THE DHIS DIFFERENCE

DHIS Interpreting is a family-owned and operated Sign Language Interpreting agency that was started by May Booth in 1973. Her legacy lives on through her Granddaughters and co-Presidents, Melissa and Lora, to this day.

Born to Deaf parents, May was a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and with ASL as her native language. Only learning to speak English when she began school as a child. As a native “signer” and the oldest “hearing” child of Deaf parents, May became an Interpreter for her parents, other family members, and their friends - interpreting on a daily basis.

In 1973, she successfully wrote her first grant to the Area Agency on Aging 1-B to provide services to Deaf older adults. She began pioneering the field of interpreting for services to Deaf senior citizens and also established satellite sites throughout southeast Michigan where Deaf adults could come for group programs and individual client assistance.

May Booth was especially noted for her excellence in interpreting. She received one of the first Comprehensive Skills Certificates from the Performance Testing Board of the National Registry of Interpreters and was a Nationally Certified Interpreter for more than 50 years.

May passed her exceptional ASL interpreting skills down to her daughter Linda Booth, who took over DHIS in the 90s, and much like her mother, Linda acted as President of DHIS until her 80th birthday. Linda lauded a stellar pedigree of interpreting achievements, interpreting for Presidents Bush and Obama, the World Cup, and consulting for serious criminal cases while advocating for Deaf children. She took great pride in DHIS as a family business - treating not just clients, but also Interpreters, as family.

Today, DHIS Interpreting is proud to carry the family, female-led legacy with Linda’s daughters and May’s Great-Granddaughters, Melissa Kizer and Lora Ramfos, acting as co-Presidents.

DHIS aims to source the best certified American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters for our client’s needs, making sure that interpreters are provided as required by law in public accommodation settings and working with our senior population challenged by diminished hearing. As a leader in Deaf services, DHIS continues to:

• Respond to the needs and requests of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community and advocate on their behalf.

• Enhance community awareness of Deafness and Hard-of-Hearing through intensive outreach programs and in-service training.

• Foster coordination among public and private agencies to provide the highest quality of services for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals.

• Encourage more talented and compassionate individuals to become certified Sign Language interpreters.

In addition, DHIS will soon be expanding our services to non-English speaking communities. We look forward to extending our exceptional service to non-English speakers and fostering a forward-thinking approach to the interpreting community.