“Dr.K” is a full-time faculty instructor, teaching a rotation of six American Sign Language (ASL) and related courses.  Prior to this position, she worked with Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students in public schools for ten years, as an educational interpreter, DHH teacher, and coordinator for a public school DHH program. Her primary area of research expertise is educational sign language interpreting, but she also has interests in American Sign Language pedagogy and language development. She is also the Director of the DHH/ASL Educational Outreach Program.

BA – Sign Language & Deaf Studies (2003)
MS – Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education (2009)
PhD – Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing (2016)

Licenses and Credentials
American Sign Language Teaching Certification (Florida K-12 and National)
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Teaching Certification (Florida K-12)
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) National K-12 Educational Interpreter Certification (EIPA:4.0)
American Sign Language Proficiency Interview: Advanced

Educational Sign Language Interpreting, Deaf Education, American Sign Language Pedagogy and Intervention

American Sign Language and Deaf Education

Guynes, K., Lugo, V., & Wood, C. (in press). A national survey on the collaborative practices of educational interpreters and barriers to interprofessional practice. American Annals of the Deaf.

Guynes, K., Cates, D., Pelikan, A., Zito, S., & Gordon, T. (2026). Roles and responsibilities of educational interpreters: Moving from decades of documentation to transformative change. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, enaf082.

Guynes, C. W., Griffin-Shirley, N., Guynes, K., & Kackley, L. (2024). Insights from a pre-pandemic K–12 virtual American Sign Language program for a post-pandemic online era. Education Sciences, 14(8), 892.

Guynes, K., & Wood, C. (2024). Professional issues in the interpreted education of deaf and hard of hearing students. American Annals of the Deaf, 169(3), 262–283.

Guynes, K., Cates, D., Pelikan, A., & Zito, S. (2024). Redefining the landscape of educational interpreting: A national study. Journal of Interpretation, 32(1), 1.

Wood, C., Guynes, K., Lugo, V., Baker, L., & Snowden, S. (2023). Pandemic impacts on communication and social well-being: Considerations for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 15257401231181506.

National Association of Interpreters in Education. (2023). A case for national certification: Sign language interpreters working in K–12 education. Retrieved from https://naiedu.org/ctf

Guynes, K., Gordon, E., & Vallone, C. (2023). Toward the development of evidence-based practices in American Sign Language instructional laboratories. Sign Language Studies, 23(3), 424–453.

Guynes, K., & Zito, S. (2020, September). Personal safeguarding considerations specific to educational interpreting. http://naiedu.org/personal-safeguarding-considerations-specific-to-educational-interpreting/

Guynes, K. (2020). ASL does not prevent LSL: Addressing the misinterpretations of research. Erie, CO: National Association of Interpreters in Education.

Guynes, K., Griffin-Shirley, N., & Brown, D. (2020). Content validation of the Educational Interpreter Roles and Responsibilities (EIRR) guiding checklist. Journal of Interpretation.

Zito, S., & Guynes, K. (2019). Meet the National Association of Interpreters in Education (NAIE). RID Views, 4(36), 24–25. https://issuu.com/ridviews/docs/november19_views

Guynes, K. (2019). A paradigm shift in educational interpreting: Acknowledging the power and responsibilities of related service providers (RSPs). Erie, CO: National Association of Interpreters in Education.

Brown, S., Guynes, K., & Tuttle, J. (2019). Professional guidelines for interpreting in educational settings (1st ed.). Erie, CO: National Association of Interpreters in Education.

Smith, K. R., Wolbers, K. A., & Cihak, D. F. (2015). Effects of language intervention versus traditional interpretation for a deaf preschool child: A pilot study. Communication Disorders, Deaf Studies, & Hearing Aids, 3(4), 1–10.

FSU SCSD Outstanding Organization Award (Deaf and Hard of Hearing/American Sign Language Educational Outreach Program) – April 2026

FSU CCI Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award – April, 2019

FSU CCI Undergraduate Faculty Teaching Award – November, 2018