26 Years

By: Frances Smallwood

26 years! Deaf Access has been open and providing sign language interpreting services for 26 years. I made the decision to create an interpreting agency that would put our customers first. Who are our customers exactly? Deaf people who utilize interpreters, interpreters who contract with us and businesses who provide interpreters for deaf people as we all work together to ensure effective and accurate communication.

I started this journey on May 31, 1995. For 20 years, Deaf Access was a one-person office with several great interpreters that were contractors. Ryan Smallwood joined in 2019 as our staff as Director of Operations and Interpreter and our business started to take-off. Our staff continued to grow and we were staying very busy! Last year was extremely difficult due to the pandemic and we had to reduce our staff. However, we are happy to begin welcoming new additions to the team and recently hired an Administrative Assistant/Interpreter. (More about Heather, later!)

Of course, 26 years is a long time and there have been challenges, great times, frustrations, headaches, and PAH! moments that are good for the soul. I have been blessed to walk alongside some of you through high school, college, graduations, job interviews, weddings, births of babies, job promotions and have shared your happy times and also, sad times. You are my friends – not just my customers. We have been blessed with great interpreters throughout the years and have worked with many companies since our doors first opened in 1995. 

I want to say thank you to all of you for supporting Deaf Access. Thank you to my husband, Randy, for his support and encouragement. Thank you to Ryan for his great ideas, tech savviness and constant laughter (who else wears a tinfoil hat to work?) – we will miss you when you move away. We love you all and look forward to more years in the future!