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| “The district needs a huge support staff of professional people. But they lay them off every summer. They need that same huge group of people back every fall. The district needs the best people for the job—but how can they keep them if they lose their job every summer?”
Gina Campbell, |
When a deaf Taft High School student wanted to try out for the school football team a few years ago, there weren’t any male sign language interpreters working at the school.
“Football definitely has its own unique culture,” said Gina Campbell, a Sign Language Interpreter for the Los Angeles Unified School District. “We don’t filter anything out and none of the other ladies wanted to interpret for an agitated coach on a bad day. I volunteered.”
That boy ended up being a starter on the school’s Varsity team and was the Team Captain at one point. Gina was at every practice and in every game. And although interpreters usually try to be as invisible as possible, this was different. Gina had to get into the huddle to interpret the plays, go out to the 50 yard line for the coin toss, sign everything going on in the game.
“I couldn’t hold anything back. If the other boys said ‘wow, coach was really hard on us today,’ I needed to make sure he knew what they were talking about!”
There are six mainstream interpreters at Taft. They must be able to grasp complex topics and are sometimes called on to develop signs for new concepts. For example, Gina signed lectures for Advanced Placement Physics last year. This year, her schedule includes Senior English, Senior Economics, Associated Student Body, Digital Imaging, Algebra II, and during her sixth period, she alternates between Football and Dance.
“I work hard to make sure that every deaf and hard-of-hearing student I work with has the same well-rounded high school experience as any hearing student,” said Gina. “Our students learn foreign languages, take guitar, participate in performing arts, a variety of sports—everything!”
Gina is also the district’s only Mentor Interpreter with special training to assist other interpreters. In April, she was chosen to be the representative for the state of California at the National Summit on Educational Interpreting this June in Denver.
Before she and her husband had children, Gina got her degree in Business Administration and worked for the Bank of America. Then when she had her kids—a daughter and twin boys—she planned on being a stay-at-home mom. But her husband’s family business installing and maintaining phone booths fell victim to the cell phone. Gina needed to return to work.
She wanted a job with hours that would match her children’s school hours. So she studied interpreting with the aim of working in a school. By the time her twins were in the 2nd grade, she got a job with the district.
“My kids barely knew I was working,” said Gina. “My husband dropped them off and my shift ended in time to pick them up from school every day.”
Gina’s family relied on her year-round income. She and her husband still help support their children, all young college students with part-time jobs who live at home. But for the past four summers, LAUSD cut summer school. Gina hasn’t had a summer job and senseless state laws prohibit her from collecting her unemployment insurance. She’s gone to temp agencies to try to find work, but no one will hire her because they know she’ll leave at the end of summer.
So, to make up for it, Gina has a second job. After working every day at Taft High, she works four nights a week for the Los Angeles Community College District to make as much money during the regular school year as she can. It’s the only way the family can make it through the summer.
“I’m glad we’re working to change this law that prevents school workers from accessing unemployment benefits,” said Gina. “The district needs a huge support staff of professional people. But they lay them off every summer. They need that same huge group of people back every fall. The district needs the best people for the job—but how can they keep them if they lose their job every summer?”
