The Access Interpreter Agreement is confidential and proprietary. It is to be used solely by Interpreters working with Access Professional Interpreting, LLC for the purpose and benefit of Access Professional Interpreting, LLC.
By accepting an assignment from Access Professional Interpreting, you are agreeing that you have read, understood and accepted these terms of use and agree to be bound by them.
The following is a Service Agreement between Access Professional Interpreting, LLC, hereafter referred to as “Access,” and you, an Independent Contractor, hereafter referred to as “Contractor.”
I. Service
Upon request, Contractor will perform interpreting services as agreed upon and assigned by Access. This may include, but is not limited to: sign language interpreting, transliterating, oral interpreting, Deaf interpreting and CART Services.
II. Relationship
- Access and Contractor expressly agree that Contractor shall be an independent contractor, for all purposes in the performance of this agreement. Contractor shall be responsible for compliance with all tax, worker’s compensation, and other applicable laws or regulations. Contractor accepts exclusive liability for all contributions and payroll taxes payable under federal, state, social security, unemployment, and disability insurance. Contractor is eligible for and will be sent an IRS form 1099 annually per federal regulations.
- Because the Contractor is engaged in his or her own independent contracting business, Contractor is not eligible for nor entitled to, nor shall participate in, any of Access’ pension, health, or other fringe benefit plans, if any such plans exist.
- No exclusivity. Access agrees that Contractor may represent, perform services for, and contract with as many clients, persons, or companies as Contractor sees fit. In the event performance of such other services raises a conflict of interest between Contractor and Access’ interest, Contractor shall notify Access about such potential conflict prior to performing the services in question. Contractor shall obtain Access’ approval or disapproval for performing such other services and shall act in accordance.
- Access shall make no state or federal unemployment compensation payments on behalf of Contractor or Contractor’s employees or contract personnel. Contractor will not be entitled to these benefits in connection with work performed under this Agreement.
III. Professional Conduct and Confidentiality
- Contractor agrees to abide by the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct (CPC) and its tenets. Contractor is responsible to review and familiarize him or herself with NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct. The CPC, including “Guiding Principles” and “Illustrative Behavior” can be found printed in its entirety here and in ASL and English here.
- Contractor agrees to abide by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) Regulations and safeguard Protected Health Information (“PHI”) according to current standards. All interpreting service confirmations and any related details must be kept and stored confidentially. Technical safeguards must be in place to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and security of this information.
- Contractor shall dress in business apparel except when alternate attire is specified in the provided assignment information.
- If Contractor fails to appear for a confirmed assignment, Contractor agrees to make a good faith attempt to repair the potential damage done to Access’ relationship with the client.
- Contractors shall not subcontract all or any portion of the services without Access’ express written consent.
- Contractor expressly agrees to keep strictly confidential any business, proprietary, or other like information gained in the course of providing services. This includes, but is not limited to: the other party’s vendors, consultants, suppliers, or customers.
- Contractor agrees not to use or divulge any of Access’ or Access’ third party information for his or her own benefit or the benefit of any person besides Access. Violators of confidential information may face litigation, grievances, and/or forfeiture of License and/or Certification.
- Contractor agrees that during the period of this agreement and for a period of one year following the termination of this agreement, Contractor will not solicit or take away any of Access’ customers of which Contractor became aware as a result of performing services under this agreement.
- During assignments for Access, the Contractor shall present themselves exclusively as a representative of Access for the duration of the assignment. The Contractor shall only provide Access-related contact information and shall never share personal contact information.
IV. Compensation and Invoices
- Each assignment shall be paid a minimum amount equivalent to two (2) hours of Contractor’s base hourly rate, plus differential(s) as applicable. Interpreting rendered in excess of scheduled assignment hours shall be invoiced in quarter hour increments. This minimum does not apply to video remote interpreting (VRI) services.
- Contractor shall receive confirmation from Access’ office prior to leaving an assignment unless dismissed by authorized on-site personnel. Contractor shall notify Access via email if the assignment was canceled upon arrival or if one of the required parties did not appear.
- If Contractor is late to an assignment or departs before the contractor has been dismissed from the assignment, the minimum amount of compensation shall not apply.
- Invoices shall be submitted via online scheduling system, Gridcheck.com. Invoices should be submitted not more than once per week.
- Interpreting rendered in excess of scheduled assignment or other factors affecting billing must be reported to Access within 24 hours. Failure to report or a delay in reporting factors that affect billing may preclude the contractor billing for amended amounts or additional services.
- Invoices shall be submitted within 30 days of completed assignment.
- Access Verification of Service forms (required for specific assignments) shall be submitted prior to or accompany Contractor’s invoice for assignments requiring such verification forms. Information on verification forms can be found at www.apinterpreting.com/verification.
- Assignments canceled less than 48 hours prior to the scheduled start time shall be considered untimely and will be paid in full for assigned hours occurring within the 48 hours following notification from Access. Access is not liable to compensate Contractor for assignments canceled with greater than 48 hours’ notification to Contractor. Travel time is billable for specified assignments and is not billable if not completed.
- Accurate invoices received from the 1st to the 15th day of any given month shall be paid by the last calendar day of that month. Accurate invoices received from the 16th day to the last day of any given month shall be paid by the 15th calendar day of the following month.
- Travel time shall be reimbursed at Contractor’s base rate. In order to receive timely payment, travel charges must be entered each Sunday by midnight for all travel incurred during previous week. Travel/Per Diems may also be reimbursed as agreed upon by Contractor and Access.
- A differential of $10.00 per hour will be offered for legal work in addition to base rate. A differential of $5.00 per hour will be offered for work scheduled from 6pm to 6am weekdays or weekends in addition to your base rate. A differential of $5.00 or more per hour may be offered for last minute jobs or high demand work at the scheduling department’s discretion.
