Specialties
While we strive to meet the needs of all requestors and consumers, we are especially well positioned to meet the needs of small businesses and non-profits who have intermittent interpreting needs. By hiring an interpreter directly, organizations with smaller budgets can provide accommodations without cost being a barrier to access.
--
ASL, American Sign Language, Sign language, interpreting, interpreter, interpreters, disability consulting, non-profit, small business, accommodations, accommodations consulting, translation, coordination, ADA, Deaf,
History
Established in 2020.
Bay Area Independent Interpreters was established to fill gaps in interpreter service provision in the Bay Area. While access to communication is mandated for nearly all entities under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many small organizations find procuring interpreters difficult and confusing. This can leave those with sporadic or one-time interpreting needs scrambling between the sticker shock of paying agency rates and casting about for under-qualified volunteers. BAII seeks to provide an intermediate option by providing easy, direct access to a network of qualified interpreters at rates that are more affordable for smaller requestors. In doing so, we strive to connect more organizations with more interpreters, thereby increasing access and outreach in and around the Bay Area.
Meet the Business Owner: Roberto S.
BAII is not an interpreting agency. We are a network of independent interpreters available for direct hire. We founded BAII in response to CA AB5, and to give interpreters and consumers more control over their work and relationship. BAII isn't sending you an interpreter. You are selecting and hiring the interpreter who's right for you. As a not-for-profit entity, we little overhead. We also do not set rates for or negotiate on behalf of the interpreters in the network. We do not take fees from requestors or consumers. In taking this approach, our interpreters can offer rates that are lower than most those of traditional agencies. By removing cost as a barrier, more organizations can provide access to their constituents. That's the BAII mission. We're not an agency, we're something different. -- Roberto Santiago, MA CI/CT is a Bay Area native and 20+ year practitioner. Along with interpreting, Roberto has been a professor, mentor and researcher.
