compassionate interpreters and ASL advocates, and today, it gets you. What a gift that is.

Congratulations, UTRGV Class of 2025!
Go celebrate, you have more than earned it!

Are you Deaf or Hard of Hearing with theatrical experience? We want to hear from YOU! 🎭

We are conducting an INTERNATIONAL research study at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and we need your voice to help us answer one important question:

👉 What truly defines Deaf Theatre?

This study is open to Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults with theatrical experience from anywhere in the world. Your perspective matters, and this is your opportunity to shape how Deaf Theatre is understood globally.

Taking the survey only takes a few minutes:
🔗 https://utrgv.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3yNBWv5MwIwcWp0

Questions? Contact Dr. Brian Cheslik at:[email protected]

This study has been reviewed and approved by the UTRGV Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects.

Hey! Check out ASLI Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor, Dr Cheslik! He is performing in this bilingual ASL/English play in Austin.

🌊 Meet the cast of our upcoming show! - Another Kind of Silence - May 20 - June 7, 2026

👉 Dr. Brian A. Cheslik (Peter’s Chorus)- has been involved in theatre for the past 25+ years and has performed every function in the theatrical hierarchy. Brian is the artistic director of Deaf Austin Theatre. In addition to theatre, Dr. Cheslik is an assistant professor at the UTRGV, where he is the program coordinator for the ASLI Program and the GURC Midwest Director for the Clerc Center. He holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Gallaudet University, a master’s and doctorate in Deaf studies & Deaf education from Lamar University, and is a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers (SDC) society. He is a Certified Deaf Interpreter, works as a Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL), and has a book being published about Deaf theatre to be released in 2026.

✋ Another Kind of Silence - a new, bilingual play in English and ASL by L M Feldman, directed by MoMo Holt. Performed simultaneously in signed ASL and spoken English, Another Kind of Silence examines relationships shaped by difference. The characters’ intersecting stories move through love, fulfillment, hunger, and silence, tracing their journeys as they search for a way forward. What is signed, what is spoken, and what is left unspoken forms a richly textured theatrical language of transformation.

TICKETS 🎟 https://vortexrep.org/38_another_kind_of_silence

Check out our program coordinator, Dr Cheslik, who will be on a panel discussing Deaf and Hearing collaboration in the performing arts!!

👋 Another Kind of Dialogue: A Symposium on Deaf and Hearing Collaboration in Theatre - May 23-24, 2026

In conjunction with the National New Play Network () Rolling World Premiere of L M Feldman's Another Kind of Silence, The VORTEX is hosting Another Kind of Dialogue: A Symposium on Deaf and Hearing Collaboration in Theatre – a series of panel discussions that explores the challenges and rewards of deaf and hearing artists working together in theatre and presentations of new work by deaf and hard of hearing artists 🎭

👉 Featured conversations with artists include a panel on the process of creating Another Kind of Silence including playwright L M Feldman (), our director, MoMo Holt () , who has been directly involved in the development of the play over several years; Kim Weild () , the director of City Theatre’s (Pittsburgh) () production of Another Kind of Silence and City Theatre Artistic Director Clare Drobot () .

We will also feature a larger discussion of deaf and hearing collaboration with Brian Cheslik (), Artistic Director of Deaf Austin Theatre (), Lisa Scheps (), Artistic Director of Ground Floor Theatre (), and Michael Baron (), Artistic Director of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma ().

Our symposium also features TL Fosberg’s () Between Two Worlds, a solo show about Fosberg’s experience as a hard of hearing artist, and a reading of Philoctetes, a new Deaf Culture adaptation in spoken English and American Sign Language by playwright Garrett Zuercher (), directed by Kerry Cooler (). We hope this symposium will serve to inspire other theatre makers to seek out partners and work together to expand our ideas about what makes innovative and accessible theatre.

💫 FREE EVENT - Donations Welcome - Full Schedule and RSVP HERE - https://vortexrep.org/38-another-kind-of-dialogue

Another year, another graduation as we send off the next batch of interpreters into the world! We are so proud of our graduates!

BEI Basic Test Preparation is now available at a reduced rate: $331 → $300.

If you’re preparing for the BEI Basic exam, this is an opportunity to strengthen your knowledge, build confidence, and invest in your professional growth at a lower cost.
Enrollment closes May 18.

Registration Link 👉 https://gallaudet.blackboard.com/webapps/consulting-central/app/launch/TDMv2?locale=en_US&route=offerings/7745ddbe-c6b3-4473-bb5e-31260666e168

Join us May 11th as Noemi Martinez defends her Master of Arts thesis entitled "Enhancing Inclusivity Through Certified Deaf Interpreters in the Border Cities." We are so proud of you Noemi!

Details are as follows:
Title: Enhancing Inclusivity Through Certified Deaf Interpreters in the Border Cities

Date: May 11th, 2026

Time: 1:00 p.m., CST

To watch on Zoom-
Meeting ID: 856 6775 7591
Passcode: 509128

(ID: A red, black, and white flyer with the Lamar University logo and a picture of Noemi Martinez, a Latina with silvery-grey hair. She is wearing a blue and white patterned top. In addition to the meeting information, there is a logo at the bottom of a heart containing a family supported by a pair of hands with the text "PROMOTING ACCESS. EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES.
Building a more inclusive future"

End ID)