Get to know US
Doug Williams
by Alex Vollhardt
Meet Doug: He’s an ASL interpreter, an educator, and an optimist—and one of TLG’s brightest stars!
Position: Interpreter (ASL) (VRI)
After receiving his BA in English in 2014, Doug went on to earn a MA in Education for Organization, Policy, and Leadership. His passion for knowledge and self-improvement is apparent: He is currently pursuing a master’s in Deaf Education, and it’s unlikely to be his last academic pursuit.
Doug isn’t afraid of lions or bears—who are, after all, the mascots of his alma maters, Flagler and Missouri State, respectively—but he’s terrified of spiders … and, curiously, cows. He’s adventurous, active, and determined. Perhaps that’s why his favorite quote comes from Churchill: “Never, never, never give up.”
He shared his favorite interpreting story with us:
“I was a substitute teacher at the time, and the school in which I was working that particular day had two sisters who were in a functional skills class and used sign language to communicate. No one knew much beyond basic signs (like “hungry,” “happy,” and the alphabet). I was chatting with a teacher and mentioned that I knew sign language. Her eyes lit up, and she led me to the functional skills class and the two girls. The teachers explained to me their situation and I walked over to the sisters, tapped them on the shoulders and signed to them. They were ecstatic! Every time I went back to that school for a substitute assignment I made sure to visit those students; they always brightened my day!”
Doug is currently on-call for his school district, as well as for TLG’s video remote interpreting.
He has basic BEI certification, is a member of RID, and is qualified, with a score of 3.5 on the EIPA and III on the VQAS.
.. more to come
