OSEP Grant
Office of Special Education Programs
Preparation of Educational Interpreters at the Associate and Baccalaureate Levels
A four-year federal grant from the U. S. Department of Education was awarded to the Interpreter Education Program. Out of the many agencies across the country specifically designed to deal with numerous levels of disabilities competing for federal funds, UALR-IEP was in a select group of 9 agencies funded. The Interpreter Education Program was ranked 6th in the award process. The OSEP grant is designated for preparing interpreters to work in educational settings. Funds provides scholarships to eligible candidates with priority given to applicants in the 5-state region (AR, LA, OK, NM, and TX).
UALR-IEP staff carefully review all new applicants for the each semester selected by the applicant. The number of students funded depends upon the number of applications received and on the current year’s funding.
The grant will provide financial support for students across the five-state region toward the A. A. and the B. A. Degrees in Interpretation: ASL/English. Both degrees include specialized courses in educational interpreting, and the B.A. Degree has a specific 18/19-hour minor in educational interpreting.
Recipients of these traineeships must agree to work with students who qualify for services under IDEA and Section 504 (birth through transition). Recipients must work two years for each year of funding received (2:1) or be responsible for repaying the money to the federal government.
The IEP is very excited to receive this funding which will assist in increasing the number of qualified educational interpreters for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in school districts throughout Arkansas and the surrounding states. The grant (renewed each year) is awarded for years 2006 through 2009.
If you would like additional information, please contact Raphael James at (501) 569-3169. To apply for funding, please download and complete the OSEP Grant Application, three Recommendation Forms and email it to Jami Hollingsworth at jjhollingswo@ualr.edu.