Thomas Skinner has been an interpreter at Francis Howell North for 14 years, but has been an interpreter for 23 years. Along with the other interpreters at north he goes to any class that needs a sign language interpreter. He hopes that he can keep students involved in class and understanding, the material. While being an interpreter at North he also works at a video relay center, where he translates phone calls for deaf people. He skypes with the deaf person while talking to the other person on the phone.
“The hardest part of being an interpreter is knowing that American sign language is a living language so there is new science developed all the time so you have to stay abreast of that, and so you want to give those nuisances to the students at the same time,” Skinner said.