Trenton Marsh, a certified deaf interpreter, and Clay Anderson, an ASL interpreter, are part of every Governor’s Office and Department of Health media briefing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both are staff with the Utah Division of Services of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. They help ensure all Utahns, including those who are part of Utah’s Deaf community, can access the important public health and safety information being shared during these unprecedented times.
Their work has not gone unnoticed. Recently, KUTV 2, KSL Newsradio and ABC 4 have all highlighted Trenton and Clay's work to help hearing people understand why their efforts are so critical, what their workflow and process is, and how they are able to convey such complex information so seamlessly. The news clips are available below, including transcripts. More...
The Department of Workforce Services’ Utah State Office of Rehabilitation has selected Arlene Garcia Gunderson as the new director of the Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Gunderson will be responsible for the oversight and administration of programs assisting Utah’s Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing communities and their families.
Gunderson most recently worked as an American Sign Language assistant professor, as well as a consultant and project lead for the first mobile, on-demand and live interactive video chat tutoring, education and practice platform for the Deaf in both K-12 and college-level subjects. In addition, Gunderson led a development team in creating free, online courses for Deaf adults in Ontario, Canada. Gunderson also served as the first director of the Gallaudet University Regional Center – Southwest in Austin, Texas, when it opened in 2011. Throughout her career, Gunderson has worked in a variety of roles, including Deaf services coordinator, high school social studies teacher, K-12 school for the Deaf principal, ASL lead and co-director of an ASL-interpreter preparation program. More...
Eight local businesses, agencies and advocates were each awarded with the Golden Key Award, honoring their work to help promote employment opportunities for people with disabilities, including veterans. The 45th Golden Key Awards were presented by the Utah Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and the Department of Workforce Services’ Utah State Office of Rehabilitation as part of the Disability:IN Utah annual summit.
Every year award recipients are nominated by their peers, employees and community partners for making the commitment to support people with disabilities and veterans through employment, including recruitment, training and workplace accommodations. More...