DeafBlind Presenter/Trainer in ProTactile. Tara Lynn Invidiato is a multi-talented DeafBlind professor, community leader, language trainer, and owner of Tactifying Language Integrations, LLC. She earned multiple degrees and certifications from Bloomsburg University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Concordia University. Reaching up ladders is always a challenge but breakable like glass. She studied in fields such as Anthropology, Paralegal, Interpreting, Instructional Technology and mastering ProTactile. Tara Lynn encourages others to continue learning in different fields to build who they are meant to be with ever-growing abilities.  

Kiva Bennett (PhD, NIC) began interpreting in 2012, and holds a PhD in linguistics from Gallaudet. She periodically gets lost down rabbit holes looking for ways to enhance her skills. Upon surfacing, she sometimes says, "I bet other interpreters would love to know this stuff too!" And a workshop is born.

Brianna McCormack (NIC) completed her B.A. in ASL Interpreting from Gallaudet University, and has settled into her interpreting career in the Metro DC area. Brianna finds value in talking about “the work” and appreciates any opportunity to learn with colleagues, and share her practices with the community.

A native of Atlanta, graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Interpreting for the Deaf. After graduation, she moved to Boston where she worked as
a staff interpreter at the Learning Center for Deaf Children, a bilingual/bicultural school for the Deaf. She also worked part time at Boston University as an interpreter for various graduate programs. Anna returned to Atlanta in 1999 and has been working as a freelance interpreter for the past 24 years. She earned a Certificate of Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration from RID in 1999, the Specialist Certificate: Legal from RID in 2008 and the National Interpreter Certification from RID in 2011. Anna began teaching medical interpreting workshops along with her co-presenter, Heather Brown, in 2008 and is very passionate about standardizing best practices for medical and legal interpreting. Additionally, they published an article in a nationally peer reviewed medical journal entitled Health Care Providers and the Americans with Disabilities Act in the Journal of the American Association of Physician Assistants in January of 2011. She also teaches workshops on legal interpreting.

Bee Vicars, MFA, Deaf, has over 20 years of experience teaching a variety of ASL courses at the university level. She is also a culture researcher, consultant, and advocate, advising on topics that foster a greater cultural understanding of the Deaf community, particularly through various Deaf intersectional lenses. Presently, she serves as a moderator for several social media groups focused on supporting members of the Deaf community in developing their Deaf identity, as well as supporting Deaf consumers who use ASL interpreters, and for learning ASL (Lifeprint).

Jessica Ansbach, NIC, has been interpreting professionally for 18 years in NJ and the greater Philadelphia area and is currently the supervisor for language services for Hackensack Meridian Health. Jessica is responsible for the operations of a team of staff interpreters, and language services
programs in the healthcare network. Jessica is a Bridging the Gap Medical Interpreter Trainer and enjoys presenting on topics related to interpreting, health equity, and practical strategies for improving our work as interpreters.

Mary Bacheller, M.A., CSC
Mary began her academic career by obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Pedagogy of Deafness from SUNY Empire State College. Then went on to obtain a Master of Arts from Columbia University in teaching American Sign Language (ASL) as a Foreign Language. Currently, Mary is the Sr. Manager of the Eastern Coast which includes the NYC Convo Center and Jacksonville, Florida Center for Convo Communications. Mary serves as the Senior Pastor
for Hands for Christ Community Church, a Deaf church on Staten Island. Mary served as trilingual interpreter as well as a mentor/tutor for Empire State College. Finally, Bacheller, was the owner and ASL teacher and interpreter educator for the
Seymour Joseph Institute of American Sign Language. As a Coda, she welcomes new interpreters into the interpreting field.

Crom Saunders is currently a certified Deaf interpreter working as an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Culture at Columbia College, Chicago. Crom works extensively in translation, including PSA videos and children’s stories, with organizations such as Fun4TheDisabled and Sally Is Sarah, LLC. Crom has interpreted dozens of plays, from children’s theatre to musicals, including at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Steppenwolf Theater, and has taught dozens of ASL linguistics, educational, and theatrical workshops across the nation, in addition to working as a Director of ASL for several theatre companies and projects across the nation. He also has a one-man show, "Cromania!", which he performs worldwide.

William G. Vicars, Ed.D., (a.k.a. "Dr. Bill" of ASL University) is a former full-time, tenured, full-professor, and researcher at Sacramento State University where he served as coordinator of the American Sign Language and Deaf Studies bachelor degree program. He is Deaf. He holds an earned doctorate in Deaf Studies / Deaf Education from Lamar University in Texas, and has over 30 years of experience instructing and providing workshops in a wide variety of settings including internationally (Singapore, Guyana, etc.) in-person and online. He is the director of Lifeprint.com -- a popular web destination for learning sign language and about Deaf culture. Through his YouTube channel he shares ASL instruction with over 500,000 subscribers. He is married to Deaf culture researcher and pundit Bee Vicars, MFA, who is also Deaf.

