Jill Burress
Senior Lecturer, ASL and Interpreting Education
Jill Burress
Senior Lecturer, ASL and Interpreting Education
Bio
Jill Burress obtained her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Nazareth College in 2002 and her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Nazareth College in 2000. She also earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Educational Interpreting for the Deaf from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1996. Jill holds national certification as an American Sign Language/English interpreter (NIC), the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP), and is a certified instructor of Cued American English.
Jill currently serves as a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Bachelor of Science in ASL-English Interpreting program in the Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education at NTID/RIT. In this role, she oversees program operations including admissions, faculty advising, curriculum development, faculty support and accreditation processes, while teaching upper-level interpreting, practicum and seminar courses.
Jill brings extensive professional experience across a variety of interpreting and transliteration settings. She currently works as a Video Relay Interpreter with Convo Communications and provides on-demand interpreting services through Convo Now. She also interprets in medical settings as an independent contractor and continues to work as a Cued American English Transliterator in both community and legal contexts.
Prior to her faculty role, Jill worked for over 15 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist at NTID, supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing students in higher education through language, social and communication development. Her interdisciplinary background informs her teaching and mentoring, emphasizing language access, culturally responsive practice and student-centered learning.
She is particularly passionate about fostering community-centered interpreter training that centers Deaf perspectives and promotes meaningful access to communication.
Currently Teaching
In the News
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August 10, 2020
RIT faculty look ahead to classroom instruction this fall
COVID-19 has challenged the university to consider an even more creative academic portfolio with blended, online, split A/B, and flex class options. To prepare for in-person instruction, RIT has upgraded academic buildings and classrooms. And physical distancing and face coverings, required of faculty and students in classrooms, together provide some of the greatest protection against the spread of COVID-19.