School to Prison Pipeline

Gabriel Lomas, PhD, is a Professor of Counseling and Director of Counseling Programs at Gallaudet University. He has done extensive work in the field of forensic evaluation and is a popular expert witness in court cases across the nation. Lomas has served as the co-editor for the Journal of the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association, as well as on the editorial boards of numerous journals in counseling and psychology. He is an editor and contributor for Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System, released in 2021 by Gallaudet Press.

Rebecca McAllister, NIC, EIPA 4.0, is a nationally certified interpreter with over fifteen years of professional interpreting experience, working primarily in community, video relay (VRS), mental health, and educational settings. She currently is a staff interpreter with RISE Interpreting. Rebecca has served in a variety of volunteer and mentorship roles throughout her career. 

Rebecca is a graduate of California State University Northridge, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Deaf studies. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in clinical counseling at Gallaudet University. She has specialized training in mental health interpreting, having attended the Mental Health Interpreter Training (MHIT) this past summer and is pursuing full MHITQ certification.

Deeply committed to improving communication access in mental health settings, Rebecca is working to lessen the harms done to Deaf  people in these settings. Rebecca seeks to improve Deaf patients’ access to direct mental health services in ASL, interpreter-mediated mental health services, and interpreter education in the area of mental health. Rebecca aims to partner with Deaf mental health practitioners, sign language interpreters, and the greater Deaf community to improve the quality and quantity of care available to Deaf people attempting to engage with mental health services.