V. Credentials
All sign language interpreters working outside of an Educational (K-12), religious, or volunteer setting must hold a license issued by the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing. The contractor shall provide proof of this license when delivering interpreting services for Access and, upon request, submit verification of national certification and/or educational qualifications.
VI. Termination of Agreement
Access’ Service Agreement shall be subject to renewal. This Agreement may also be terminated by either party on providing ten (10) business days’ written notice to the other.
VII. Hold Harmless
Anything in the Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, Contractor shall indemnify and hold fully harmless Access Professional Interpreting and/or Andrea and Urs Schulze against any loss, damages, claims, or expenses of any kind whatsoever (including court costs and attorney’s fees) sustained by Contractor.
VIII. Survival
The following sections shall survive termination of this Agreement: Confidentiality, Limitation of Liability, Independent Contractor, Hold Harmless, Taxes. If any section of this Agreement is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the rest of the Agreement will still stand.
This agreement may be amended. The most current version will be kept on the Access Professional Interpreting website at www.apinterpreting.com/agreement/.
By accepting an assignment from Access Professional Interpreting, you are agreeing that you have read, understood and accepted these terms of use and agree to be bound by them.
View or download a PDF of the latest Access Interpreter Agreement
The Access Interpreter Agreement is confidential and proprietary. It is to be used solely by Interpreters working with Access Professional Interpreting for the purpose and benefit of Access Professional Interpreting.
Access Abuse Conduct
Policy Statement:
Access Professional Interpreting, LLC is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and
professional environment for all individuals: employees, contractors, deaf and hearing
consumers, professional contacts and colleagues. Sexual abuse, harassment, or any form of
inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. All individuals representing Access are expected
to respect and abide by the following terms and abstain from all forms of Sexual Abuse or
Harassment:
A. Definition: Sexual Abuse refers to any non-consensual sexual act involving force,
manipulation, or coercion. It includes but is not limited to:
- Sexual Assault: Unwanted physical contact or sexual acts, such as touching or penetration.
- Sexual Exploitation: Taking advantage of someone’s vulnerabilities for sexual purposes,
including sharing explicit images without consent. - Coercion: Forcing sexual activity through threats or manipulation.
Both sexual abuse and sexual harassment are serious forms of misconduct that violate the
rights and dignity of individuals. They are often interrelated but differ in terms of severity, with
sexual abuse generally involving more overtly violent acts and sexual harassment typically
manifesting as inappropriate behavior or comments. Both need to be addressed promptly
and appropriately to maintain a safe and respectful environment for everyone.
Sexual abuse can cause physical and emotional harm and often involves an imbalance of
power. Abusive Conduct includes any actual, threatened, or alleged acts of sexual abuse,
exploitation, molestation, or injury, whether a single act or repeated actions, by one person or
multiple people acting together.
Sexual Harassment is unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that creates a hostile or
uncomfortable environment. can involve one-on-one incidents or be part of a larger pattern of
behavior. It is characterized by its unwanted and offensive nature. It interferes with a person’s
ability to work or feel safe and can occur in both professional and social settings.
Harassment can include: - Verbal Harassment: Inappropriate comments, jokes, or remarks of a sexual nature. This may
include making sexually suggestive remarks, using crude language, or making jokes about
someone’s appearance or behavior. - Physical Harassment: Unwanted touching or physical advances or physical gestures that are
sexually suggestive. - Non-Physical Harassment: Sending inappropriate messages, sharing explicit content or
making suggestive gestures. - Quid Pro Quo: Offering or threatening benefits in exchange for sexual favors.
B. Code of Conduct for all contractors: - Maintain respectful and professional behavior at all times.
- Avoid inappropriate jokes, comments, or gestures.
- Respect personal space and boundaries of all employees, clients, and stakeholders.
- Understand that any non-consensual physical or verbal conduct is unacceptable.
- Contracted providers should never be alone with a Deaf consumer. If a third party is not
present, interpretation services are not required. Interpreters must be accompanied by staff
or the non-deaf individual utilizing interpreting services at all times.
C. Zero-Tolerance Policy: - Any form of sexual abuse, harassment or misconduct is strictly prohibited.
- Immediate action will be taken against violations, including contract termination, legal
action, or other consequences depending on the severity. Any potential violation to a
vulnerable person or minor will be immediately report to law enforcement
D. Process:
- Reporting Mechanisms:
- If you see something, say something.
- Interpreters are encouraged report any incidents of sexual abuse or harassment online here:
https://forms.gle/p5VthVXyJfyVqyDTA - Directly to Andrea Schulze at 602-617-1557 or andrea@apinterpreting.com
- Non-Retaliation Policy:
Contractors who report sexual abuse or harassment, will not face retaliation or discrimination
for coming forward with their concerns. - Support for Victims:
Resources are available to victims of sexual abuse or harassment, this may include counseling
services, legal support, or other assistance. - Compliance with Laws:
- Access Professional Interpreting will comply with all relevant local, state, and federal
laws regarding sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace. Access is committed to providing a safe environment for all workers, including contractors, clients and consumers. - The RID Code of Professional Conduct tenet 5.0 instructs interpreters to initially
“Approach colleagues privately to discuss and resolve breaches of ethical or
professional conduct” (Illustrative Behaviors 5.3, bit.ly/NADRIDCPC)
for professional, non-abuse related concerns.
E. Contractor Acknowledgment - By accepting an assignment from Access Professional Interpreting, you agree that you
have read, understood, and agree to adhere to the sexual abuse and harassment
policy.
Link to Access Abuse Reporting form: https://forms.gle/p5VthVXyJfyVqyDTA