The Need for Interpreting Services for Adults with Cochlear Implants (2025-2026)

Interpreter services as a guarantee of interaction

People who use cochlear implants (CI) are a relatively new customer group among users of interpreter services for people with disabilities organized by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). The project will investigate how much and what kind of interpreting services for persons with disabilities are currently used by working-age persons with CI, and how interpreting services could be adapted to suit their needs.

Humak trains sign language interpreters, interpreters for the people with speech-impairment, and AAC instructors. In this nationwide project, we are producing an online tool for CI users and their local networks. The tool will help different parties assess which forms of interpreting would best support interaction in varying hearing environments.

Measures

The project will use workshops, register research, and questionnaire and interview surveys to investigate working-age people with CI and companies that provide interpreting services for people with disabilities. These will be used to examine the following issues

– To what extent do working-age adults who have received CI by the end of 2023 currently use interpreting services for people with disabilities?

– What types of interpreting methods do people receiving CI support prefer in their work and study environments?

– What types of interpreting methods in different study and work situations best support and ensure linguistic accessibility?

– What skills are required of interpreters now and in the near future when serving CI clients?

An informative online tool co-developed and produced through this project will be published on the project website.