Also called: Tactile Interpreter, ProTactile Interpreter
Interprets for people who are both deaf and blind by signing into their hands or tapping on their arms and back, describing the room as well as the words.
At a doctor's visit you sit knee to knee with a DeafBlind woman, her hands resting on yours as you sign. You also tap her arm to show when the doctor smiles or someone enters the room. On another job you guide a DeafBlind professional through a conference, describing who is speaking and where.
Often freelance and paid hourly.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in ASL interpreting plus national certification and DeafBlind training.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: ASL/English Interpreting, Deaf Studies.
Growing faster than average. Strong demand and a shortage of trained interpreters.
Low risk for 10 years. Touch-based interpreting and describing a room through someone's hands cannot be automated.
Classes: American Sign Language, Psychology, Theater (expression).
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3091.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.