Based on the work of Jodi Kinner
Beth Ann Stewart Campbell was bilingual from the start. Her parents, Zelma and Arnold Moon, grew up together, attending the Utah School for the Deaf in Ogden and marrying in 1929. From her parents, Beth Ann learned sign language, and from her playmates and others, she learned English. And as a child of Deaf adults (CODA), Beth Ann’s facility with both languages was vital to the family.
When Beth Ann was an adult, Zelma encouraged her to attend a conference about a developing field: Deaf interpretation. Despite Beth Ann’s initial reluctance, that conference proved life changing. Before the formal establishment of the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) in 1964, CODAs like her played a pivotal role in interpretation. Jodi Kinner notes that these individuals “served as bridges between the Deaf and hearing worlds, often in high-stakes situations.”
Beth Ann’s first experience as an interpreter was impactful. In 1963, her husband, a police sergeant in Salt Lake City, called her about a Deaf man from out-of-state who was being grossly mistreated. Though initially unwilling, Beth Ann felt compelled to help when she learned no other interpreters were available. She found the man chained and distressed. After spending time with him, she learned he had been raised in a mental institution. Her help in court led to the man’s release, and the experience hooked her on interpreting. Years later, Beth Ann recalled the poignancy of the situation: “having Deaf parents, . . . you’re already so emotional. I just couldn’t believe this was happening.”
Soon, Dr. Robert Sanderson – a critical figure in Utah’s Deaf community – enlisted Beth Ann in interpreting in a number of public settings, such as juvenile court. This led to further opportunities, including interpreting at the University of Utah, a first for the institution.
Then in 1965, Beth Ann attended a national training program and became the first nationally certified professional interpreter for the Deaf both in Utah and across the United States. She went on to a decades-long career of serving the Deaf community.
Beth Ann’s experiences occurred at a time of increasing professionalization for Deaf services – the Utah Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf was founded in 1968. The social movements of the 1960s and 1970s included a push for disability rights. Through the activism of people with disabilities, the provision of accommodations and the fight against discrimination came to be seen as matters of civil rights rather than pity. The July 26, 1990, passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) marked a critical victory in the legal establishment of disability rights.
Today, the ADA mandates that entities provide aids or services to people with communication disabilities. For the Deaf, these services include real-time captioning, written materials, or a “qualified interpreter.”
Please note: Content from outside organizations may not reflect the views of the Utah Historical Society.
Further reading:
https://www.utahdeafhistory.com/
https://jobs.utah.gov/usor/vr/success/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HHj_8Uoe74
https://www.nps.gov/articles/disabilityhistoryrightsmovement.htm#:~:text=This%20movement%20is%20a%20reaction,organizations%20are%20still%20active%20today
Sources:
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wjRPX2IqI1GVZGh7jrFB3jec88ES-d5exhnejKT0RSg/edit?tab=t.0; https://www.deseret.com/1999/6/20/19451755/obituary-arnold-henry-moon/; https://www.deseret.com/1998/3/16/19369234/death-zelma-leona-lundquist-moon/;
- Beth Ann Stewart Campbell Interview, 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HHj_8Uoe74.
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/disabilityhistoryrightsmovement.htm#:~:text=This%20movement%20is%20a%20reaction,organizations%20are%20still%20active%20today.