Who is Governor Cuomo's sign language interpreter for his Coronavirus COVID-19 press conferences? Introducing Arkady Belozovsky, the man behind the sign language.

The Democrat and Chronicle reports that Belozovsky has been the one offering American Sign Language of Cuomo's briefings since March 27th, and since May 13th more active on TV.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Belozovsky is a Rochester Institute of Technology graduate from the class of 1999.

Belozovsky, 46, has a personal understanding of what quality American Sign Language interpretation means to members of the deaf community. He is deaf himself. He is what's known as a Certified Deaf Interpreter, a high-level certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf for interpreters who are deaf or hard of hearing."

Belozovsky actually relies on a second interpreter sitting out of view of the camera to convey what the governor is saying to him. Along with offering sign language for Cuomo, Belozovsky is a pastor of the Anchor Baptist Church in Hilton, located in Monroe County.

Out of 12,000 certified U.S. interpreters, he’s among the 130 or so with the highest rating. He’s been sign-interpreting for 28 years, and for the last seven as his main job, often doing teaching seminars around the world.

The ASL interpretation was only added to Cuomo's television feed after Disability Rights New York, an advocacy group, filed a federal lawsuit against him, arguing that he was violating federal law meant to protect the disabled from discrimination.

Currently he switches off days with Dale Neimeyer, an Albany-based interpreter.

30 Books Set In Upstate New York

More From 98.1 The Hawk