Schawn Hardesty, M.A.
IRIS Project - Director
Dept. of ASL & Interpreting Studies in the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences
Contact Information
Mailing Address
University of Northern Colorado
IRIS Project c/o Department of ASL & Interpreting Studies
Campus Box Campus Box 106 Greeley, CO 80639
Greeley, CO 80639
Education
- M.A. in Teaching, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
- Certificate in ASL, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- B.A. in Sociology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Professional/Academic Experience
- One of approximately 30 interpreters in the United States to identify as a person
of color who holds the Specialist Certificate: Legal
- Committee and volunteer service on Washington State University’s Community Response
Team; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee; Asian American/ Pacific Islander
Faculty and Staff Affinity Group; Filipino American Student Association; Asian American/
Pacific Islander Student Center; and Community Standards Advisor (previously known
as a Student Conduct Advisor)
- Committee and volunteer service on several local and statewide professional development
and conference steering committees
- Nationally certified ASL-English Interpreter through the Registry of Interpreters
for the Deaf (CI, CT, NIC Advanced, & SC:L)
- Member of the Washington State RID (WSRID) DEI Audit Committee
- Contributor to the RID White Paper on Legal Interpreting work group
- Student Services Specialist and ASL interpreter through Washington State University’s
Community, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence pillar of the Division of Student Affairs
- Co-founder of the Spokane Interpreter Mentorship Program
- Two-term Board Director on the Washington State Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
Board of Directors
- Interpreter Coordinator for the Eastern Washington Center for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing
- Administrative Support Manager at D.E.A.F., Inc in Allston, Massachusetts
Other Experience
Selected Conference Presentations and Publications
- Hardesty, S. & Decker, K. “Improving Rural Interpreter Skill (IRIS) Project: Blooming
in Rural America.” Conference of Interpreter Trainers. In-person national conference.
King of Prussia, PA. 20 September 2022.
- Decker, K., Hardesty, S., West Oyedele, E. & Williamson, A. “Reflecting on Project
CLIMB (Cultivating Legal Interpreters from Minority Backgrounds): Lessons Learned.”
Conference of Interpreter Trainers. In-person national conference. King of Prussia,
PA. 20 September 2022.
- Hardesty, S. & Decker, K. (2022). Improving Rural Interpreter Skill (IRIS) Project. New from NCRTM, 67. https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=83a76dceb96b8a6237e50deeb&id=6f1421f9d1#ImprovingRuralInterpreter.
- Decker, K. & Hardesty, S., West Oyedele, E. & Williamson, A. (2021). Project CLIMB
curriculum and facilitator guide. PDF handbook. National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials. https://ncrtm.ed.gov/library/detail/project-climb-cultivating-legal-interpreters-minority-backgrounds-project-summary.
- Prusac, J., Wohlmuth, A. & Hardesty, S. "Deaf/Coda/hearing Teams in Legal Settings."
Online Webinar. 20 September, 2021.
- Tester, C., Greenfield, J., & Hardesty, S. "Remote Teaming and Preparation for Legal Settings." Online Webinar. 17 September,
2021.
- Decker, K. & Hardesty, S. "Project CLIMB Shareshop: Keeping the Momentum Going." Project
CLIMB Legal Interpreter Training, Online Webinar. 17 November 2021.
- Hardesty, S., West Oyedele, E. & Williamson, A. "The Future of Legal/Court Credentialing."
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf National Conference, Online Webinar. 10 July
2021.
- Decker, K., Hardesty, S., & West Oyedele, E. "Reaching New Heights in Interpreter
Education with Project CLIMB." Sorenson Communications, Online Workshop. 23 February
2021.
- Decker, K., Hardesty, S., West Oyedele, E. & Williamson, A. “Spotlight: Project CLIMB.”
Online webinar. January-February, 2021
- Gallon, S. and Hardesty, S. "Interpreters as Agents of Transformative Justice: Understanding
the Racial Microaggressions that Interpreters Commit." Online webinar. https://ncrtm.ed.gov/library/detail/interpreters-agents-transformative-justice-understanding-racial-microaggressions. 5 May 2021.
- Decker, K. & Hardesty, S. "What are the avenues of entry into the legal system for Deaf, DeafDisabled, DeafBlind
and Hard of Hearing individuals and how does it impact my VR work?" Online webinar. https://www.unco.edu/project-climb/resources/webinars/project-climb.aspx. 5 January 2021.
- Hardesty, S. & Decker, K. “CLIMBing In: Equity, Inclusion and Representation in Legal
Interpreter Education,” Conference of Interpreter Trainers, Minneapolis, MN, 12-14
August 2020. In-person conference canceled due to COVID-19.
- Detore, A. & Hardesty, S. “Universal Design in a Veterinary Medicine Context: Case
Studies and an ASL Lesson.” 2020 Western Regional Iverson Bell Summit, Pullman, WA.
17-10 April 2020. In-person conference canceled due to COVID-19.
- Williams, R. & Hardesty, S. "Collusion or Collision: Where Mental Health and Legal
Interpreting Intersect." Online webinar. https://www.unco.edu/project-climb/resources/webinars/project-climb.aspx. 20 January, 2020.
- Detore, A. & Hardesty, S. “Faculty/Staff, Navigating the World of Academia with a
Disability.” Washington State University Disability Awareness Summit. In-person conference.
Pullman, WA. 29 March 2018.
- Hardesty, S. and Seramur, S. “Creating a Deaf Friendly Culture in a Veterinary Practice.”
WSU Vet-Med Diversity Club Lunch Lecture. 12 April 2017.
Research/Areas of Interest
- Essential foundations of ASL interpreter education and collaboration with educators
from heritage signing backgrounds
- Lifelong learning
- Social equity
- Language access as a human right and social justice issue
- Microcredentials
