Gertrude R. (Trudy) Schafer
Trudy Schafer has been a lecturer for the Northeastern University ASL Interpreting program since 2002. She is also an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter in private practice. She has been interpreting professionally since 1976 and possesses a Comprehensive Skills Certificate (CSC), a Certificate of Interpretation (CI) and a Certificate of Transliteration (CT) from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. She has served as president of both the Massachusetts and the Illinois Registries of Interpreters for the Deaf.In addition to her interpreting career, Ms. Schafer has had a lengthy career in government at the state and local level. She worked for the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services addressing issues related to ASL interpreting. She also worked for the Mayor of the City of Baltimore as liaison to the disability community. This was followed by seven years working for the governor of the state of Maryland in two primary capacities, first as director of the Office for Handicapped Individuals and later as executive assistant to the Governor. In addition she served as assistant director of a Ford Foundation funded research program studying creativity in government housed at Harvard University.
Ms. Schafer has been involved with Children of Deaf Adults International, Inc. (CODA) since 1989 and served as president from 1997 to 2001.
Ms. Schafer received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with focus on history and political science from the University of Baltimore and a Master degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is currently pursuing a Master degree in Interpreting Pedagogy from Northeastern University. Her research interest is the competencies and professional development needs of interpreters with Deaf parents (IDPs).
She resides in Framingham, Massachusetts with her husband and daughters along with her mother.