Schawn Hardesty

Contact Information

Education

• Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership in progress, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (expected 2028)
• M.A. in Teaching ASL, 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
• Director of Operations, UNC-Project CLIMB (Cultivating Legal Interpreters from Minority Backgrounds), 2019-2021
• 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)
• Committee member, Washington State RID (WSRID) DEI Audit Committee
• Contributor, RID White Paper on Legal Interpreting work group
• Student Services Specialist and ASL interpreter, Washington State University’s Community, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence pillar of the Division of Student Affairs
• Co-founder, Spokane Interpreter Mentorship Program
• Two-term Board Director, Washington State Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Board of Directors
• Interpreter Coordinator, Eastern Washington Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Spokane, WA
• Administrative Support Manager, D.E.A.F., Inc in Allston, Massachusetts

Other Experience

Selected Conference Presentations and Publications

• Decker, K.L & Hardesty, S. (2024) "The Current Rural Sign Language Interpreter Landscape: Examining the Fields’ Collective Accountability," International Journal of Interpreter Education, Vol. 15: Iss. 1, Article 11. Available at: https://open.clemson.edu/ijie/vol15/iss1/1
• 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