Signed language is how members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community communicate, involving hand signals and body language to convey meaning. Though there are different dialects of signed language used in North America, American Sign Language, recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act, is the most widely used.

And while there is a process to be certified by a national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, there is no state agency or state board that licenses American Sign Language interpreters or oversees their qualifications.

“My role as president is to protect our deaf people and their civil rights,” said Molina Wood, an active member of the organization for 16 years. “That’s our mission.”

Florida has the nation’s third largest population of people with hearing difficulties at 210,779 – roughly 1.8 percent of Florida’s population, according to the 2014 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium.

FAD, an advocacy organization for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, along with the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, is behind the Florida Interpreter Licensure Bill. On Tuesday, the two groups are organizing Deaf Awareness Day, where interpreters, the deaf community and their supporters will gather on the capitol steps to raise awareness of the bill. More.

See: Miami Herald

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