D.C. Trusts Birnbaum Interpreting Services

Birnbaum Interpreting Services has more experience than any Deaf access agency in the nation. In fact, BIS is one of the only agencies that has been providing Deaf access services since the prior century. Our reputation has flourished ever since our nation’s capital, and the Federal agencies that populate Washington, D.C., were among the first customers to cast their vote of confidence in our service quality.

The Best Deaf Access in D.C.

More specifically, in 1995, David Birnbaum opened his Deaf access agency when BIS became the official provider of Sign Language Interpreting (SLI) services for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration—known in D.C. as NOAA for short (and pronounced like the prophet famous for his ark). So exalted was the Birnbaum name among the Deaf community that one of D.C.’s most important agencies entrusted him with translating for America’s two million Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (HH) population critical messages involving hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and other severe weather events. This isn’t to mention the everyday internal communications that Deaf employees of NOAA relied upon to generate the forecasts necessary for such messaging not only here in D.C. but across the entire U.S.A.

Since then, Birnbaum Interpreting Services has become one of the Federal Government’s premier Deaf access providers. Tens of thousands of Deaf and HH employees, Federal associates, and customers in D.C. rely on BIS every day to deliver the highest quality service in the industry. This trust underpins and proliferates our expanding customer base both within and outside the Federal Government—reach out to Birnbaum Interpreting Services today to find out why.

Federal Access Services in Washington, D.C.

Since our first contract with NOAA back in 1995, Birnbaum Interpreting Services has performed Deaf access services on hundreds of Federal requirements. Our services include:

• Sign Language Interpreting

• Video Remote Interpreting

• CART & other Captioning Services (including Transcription, Translation, and Post-Production captioning)

• Deaf Access Consulting & Training (including ongoing Consulting & Training Workshops to optimize and understand Deaf access)

• Continuing Education (referred to among interpreters as “CEUs”; a requirement for maintaining RID certification)

• Spoken Language Interpretation for foreign language speakers

Birnbaum Interpreting Services has maintained total focus on our core business due to our immersion in not only Deaf access but Deaf culture in general. Believe it or not, Birnbaum Interpreting Services is one of the first Deaf access agencies actually founded by a Deaf entrepreneur. Our team is composed almost entirely of Deaf and CODA staff. We base our entire service model on this holistic approach: that Deaf access is provided best by those most knowledgeable and experienced in Deaf culture. Businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations contact us on a daily basis because of our grassroots approach.

The Federal Government agrees. Nearly every overarching agency in Washington has awarded Birnbaum Interpreting Services a Deaf access contract. BIS Federal clients include, but are certainly not limited to:

• Internal Revenue Service: BIS provides Onsite SLI for over 300 IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers nationwide—including right here in D.C.

• United States Citizenship & Immigration Services: Just outside Washington, D.C., the USCIS Camp Springs office is one of three locations relying on Birnbaum Interpreting Services for Onsite and Remote Interpreting.

• United States Access Board: The USAB requires all forms of access, from Onsite SLI and VRI to onsite and Remote CART services.

• United States Department of the Navy: Just five minutes outside Washington, DC, the Naval Warfare Surface Center’s Carderock Division in Bethesda, MD is one of countless Navy departments to work with BIS. Others include Naval Intelligence, Naval Research Lab, and the Naval office in Norfolk, VA.

• Government Accountability Office: BIS provided GAO with onsite ASL services for over six years right here in Washington, D.C.

• Health Resources & Services Administration: Located in Rockville—less than fifteen minutes from the D.C. border—Birnbaum Interpreting Services provides On-Call Sign Language Interpreting for one of HRSA’s Deaf employees.

The above agencies represent but a few of countless Federal clients BIS serves right here in the D.C. area. The Federal Government’s trust in us breathes through each and every contract—and it shows, particularly when household-name Federal contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) instill that same trust in us; for over fifteen years BIS has provided BAH’s Deaf employees with all forms of Deaf access, from VRI and Remote CART to standard Onsite Sign Language services.

Booz Allen is merely one of many BIS customers that placed their trust in us because of our reputation here in D.C. Working on critical Federal contracts serves as an example for organizations throughout the private sector. Wells Fargo, Chemonics Inc., and Holy Cross Health Centers, Chimes, D.C.—contact us today join the ranks of organizations that have come to rely upon Birnbaum Interpreting Services for their Deaf access services.

Contact Birnbaum Interpreting Services for Deaf Access Services in Washington, D.C.

Birnbaum Interpreting Services has provided quality Deaf access services for almost three decades. No other access agency is Deaf-owned and -operated while employing only Deaf or CODA individuals. BIS’s holistic approach means we’re more than just a referral agency. That’s why so many Federal agencies here in Washington, D.C.—and beyond—rely on BIS.

Give us a call at (301) 587-8885 or visit our website today to find out more about how we can help you with accessibility for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.