As used in this article, the term:

(1) "Agency" means any agency, authority, board, bureau, committee, commission, court, department, or jury of the legislative, judicial, or executive branch of government of the state or any political subdivision thereof.

(2) "Department" means the Department of Human Resources.

(3) "Hearing impaired person" means any person whose hearing is totally impaired or whose hearing is so seriously impaired as to prohibit the person from understanding oral communications when spoken in a normal conversational tone.

(4) "Intermediary interpreter" means any person, including any hearing impaired person, who is able to assist in providing an accurate interpretation between spoken English and sign language or between the variance of sign language by acting as an intermediary between a hearing impaired person and a qualified interpreter.

(5) "Proceeding" means any meeting, hearing, trial, investigation, or other proceeding of any nature conducted by an agency.

(6) "Qualified interpreter" means any person certified as an interpreter by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf or approved as an interpreter by the Georgia Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.