World Speaks, September 2026: This Deaf Awareness Month, We're Highlighting the ASL Interpreter Shortage

A selection of photos from an interpreter training. Students it in a classroom and listen to several different presenter.

Hey Reader,

Imagine you make a doctor’s appointment. You go to the office and discover that the only way you can communicate is by passing notes back and forth, either handwritten or on your phone, or using a video remote interpreting (VRI) that keeps losing connection. For many Deaf and Hard of Hearing Nebraskans, this is an upsetting reality, due to the shortage of ASL (American Sign Language) interpreters – and the problem impacts many of our neighbors who use ASL.

Approximately 20% of Nebraskans have some form of hearing loss, and approximately 1% of the population is Deaf. Many use ASL, or American Sign Language, to communicate, and Nebraska officially recognized ASL as a language in 2020. When the bill (LB 839) was introduced in the Unicameral, then Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, John Wyvill, said that it was a “positive step forward in ensuring equality for all.”

Despite the need, there is an ASL interpreter shortage in Nebraska – and across the United States. ASL, or American Sign Language, is used by approximately 1 million Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. However, industry experts estimate there are about 10,000 certified interpreters in the United States, and only 120 licensed interpreters in Nebraska. Nebraska accepts both national certification and a state-level assessment for licensure.

Meghann Cassidy, MS, CI & CT, an ASL/English Interpreter (and friend of World Speaks), shares that “The shortage of ASL/English interpreters in the metro area is significant, and it is even more severe in rural communities. In some rural communities, there may be only one or two Deaf residents and no interpreters nearby. As a result, interpreters often must travel from larger cities, which increases costs for the hiring entity. When in-person interpreting is not available or cost-effective, companies may use video remote interpreting (VRI).”

The lack of qualified ASL interpreters is a systemic problem with multiple causes. Education can be a barrier – interpreters who are not “heritage signers” (people who learned ASL from birth because they have Deaf family members) learn ASL in school, and like any second language, fluency can take 8 to 10 years of study and practice. Few colleges and universities offer interpreting as a major (though we do have a program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha), and budget cuts have eliminated many programs.

Testing requirements are another reason for the interpreter shortage – in Nebraska, ASL/English interpreters must be licensed to work in community settings (excluding K-12 educational interpreting, which has its own set of requirements). To become licensed, interpreters must pass both an ethics exam and a performance exam – the current exams are expensive and are difficult, with a low pass rate. To help bridge this gap, Nebraska added an apprentice license to the interpreting statute for people who have passed an interpreting ethics exam. However, as Meghann Cassidy notes, “Licensure and testing can be prohibitive, but they also help ensure interpreters are qualified and ethical.”

Finally, there is the issue of ableism and audism—the belief or attitude that hearing people are superior to Deaf people. According to Meghann, these beliefs often “force interpreters to justify the legitimacy of our profession, the need for our services, and the value of being fairly compensated for our work. Many interpreters leave the profession after years of fighting the same fight with little progress.”

In the face of the interpreter shortage, those who need ASL interpretation often get video interpretation (which, in rural areas, can be difficult to access) or have a family member or friend jump in to interpret for them. If you’ve paid attention to World Speaks’ articles on interpretation before, you know – having a nonprofessional jump in to interpret is NOT the best alternative. As Meghann notes, “We must know how to accurately interpret at the doctor’s office, for the Deaf lawyer, for the student majoring in architecture, and the Deaf social worker. Each has its own jargon, culture, and norms. We must learn about each setting and the people involved to interpret accurately. It’s amazing!”

If you or someone you know is interested in learning how to become an ASL interpreter, visit the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing’s Interpreter development page or check out UNO’s Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders’ Sign Language Interpreter undergraduate program. If you are a nonprofit or business planning an event and need an ASL interpreter, request one as early as possible. The World Speaks team recommends booking up to 1-2 months before your event (but if it’s earlier and you know you’ll need ASL interpreters, book them as soon as you can!).

If you are interested in starting to learn ASL – don’t forget to watch this space for our ASL Classes. Fall classes are underway, but spring classes will open for registration in February.

Connecting Comunidades! Community in Action

In August, we held the first Bilingual Game Night, Connecting Comunidades! It was so much fun! Participants had the opportunity to practice their Spanish or English and connect with members of our community. We played games, did laughter yoga (the whole room laughed and had a great time), and made art together.

We’d like to thank Humanities Nebraska for partially funding this event for our community, and to our partners – Inclusive Communities, CIRA, and Julie for partnering with us!

We can’t wait for the next one – and we hope you’ll join us! Watch this space!

