Beth Ann Stewart Campbell, our first nationally RID certified interpreter in Utah and the United States
On August 8, 2014, Beth Ann Stewart Campbell, a Utah native, CODA, and the former director of the Utah Community Center for the Deaf, was honored at the UTRID banquet with the Kim Maibaum Lifetime Achievement Award. She was the first nationally certified interpreter in the United States and was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the Utah Interpreting and Deaf communities. Beth Ann was a trailblazer who paved the way for many interpreters, opening doors for individuals who followed in her footsteps. Her dedication and devotion to the Utah Deaf community are greatly appreciated, and we are all here today because of the efforts of individuals like her.
Beth Ann Moon, the daughter of Deaf parents Arnold and Zelma Moon, has been interpreting for the Utah Deaf community since 1963. She completed the Registry of the Interpreter training session in Indiana in 1965 and was the first candidate to take and pass the certification exam. As a result, she became the nation's first RID-certified interpreter. Beth Ann worked in various community, hospital, and higher education settings, including as the first interpreter for the University of Utah and as a full-time interpreter for the Division of Rehabilitation. She also volunteered to interpret the evening news on television from 1971 to 1980.
With Beth Ann's help in interpreting, two local Deaf leaders, Dr. Robert Sanderson and W. David Mortenson, campaigned for better deaf education and community outreach needs. This led to the establishing of the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Beth Ann served on the board of directors of the Utah Association of the Deaf and was one of the organization's first hearing members. She also worked as a secretary for the first URID before it became UTRID in 1968.
Beth Ann was the director of the Utah Community Center for the Deaf from 1985 to 1989. Her notable achievements were accomplished before the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted. This law mandates using interpreters in various settings to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities.
With Beth Ann's help in interpreting, two local Deaf leaders, Dr. Robert Sanderson and W. David Mortenson, campaigned for better deaf education and community outreach needs. This led to the establishing of the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Beth Ann served on the board of directors of the Utah Association of the Deaf and was one of the organization's first hearing members. She also worked as a secretary for the first URID before it became UTRID in 1968.
Beth Ann was the director of the Utah Community Center for the Deaf from 1985 to 1989. Her notable achievements were accomplished before the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted. This law mandates using interpreters in various settings to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities.
More information about
Beth Ann Stewart Campbell can be found below
Beth Ann Stewart Campbell can be found below
http://www.utahdeafhistory.com/biographies-of-prominent-utah-interpreters.html
http://www.utahdeafhistory.com/utah-interpreting-service.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HHj_8Uoe74
http://www.utahdeafhistory.com/utah-interpreting-service.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HHj_8Uoe74
On a side note, Beth Ann's husband, Dr. Jay J. Campbell, then Deputy Superintendent of the Utah State Office of Education and an important alley of the Utah Deaf community, became entangled in a controversy between the Utah Association for the Deaf and a hard-core oralist, Dr. Grant B. Bitter. For further details, see the webpage "Dr. Jay J. Campbell's 1977 USD Comprehensive Study."
Julie Hesterman Smith & Jodi Becker Kinner
Julie Hesterman Smith & Jodi Becker Kinner
"Beth Ann Campbell, my long suffering and patient interpreter and colleague, a tenacious advocate for the deaf, who was always ready," Dr. Robert G. Sanderson, a Deaf leader in the Utah Deaf community, said
(Sanderson, 2004).
(Sanderson, 2004).