00. 0 ••00• • 00••00• • 00••0 . 00• • 00••0 . 0 •• . 0 . 000. 00. 00 . 00. 000. 0 . 00. 000. 0 . 00 0 • • 0 . 0 ' . 0 •• O. 0 . 0 • • O. 0 . 0 • . 0 • 00 0 • • • 00 • • • 0 00 • • • 0 0 00 . 0 . 0 0 • 0 0 • O . 0 0 • 0 • o 0 0 • • D· • •• Using her hands, instructor helps deaf community II ) ebbie Woodroof, inscructor of communication and an American Sign Language incerprcrcr, dedicated her life to easing rhe struggles of the deaf Woodrooflearned sign language while she was growing up so she could communicate with both of her parents, who were deaf. She said her parents always made sure she and her siblings had rhe noise of rhe TV o r radio so they could learn to talk. During college, Woodroof's friends called her to substitute for interpret– ers in their classes. "I didn't know how to imcrprer, but I did my best even though I didn't wam to do it," Woodroof said. ''And then I [became] interested [in study– ing} sign language as a major." Woodroof was certified nationally, which allowed her to interpret. She said to get the certification she had ro do a national rest that had a wriuen section, as well as ethics and culture sections and finally a performance section. Woodroof established her own private interpreting practice and helped in couruoom and medical cases and on cruises and land tours. "Wherever a person goes and needs an interpreter, I do that," Woodroof said. During 2006, Woodroof worked full time in Little Rock as an operaror and interpreter, placing calls and interpreting tllem, at the Sourced and Video Relay Service. There, she llsed new technology and the Internet ro eliminate Sitting in her office in the Reynolds building Dec. 5, Debbie Woodroof reads through one of her sign language lesson books. As well as being a part-time professor, Woodroof also worked in little Rock as an interpreter at the Sourced and Video Relay Service. -Jon Byron SO leadership the communication barrier between the hearing and the deaf. Woodroofsaid deaf people called ro th)-center, and through a TV s~reen, she was able ro see them and they were able to see her. Whatever they SIgned, she spoke it into a handset ro the hearing person and she signed everything they said back to them. "] never know who is goi ng ro pop on my screen; I order p izza, do legal translation or call grandmas," Woodroof said. "1 do just whatever someone uses the phone for." Woodroofsaid her children learned sign language when they we re grow– ing up. Her daughter Emily, a senior, rook one of her classes. Emily said she learned sign language when she was young so she could communicate with her grandmorher. Because every country's sign language was nOt the same and there was nor a universal language, Woodroof said she was interested in learning the Italian sign language. She said she and her husband planned to accompany a campaign group to Italy in the summer of2007 where she hoped to have the opportunity to hone her skills in the native sign language. "Relying on what is learned in a classroom or from a CD is never opri– mum," Woodroof said. "Imeracting with nacive speakers is always best." Woodroof said sign language was one of her passions and she loved interpreting and teaching the language. She said she liked to see people excired abom learning another language and culrure. -Martha Aguilar Debbie Woodroof, instructor of communication, teaches her American Sign Language II class how to sign "make" on Sept. 21. American Sign Language I, which Woodroof also taught, was a prerequisite for the only ASL II class offered in the fall. -Chelsea Roberson
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