Where (in Omaha) is the World Speaks Team?

September has been a busy month for the World Speaks team! With summits, events, and celebrations, it feels like we’ve seen everyone this month! Just since the start of September, we’ve enjoyed: the Latina Professional Nebraska Council, the Latino Summit at the new Central Library, the 2026 Adelante Soirée for the Latino Economic Development Council, the Developing Annual Sustainability Training with the POC Collaborative, the Indigenous People Summit, el Grito de Independencia by the Consulate of Mexico, the Bridge Builder Networking meeting, Share Omaha’s Connect for Good, the Metro Housing Collaborative’s 2026 Property Owner & Manager Workshop, the Leadership Lab from the Omaha Chamber, and CIRA’s Welcome Fest!

We were so happy to attend these incredible events, share the word about Language Access, and continue seeing how vibrant the Omaha community is.

Language Access Learning

How do you explain how to use a much-needed app to someone who wants to use it? Do you show them in person? Do you share a video?

What if they don’t speak the same language you do?

Now, let’s add on a challenge – you have to explain it to 10 different people, all of whom speak a different language.

That’s the challenge our friends at HCAN (Health Center Association of Nebraska) brought to us with their latest project, designed to walk new users through the WICShopper app.

WICShopper lets WIC program users look up their benefits, scan barcodes while they shop, and find eligible stores. The problem? No videos in non-English languages showed how to use the app. To help HCAN meet the needs of everyone who needed to learn, they asked World Speaks to help them create videos in 10 different languages – including Nepali, Spanish, French, Burmese, and Arabic.

Now, the HCAN team and the Health Centers they support are sharing these videos with those who need them – and thanks to the power of the internet, other people who need them are finding them too! Since they launched just a few weeks ago, the videos have been watched over 1,000 times!

Staff Retreat Recap

Once a year, if you email the team, you’ll get a message like this:

“The World Speaks team is out of the office for our annual staff retreat. We’ll be back tomorrow!”

Our staff retreat is one of our favorite traditions. The team gathers not only to have fun, but also to talk about our mission, what we’ve accomplished this year, and what we’re working on for the future. It’s a great way for us to connect as a group, focus on how we can have more impact in our community, and discuss our plans. There are always great ideas, good food, and a lot of fun.

Then, in early September, our incredible board joined us for a Strategic Planning session to discuss future initiatives, goals, and our community’s growing need for Language Access. We’re so thankful not only for our wonderful team, but also for the fantastic group of humans who support our work!

Community Corner

Our friends in the community need help! Take a look at the information and happenings our partners are sharing this month.

The Omaha Refugee Task Force wants everyone to know about changes coming to Medicaid on October 1. Some people may lose Medicaid or have changes to their benefits. To spread the word, they created flyers in multiple languages to encourage people to use their Medicaid benefits now and address any medical or prescription needs before the changes take effect. ORTF will continue to share information as they learn more. Find the flyers at: https://omaharefugees.com/?page_id=4217

Restoring Dignity is starting a hygiene pantry, and they need your help! The pantry is designed to serve the thousands of refugees in Omaha impacted by recent federal legislation who can't afford food and basic hygiene items. Families are coming to Restoring Dignity because they can't afford laundry detergent to wash their children’s clothes or toilet paper for their bathrooms. There are three ways to help: donate at this link, give needed items to Restoring Dignity via their wishlist, or drop off needed items at Restoring Dignity. For more information, visit: https://rdomaha.org/hygiene

Restoring Dignity also has an incredible resource to share - Dignity Learning! It’s a free educational resource that makes their practical, multilingual Welcome Home curriculum freely available. Topics include Healthy Home, Home and Fire Safety, Homeowner Maintenance Education, and Pathways to Financial Stability. Share it - or use it to educate the communities you work with! Find it at: www.dignitylearning.org!

The Douglas County Emergency Response Department now has an app called ReachWell, with alerts available in 15 user-selected languages. It’s completely free and allows people to get emergency alerts – like tornado and weather alerts – in the language they need. They need help spreading the word, so share with those you know: https://www.reachwellapp.com/douglasne

GET INVOLVED

Want to join World Speaks in our work? There are four ways you can do so!

Volunteer! We are always looking for native speakers interested in being in-class mentors. We’d love to have you join us this spring!
Donate – We are so close to our $10,000 goal for our 10th anniversary! If you'd like to help, make a one-time or monthly donation today!
Leave us a Review – If you’ve taken a language class, don’t forget to spread the word by leaving us a Google review!
Visit our store for our Superpower shirts and sweatshirts and tell everyone about your superpower!