Sandy Pascual, M.S., MBA, NIC  QMHI-S, OCHI, CoreCHI, is mental health interpreter and coordinator for the ADMH, Office of Deaf Services. Sandy is trilingual with 25-years of interpreting experience, specializing in medical and mental health. She graduated from the ITP at Miami-Dade College and from Albizu University with an MBA and a Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology. She has served on numerous boards including local RID Chapters and Mano-a-Mano. She’s the co-founder of Ñ-MHT, a program offering quarterly trainings for individuals working in mental health in the combined languages of ASL, English and Spanish. Sandy has led supervision and discussion groups and has presented on topics related to medical, mental health and cultural and linguistic demands in the interpreting field.

Dr. Amanda G. Somdal, DSW, LCSW, LICSW-S is the Director for the Office of Deaf Services, Alabama Department of Mental Health. Amanda has worked with the Deaf community for over 27 years in providing individual and family therapy, specializing in deaf batterers, deaf mental health, and sexual assault survivors. Amanda served on several boards, including the Advocacy Council for Abused Deaf Children, the National Human Trafficking and Disabilities Working Group, Disaster Distress Helpline, and the Association of Batterer’s Intervention Programs. Amanda graduated from California State University, Northridge, Gallaudet University, and University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Cai Steele is a DeafBlind artist and teacher living in Massachusetts. Cai is a believer in language access and equity for DeafBlind individuals. Cai currently works as an elementary teacher, adjunct professor of ASL, Assistant Director of DBSAN (DeafBlind Support and Advocacy Network) and an educational advocate with a focus on early language intervention for Deafblind children. Cai is currently working with advocacy groups in Massachusetts to improve DeafBlind access to museums, science centers and theaters. At present, they hold an MAEd, MA: Deaf Education ToD (Teacher of the Deaf).

Wink, PhD, NIC-Master, is an interpreter, educator, and researcher with over sixteen years of professional instruction and research in the field of interpretation. He has presented at national conferences, including the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), and across the United States and Canada. His focus is on the intersection of skill development, practice, and theory in interpretation, highlighted by his workshops and a published article on deliberate practice in the Winter 2012 issue of RID Views. He has also served on the Certification Council for RID, held a board position with the Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT), and received the NAD Outstanding Service to Interpreting Award in 2016. As of 2023, Wink has delivered over 2,800 hours of live CEU professional development training. Currently serving as an assistant professor in the Department of Interpretation and Translation at Gallaudet University, Wink engages with undergraduate and graduate students, fostering a deeper understanding of interpretation and encouraging graduate students to become change agents in the field. His doctoral work explores the embodied motivations of imagery in depiction and the processes through which they are constructed. His academic work centering on interpreting and translation, focuses on message analysis within a cognitive linguistic framework and the role of depiction in interpretation. His approach redefines traditional notions of expansion and equivalence, offering a more nuanced perspective, while his exploration of depiction provides interpreters with a structured framework for effectively conveying meaning. With nineteen years of professional interpreting and translation experience, Wink has developed translated tours for the U.S. Capitol and the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas. Outside of academics and interpreting, Wink enjoys crafting ASL stories on and off the stage for his cat’s amusement.

Jeffery first attended Western Piedmont Community College and later transferred to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he graduated with a BA in Psychology and minor in Sociology. He also earned a graduate certificate in the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing from Missouri State University. At the graduate level, Jeffery earned an MS in ASL/English Interpreting with a concentration in Interpreting Pedagogy at the University of North Florida and is currently enrolled in the Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration program at Western Carolina University with sights set on graduation in 2026.
As a practitioner, Jeffery has thirty years of interpreting experience; he holds full licensure from the North Carolina Interpreter Transliterator Licensure Board and NIC certification from RID. Additionally, Jeffery has achieved National Board Certification in medical interpreting and completed the Educational
Interpreter Performance Assessment- Elementary PSE-4.1/Written Test 90%.
In addition to his career as an interpreting practitioner, Jeffery
has assumed a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of
interpreters in academia. He has served as the Interpreter Preparation Program Coordinator at Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton, NC, since August 2020. Jeffery actively contributes to the field as a workshop presenter and mentor, sharing his expertise and passion for interpreting with diverse audiences.

Kahra Varall is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with over 7 years of experience working with people of all ages. An interpreter and certified yoga teacher, she is passionate about breaking down barriers to health and wellness, especially within the Deaf community. She has presented on interpreter wellness at Ocean County College’s ITP and has taught interpreted yoga classes. Kahra is excited to share practical tools and knowledge to help interpreters maintain their health and wellness—so they can continue showing up for themselves and their clients at their best
capacity, both professionally and
personally.