| IRVINE, Calif. Aug. 21, 2025 — The National Motorcycle Safety Fund has replenished its sign-language interpreter grant program with another $15,000, with a goal of making motorcycle safety training classes more accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing community. The program reimburses training providers that hire interpreters for students enrolled in MSF courses.
“This program was launched in 2023, and it proved to be very successful,” said Christy LaCurelle, President and CEO of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “After the first round of funds were depleted, the NMSF board unanimously agreed that continuing this program is essential to ensuring safety courses remain accessible to all individuals seeking rider education. This initiative reflects our commitment to eliminating barriers and expanding opportunities for those who aspire to learn to ride.”
MSF is the national leader in motorcycle safety training and education, with its curricula used in 46 states and by the U.S. military worldwide. Many people learn to ride through the MSF Basic RiderCourse, and a common accommodation is for a training site to hire sign-language interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing students.
Training providers will be reimbursed whether or not the student passes the course. Training sites that already receive reimbursements from their state’s rider training program office will not be eligible for this offer.
MSF also provides tips and best practices to the training community working with deaf and hard of hearing students and their interpreters. These tips can be found at the MSF Rider Education and Training System On-line Resource Guide, which is available to certified MSF coaches and training providers. In addition, a free video is available to help interpreters and students prepare for the hands-on training portion of the Basic RiderCourse and improve communication on the riding range. The video demonstrates standard MSF range signs, specialized signs created for motorcycle training terms without existing American Sign Language equivalents, and adaptations to ensure visibility at greater distances. |
