Guiding Institutional Policy

The University of Connecticut is committed to achieving equal educational and employment opportunity and full participation for persons with disabilities.  It is the University’s policy that no qualified person be excluded from consideration for employment, participation in any University program or activity, be denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity.  This policy derives from the University’s commitment to nondiscrimination for all persons in employment, academic programs, and access to facilities, programs, activities, and services.

Guiding Principles

Meaningful Access

UCIS provides communication access accommodations to enable full and equitable participation in all aspects of University life. UCIS recognizes that service provision is as diverse as the community we serve. We engage in an interactive process with our consumers and, through this dialogue, reach a better understanding of how each individual and situation is best served. We maintain that communication in a University environment involves more than the discrete action of linguistic conversion. Interpreting is a complex cognitive process that requires linguistic competence, technical skills, and multi-cultural mediation.

Community Engagement

UCIS consistently seeks input from the communities we serve. We engage in tailored individual collaborations with our consumers. We offer consultation & educational programming informed by these relationships to raise awareness about the Deaf community, deafness, and universal inclusion. UCIS partners with various UConn stakeholders to engage in ongoing public accessibility initiatives, with the philosophy that Universal Design (UD) and experiential equity contribute to a more holistic experience for everyone.

Intentional Design

UCIS relies on data-driven decision-making that allows us to be responsive to emerging needs and trends at a tier one research university. We focus on consumer experience with the goal of minimizing impact and sharing responsibility for communication access. Centralization of service provision and integration with other university systems allows us to leverage community resources and technologies, creating a paradigm-shift in the institution to recognize that inclusion is a community endeavor.

Guiding Principles

Reflective Practice

We are a team of reflective practitioners who are committed to engaged, critical dialogue. The Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI) provides a framework for self-reflection and analysis of decision points. This approach allows us to create and sustain a standard of excellence while maintaining agility and responsiveness in a rapidly changing environment. UCIS recognizes the research-based need for supportive teaming among interpreters, guided by global scaffolding, discipline-specific schema-building, and pragmatic considerations.  We partner with experts in the fields of interpreting, Deafness, sign language studies, disability studies, and communication access to inform our practices. Additionally, UCIS staff and our affiliates engage in professional development to improve their competence, skills, and leadership capacity.

Ethical Action

UCIS staff and our affiliates uphold professional integrity and maintain strict confidentiality as required by our national certifying bodies, including The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).  Our team embraces our social responsibility to work in solidarity with the Deaf and hard of hearing communities to address institutional inequities and oppression. We respect each consumer's choice and honor individual preferences whenever possible. With this emphasis on collaboration and communication, UCIS strives for transparency and accountability in our work.

Statement on Ethical Practice

UCIS is committed to professional and ethical practices in its decision-making and service provision.  UCIS staff and our affiliates are governed by the following standards and codes of conduct: