Associations Keep Me on the Cutting Edge

From Part-Time to Full-Time with Benefits

By Wanda Newman, sign language interpreter, Prince George's County, Maryland

I've been a sign language interpreter in Maryland Public Schools since 1982. For the first eight years, I worked 185 days a year classified as a part-time temporary employee, without benefits, cost of living increases, or a job description.

The local union could not represent us because we were part-time temporary employees, but they did offer us some great advice. So, we launched a campaign for full-time employment status and benefits. A handful of us did all of the work building coalitions, negotiating with the employer, and soliciting community support. We wrote letters, attended board meetings and other public forums, made speeches, and talked with colleagues and parents.

The results: in 1990, five sign language interpreters who had worked as part-time temporary employees were hired as full-time employees with benefits.

We had won the battle, but not the war. With full-time permanent status and union card in hand, we continued to campaign for equitable pay, accurate job descriptions, professional development, career ladder, and upward mobility. Today, sixteen years later, we continue fighting for recognition for the work we perform.

In the beginning, we had no idea how large our union family was. But our affiliations with the Maryland State Teachers Association and NEA have offered us a wealth of information and resources through publications, professional development opportunities, and grants.

At my first NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) conference in Memphis, Tennessee, I attended a workshop on Writing Results-Oriented Job Descriptions. We used the information from the session, NEA booklets, and advice from NEA staff to help us write an accurate job description. Using the information I learned at an Association workshop on grant writing, I wrote a proposal—and received a grant—for a Learning and Leadership grant from the NEA National Foundation for the Improvement of Education  to learn about the linguistics of American Sign Language.

The 2006 NEA ESP Conference armed me with information to fight salary schedules and to become a better leader. NEA ESP conferences are not just professional development conferences, they are like a family reunion. They provide an opportunity for members to learn not only from national trainers, but also from each other. 

I depend on my local, state, and national Associations to keep me informed and on the cutting edge of my profession.

About the Author
Wanda Newman a sign language interpreter for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing in Prince George's County, Maryland. She also serves as a local and state leader (building representative, paraprofessional educators chapter representative, executive board member, and state trainer).  Newman was recently awarded the National Council on Interpreting National Interpreter Certification - Master Level.  She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Labor Management.