Component: Interpreters Services

Legislation: Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) Act

Service objectives

  • To support communication between adults who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or deafblind and those with hearing and/or who do not use ASL/LSQ/non- standard forms of visual language
  • in a variety of health, mental health, and community settings
  • by providing on-call, quality interpreting services to facilitate access to emergency health or mental health services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • To make all reasonable efforts to follow the Supreme Court of Canada's Eldridge (1997) decision in administering and funding emergency sign language interpreting services as it pertains to health or mental health services

Service description

Individuals served

  • Services are for residents of Ontario, 18 years or older, who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or deafblind

Specific service provided

  • American Sign Language (ASL) - English and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) – French and non-standard forms of visual language Interpreting services for scheduled events and emergencies. Services are delivered for a variety of purposes including but not limited to
  • Access to specific health and mental health services (subject to out of scope services)
  • Access to legal services (subject to out of scope services)
  • Access to services in the community (subject to out of scope services); and
  • Personal matters for which no other party is legislatively responsible are potentially accessible, including but not limited to: job interviews, interpreting required to address a job barrier or crisis, family meetings to discuss finances or health, counselling services, funerals of family members of the individual (subject to out of scope services)
  • Provincially coordinating the booking of individuals requesting interpreting services with available interpreters and maintaining readiness to respond to requests for emergency services
  • Monitoring and evaluation of services provided to individuals including consultation with individuals who use the services
  • Public education, awareness and outreach relating to communication access
  • Providing training and education for agency registered and staff interpreters to develop their interpreting skills

Out of scope

Out of scope activities include

  • services for which another ministry, level of government, organization, or private business has a mandate and/or legal obligation to provide. This includes, but is not limited to: Health and mental health services provided in hospitals or facilities funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
  • Courts of law, legal services or programs funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General; and
  • Educational services and programs which are provided by the Ministry of Education

Note: Where necessary MCCSS Interpreting Services Program funding can be used for emergency situations that do not fall within the scope of the MCCSS Interpreter Services Program. In these circumstances, the Transfer Payment Recipient will make reasonable efforts, after the service has been provided, to obtain reimbursement from any the organization responsible for providing the service.

Delivery method

  • Services are provided in person or through videoconference and will be
  • Interpreters are required to have professional training and have successfully registered with Ontario Interpreting Service (OIS) to ensure competency
  • Reflective of, and responsive to individual and community strengths and needs. Accountable to the individual
  • Sensitive to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of individuals, families, and communities, including Indigenous communities; and
  • Staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the needs of the individuals served - adults who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or deafblind
  • Provided by interpreters who have professional training and have successfully registered with Ontario Interpreting Service (OIS) to ensure competency

Program goals

  • Provide quality ASL/LSQ and non-standard visual language interpreting services in a variety of health, mental health and community settings to support communication for individuals with hearing and/or who do not use ASL/LSQ and deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or deafblind individuals
  • Increase the pool of qualified ASL/LSQ sign language interpreters available throughout the province individuals with hearing and/or who do not use ASL/LSQ and deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or deafblind individuals
  • Increase the pool of qualified ASL/LSQ sign language interpreters available throughout the province

Ministry expectations

  • The Transfer Payment Recipient will adhere to the Interpreting Services Program Framework. Services will be provided in a manner that reflects the program principles stated therein
  • The Transfer Payment Recipient will review the needs of the individual and the appropriateness of the services provided

Reporting requirements

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.

Service Data Name Definition

# of Individuals Served: Sign Language Interpreting Services

Number of unique (unduplicated) individuals that received MCCSS-funded interpreting services who are Deaf, Deafened, hard of hearing, deafblind in the reporting year. An individual is counted only once per year.

# of Hours of Direct Service: Sign Language Interpreting Services

Direct hours of interpreting services provided using MCCSS funding by interpreters on assignment (from actual start time to end time). If multiple interpreters are present for the same interaction the hours are counted separately for each interpreter.

# of Interaction Requests: ASL: Sign Language Interpreting Services

Number of requests for ASL-English interpreting service interactions or assignments that fall under MCCSS funding. All requests for each individual are counted. Multiple requests should be counted separately where a single request requires multiple assignments.

# of Interaction Requests: LSO: Sign Language Interpreting Services

Number of requests for LSQ-French interpreting service interactions or assignments that fall under MCCSS funding. All requests for each individual are counted. Multiple requests should be counted separately where a single request requires multiple assignments.

# of Interactions Not Served: ASL: Sign Language Interpreting Services

Number of interactions for which MCCSS-funded, ASL- English interpreting services were requested but were not delivered due to service capacity (service unavailable due to lack of interpreter availability, including interpreters falling sick and/or service cancelled due to daytime emergency request).

# of Interactions Not Served: LSO: Sign Language Interpreting Services

Number of interactions for which MCCSS-funded, LSQ- French interpreting services were requested but were not delivered due to service capacity (service unavailable due to lack of interpreter availability, including interpreters falling sick and/or service cancelled due to daytime emergency request).

Sign Language Interpreting Services: Ministry- funded Agency Expenditures

Total ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver this program in the reporting year (cumulative).