RKA Signs

About MeHello! My name is Rachel Katherine Anderegg, owner and operator of RKA Signs. I provide American Sign Language interpretation and Co-Navigation services in Richmond, Virginia and the surrounding areas. I serve d/Deaf, DeafBlind, Deaf+, and am all about helping interpreters who are just entering the field.How did I get into ASL?I have no d/Deaf family members. My journey started with baby sign, watching Signing Time videos, and fingerspelling my ABC's. When I was around seven years old, my babysitter announced that she wanted to become a teacher of the Deaf. Since both families were homeschooled, our parents charged my babysitter with teaching her sister and my siblings the ASL lessons she was learning from LifePrint for High School credit. Once we had learned ASL 1 and 2, she found a church/mission for the deaf for us to get immersed in the language. My family was involved there from the time I was eight to the time I was eighteen years old.Why Interpreting?The Deaf community captured my heart. My work is very rewarding and I feel like it challenges me to grow in many ways.I tried a few different career paths, but interpreting always seemed to call me. I already knew the language, so it was a matter or polishing up my skills, and studying the field. I took workshops, sought mentorships, studied interpreter ethics, and attended silent dinners and other Deaf events. I didn't graduate from an interpreter training program, instead I just took and passed the VQAS (Virginia Quality Assurance Screening). Shortly after, I started work.From a young age my family encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit in me. I sold chocolate to my friends, and handmade jewelry at local craft fairs. When I was a teenager, my siblings and mom worked together sewing and selling chicken diapers (yes, you read that right) and I mowed our neighbor's lawns with my brother. So the freelance lifestyle was natural for me.

Interpreting MusicOne thing that made me realize I should consider doing more with ASL was competing in Fine Arts, which is an Assembly of God church competition. I competed with an ASL cover of So Will I by Hillsong United. I received very high scores at the district level with an invitation to compete at nationals. The panel of judges had one Deaf judge, and he gave me a perfect score. I enjoy making music covers, I use them somewhat as a creative outlet. Check them out below!

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