About Us

Kathy Kady-Hopkins, President

ASL Interpreter Referral Service, Inc. (ASLIRS, Inc), which is a Deaf-Owned/Women-Owned business, was founded in 1995 by the mother-daughter team of Kathy Kady-Hopkins and Christine Sherwood. Kathy, who is Hard of Hearing, dreamed of establishing a business that would help bridge the gap in communications between people who are deaf, hard of hearing deaf/blind and hearing, with the businesses and organizations that serve them.

Kathy honed her business and customer service skills at AT&T. During her 12 year tenure, she held many positions including managing in house interpreting service nationwide, sales consultant of accessible products, job accommodations specialist, and Americans With Disabilities Act law consultant, training organizations and businesses on the ADA Law.
She was also Assistant Manager in the Telecommunications Relay Service Small Business Unit handling the administration aspect of the organization – all of which prepared her for the challenges of entrepreneurship.

She is also very supportive of continuing education for Interpreters and is an ardent supporter of RID, the nationally-renowned Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Additionally, Kathy teaches sign-language at her office in Somerset, New Jersey and at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Kathy is also very proud that in 2008, ASLIRS, Inc. was named the Small Business of the Year because of its excellent management skills and customer service. She thinks that this is indicative of her commitment to her childhood mission of being “Your Communication Solution.”

As ASLIRS, Inc continues to grow, Kathy is dedicated to exploring new services/technologies that will continue to help the business to reach their community.

Christine Sherwood, Vice-President

Chris Sherwood started her business career in the telecommunications industry at New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and eventually began working at telecom giant AT&T. During her 35-year tenure, she ascended into a variety of Management positions and eventually became responsible for well over 200 employees. As a Market Manager at AT&T, Chris was responsible for segments of the residential long-distance market that included developing and implementing marketing plans and strategies.

Immediately prior to starting ASL Interpreter Referral Service, Inc. with her daughter Kathy, Chris was the Owner and President of AURA ASSOCIATES. During this time, she presented programs designed to increase people’s empowerment in managing and balancing their work and personal lives. Her expertise was also in teaching people good Leadership and Management Skills. She was certified by Stephen Covey and delivered his well-renowned program “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Furthermore, she is certified by Communispond, a New York based company, to deliver High Powered Presentations.

Chris believes that her personal and professional experiences prepared her for the challenges and rewards of operating this type of business. As a child growing up with a Deaf brother and sister, she recognized the need for developing communication solutions rather than becoming consumed with the adversity of the problem.