SIGN LANGUAGE SPECIALIST

Job Description:

SIGN LANGUAGE SPECIALIST

Description

Position/Program Information

EXAM NUMBER

b1160A

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

OPEN COMPETITIVE

FILING START DATE

August 16 , 2024 at 8:00 a.m. (PT)

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.

Definition:
Provides sign language interpretation services for clients, consumers, family members, community stakeholders, and employees within the Department of Mental Health.

Classification Standards:

Positions allocable to this class provide American Sign Language or other signing modalities to meet the needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients/consumers, family members, community stakeholders, and staff whom the Department of Mental Health employs. A variety of communication methods may be utilized, including American Sign Language and other signing modalities, to meet these needs. Positions allocable to this class must be fluent in American Sign Language. Incumbents must keep all assignment-related information confidential and maintain high professional standards in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the established Code of Professional Conduct set forth by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

Essential Job Functions

• Provide sign language interpretation services in-person, virtually, or via remote videoconferencing for individual Deaf / Hard-of-Hearing clients/ consumers, family members or community stakeholders in a variety of clinical, field-based, or administrative settings. Services may be provided to all relevant age groups during the provision of clinical services, case management and other support services.

• Provide sign language interpretation services in-person, virtually, or via videoconferencing during various meetings such as general staff, leadership, townhalls, community outreach events, community meetings, conferences, Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) community stakeholder meetings, workshops, trainings, Mental Health Commission meetings, and the Board of Supervisor meetings whenever Deaf / Hard-of-Hearing persons are present.

• Provide sign language interpretation services to Deaf / Hard-of-Hearing employees of the Department of Mental Health who require this service to perform essential work duties and functions and/or to communicate with others within the workplace.

• Perform general office support duties when not interpreting on a full-time basis, including coordinating the scheduling of sign language services for upcoming meetings/appointments. Use computer applications such as Microsoft Office, calendar, e-mail, database software, and authorized virtual platforms such as TEAMS and VSee to perform work assignments.

• Collaborate with LACDMH’s ADA Unit to ensure federal and state compliance.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIRMENT:
Three (3) years of *experience providing interpretation services in American Sign Language to Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing person(s).

Applicants must meet the above requirement at the time of filing in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.

**LICENSE REQUIRMENT: (minimal requirement - one of the following)

• National Interpreter Certification (NIC);
• National Association of the Deaf (NAD) level II or higher;
• Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Certificate of Interpretation (CI);
• RID Certificate of Transliteration (CT);
• RID Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI);
• RID Comprehensive Skills Certificate (CSC) issued within the past ten years and evidence of completion of the issuing body’s Continuing Education Unit requirements;
• Certificate of completion from an accredited college or university issued for an Interpreter Training Program;
• EIPA Certification (Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment) 4.0 or higher;
• A license or certificate issued by a State’s agency for Sign Language Interpretation.

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS: II-Light:

This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort, including occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATION:

Additional credit will be given for experience related to the desirable qualification.

• Experience interpreting American Sign Language (ASL) for clients, consumers, or staff for mental health services.
• Experience with Deaf and Hard of Hearing culture and norms.
• Experience interpreting for individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing with varying levels of American Sign Language (ASL) proficiency.
• Experience using mental health terminology in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English in the workplace.

Additional Information

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:

*Experience is evaluated based on a verifiable 40-hour workweek. Work performed part-time will be prorated on a month-to-month basis.

**In order to qualify, applicants MUST attach a legible copy of the sign language certificate or license to the online application at the time of filing or email to Exams@dmh.lacounty.gov within seven (7) calendar days from application submission. In the "Subject" of the email type "Sign Language Specialist".

SPECIAL INFORMATION
Past and present mental health clients and their family members who meet the selection requirements are encouraged to apply.

AVAILABLE SHIFT:

Any - Appointees may be willing to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

EXAMINATION CONTENT
This examination will consist of an evaluation of experience and desirable qualifications based on information listed on the online application and supplemental questionnaires at the time of filing, weighted 100%. Additional credit will be given for experience related to the desirable qualifications.

Applicants must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher in order to be placed on the eligible register.

VACANCY INFORMATION
The eligible register for this examination will be used to fill vacancies in the Department of Mental Health, Prevention/ARDI Division.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The names of applicants receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of promulgation.

RETAKE: NO PERSON MAY COMPETE FOR THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE IN A TWO TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD.

Applications will be processed on an “as-received” basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION
Applicants are required to complete and submit an online Los Angeles County Employment Application AND Supplemental Questionnaire in order to be considered for this examination. Paper applications, resumes, or any unsolicited documents will not be accepted in lieu of completing the online application and Supplemental Questionnaire.

Applicants must submit their applications by 5:00 pm, PST, on the last day of filing.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING ONLINE

Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Clear and legible copies of the required documents such as license(s) must be uploaded as attachments during application submission --or -- by email to exams@dmh.lacounty.gov within seven (7) calendar days from date of application submission. Indicate the Exam Title on the subject line when sending required documents by email.

The acceptance of your application will depend on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Selection Requirements. Your online application must show complete license, education and work experience information necessary to evaluate your qualifications. License information section must show title of license, license number, original date of issue, and expiration date. Education information section must include name and address of school attended, complete dates attended, name of course/s taken, number of units earned, and degree/s earned. Work experience section must include job title, employer name and address, name of work area/facility, actual payroll title held and not the working and/or functional titles, from/to dates of employment including month, day and year, total number of months, total number of hours worked per week - not a range of hours (full or part-time), and complete and detailed description of related job duties. If range of hours is provided, experience will be prorated based on the lowest number of hours worked per week. LIST separately each job experience to be evaluated.

All information is subject to verification. Applicants may be rejected at any stage of the selection process.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• All information is subject to verification. Applications may be rejected at any stage of the selection process.
• Falsification of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION OR RESCISSION OF APPOINTMENT.
• Utilizing VERBIAGE from class specifications and Selection Requirement serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet requirements. Doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on govermmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty,gov you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

CORRESPONDENCE AND UPDATES WILL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL
For the time being, all notifications, including results letters and notices of nonacceptance, will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add exams@dmh.lacounty.gov, isan@dmh.lacounty.gov, and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address and list of
approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES
For applicants who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE:
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT
HR Examinations Unit: (213) 972-7034
HR Examinations Unit Email: exams@dmh.lacounty.gov
Analyst Contact Phone: Irene San, 323-705-4074
Analyst Contact Email: isan@dmh.lacounty.gov

ADA Coordinator Phone 323-705-4074
Teletype Phone 800-735-2922
California Relay Services Phone 800-735-2922

For detailed information, please click here

Salary:

$70,803.36 - $95,415.36 Annually