RID August 2021 VIEWS

VIEWS Issue 38 | Volume 3 | Summer 2021

conference

Re-Orienting July 8-12, 2021

PRESIDENT'S FAREWELL

by President Jonathan Webb

RID 2021 NATIONAL CONFERENCE

"Re-Orienting"

INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

by Dr. Melanie McKay-Cody

RE-ORIENTING THE N-WORD

by Billy Sanders

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VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

VIEWS

Summer 2021

Contents

COVER STORIES

Governance From the CEO/ 7 Region I Report/ 10 Region II Report/ 13 Region III Report/ 15 Region IV Report/ 18 Region V Report/ 20

30

National Conference

National Conference/ 30

Columns/Articles Self-Care/ 23 Reflections from an Old Hand/ 26 Indigenous Land Acknowledgement/ 34 President's Farewell Message/ 35 Re-Orienting the N-Word/46

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Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

A Fish Out of Water/50 5 Ways to Collaborate with Other Freelancers/53

News Region V Townhall/ 22 RID National Conference/ 30 Conference Survey/ 41 Orange Shirt Day/ 42 From the Desks at HQ/ 45 Newly Certified/ 57

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Re-Orienting the N-Word

To view all articles in ASL, visit our Summer VIEWS playlist on YouTube, www.rid.org/aug2021viewsplaylist/ Layout Design and Video Editing by Jenelle Bloom. Photo collections from Unsplash.

#augVIEWSsummer21

www.rid.org

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Use the Submissions form, found here: www.rid.org/views-article-submissions/ and fill out and attach information accordingly. If you have a story idea, simply email us at publications@rid.org! We look forward to working with you, and happy writing!

Email: publications@rid.org Submissions: www.rid.org/views-article-submission/

RID BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Jonathan Webb, Ph.D, CI and CT, NIC Advanced

president@rid.org

Vice President Paul Glaser, MSE, CDI

vicepresident@rid.org

Secretary

Kelly Decker, NIC Advanced secretary@rid.org

Treasurer Yakata Nichols, NIC

treasurer@rid.org

Member at Large LaTanya Jones, M.S.M., NIC

memberatlarge@rid.org

Deaf Member at Large Branton Stewart, CDI, CLIP-R

dmal@rid.org

Region I Representative Jason Farr, NIC

region1rep@rid.org

Region II Representative Eliezer Sierra, MS, NIC, BEI Trilingual: Advanced

region2rep@rid.org

Region III Representative Marva Johnson, NIC

region3rep@rid.org

Region IV Representative Deb Martinez, MA, CI and CT, NIC Advanced, SC:L

region4rep@rid.org

Region V Representative Krystal Sanders, CDI

region5rep@rid.org

RID HEADQUARTERS STAFF

Chief Executive Officer Star Grieser, CDI

sgrieser@rid.org

Chief Operating Officer Elijah Sow

esow@rid.org

Director of Finance and Operations

Finance and Operations Manager

Jennifer Apple japple@rid.org Kristyne Reed kreed@rid.org

Staff Accountant Tong Song

tsong@rid.org

Senior Director of Standards and Practices

Professional Development Manager

Ryan Butts rbutts@rid.org Carol Turner cturner@rid.org

EPS Administrator Tressela Bateson

tbateson@rid.org

Certification Coordinator Ashley Holladay

aholladay@rid.org

Standards and Practices Specialist

Director of Member Services and Government Affairs

Jess Kaady jkaady@rid.org Neal Tucker ntucker@rid.org

Affiliate Chapter Liaison Dr. Carolyn Ball

cball@rid.org

Communciations Strategist

Webmaster

Adam Summers, M.Ed. asummers@rid.org Jenelle Bloom jbloom@rid.org

www.rid.org

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PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETING Available on Amazon

4.9 out of 5 stars!

Written by Brenda E. Cartwright

&

Kelly L. Flores 6

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

Artwork by Star Grieser

From the CEO Star Grieser, CDI, CEO FROM THE CEO Star Grieser CDI

I’ve been in this new role as RID’s CEO for almost six weeks now, and not unlike stepping into swift moving water, it has been quite a ride thus far.

I came into the position in the wake of our RID Board of Directors going strong in a flurry of preparation for the 2021 RID National Conference despite having just announced their resignations en masse, effective August 31, 2021. My second week on the job, I was completely engaged in watching the truly awesome and awe-inspiring presenters address the many issues and -isms within the interpreting profession, our communities and our organizations. Belinda McCleese, Isidore Niyongabo, MJ Bienvenu, among the many great speakers, prompted us to look inwards to begin the hard work of dismantling systemic -isms which include identifying our parts, healing individually as well as a whole, to better ourselves as professionals and practitioners, and collectively as a profession and a community.

While our conference was inspirational, and beautifully set the tone for my new role, this isn’t new to me as I’ve

shifted from my work with CASLI into my work with RID. I am truly humbled and honored for the opportunity to take the helm at headquarters, lead our RID staff and work collaboratively with both our current and new Board of Directors with the intention of carrying out our mission and realizing the vision of RID. I am fully aware that this is no easy task. But then again, for anyone navigating choppy waters the options are to: sink, swim, possibly to float, or - the most inspiring and rewarding of all - to surf. I’m really incredibly fortunate, as I know and love these waters well.

I’m not new to interpreting. Having been a consumer of interpreting services my whole life and regularly advocating within the Deaf community, I am also keenly aware of the needs of our Deaf consumers. I am very familiar with leadership and advocacy work, as I have served in so many organi-

I am fully aware that this [work] is no easy task. But then again, for anyone navigating choppy waters the options are to: sink, swim, possibly to float, or - the most inspiring and rewarding of all - to surf. www.rid.org

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zations, on many boards, and within administrative leader- this track. Their legacy in leadership and governance must ship roles, in so many capacities for 15 plus years. live on.

I am conversant with the interpreting profession. My first paid interpreting assignment was about two decades ago and in the years since I have learned and grown so much both personally and professionally. I am definitely not new to RID: I first joined RID in 2004 and have since attended state, regional and national conferences and have been a certified member since 2016. I’ve worked in RID headquarters, as CASLI’s Director of Testing, for three and half years and now a month and a half here at the helm of the organization.

I am incredibly fortunate to continue working with such a talented team of headquarters staff within RID and with CASLI: they are truly an amazing group of people with the experience and expertise to operationally steer RID and the interpreting profession to our collective “why,” our raison d’etre.

Almost four years ago I came into my work with CASLI just short of fully appreciating the work and the implications and

they are truly an amazing group of people with the experience and expertise to operationally steer RID and the interpreting profession to our collecitve "why," our raison d'etre.

What I've witnessed over all these years is the passion and commitment of my colleagues and fellow RID members for their profession and their work with the Deaf community.

I am inspired by Board members and volunteers who lend their personal time, energy, and expertise towards the advancement of the interpreting profession. I’ve been in awe of our current board (the most diverse Board in RID’s history), but also the most engaging and transparent for our

far-reaching impacts of carrying out a national certification testing system, developing new exams in accordance with industry best practices, and the needs of both our consumers and of this profession. Similarly, in this new role, I am more and more fully appreciating the work ahead of me and the implications and far-reaching impacts of all the moving parts involved in leading a national professional certification organization.

In CASLI, my first few months were spent just learning and reading and absorbing everything I could regarding testing, certification, psychometrics, assessment (RID and interpreting assessments), and the history of those assessments.

I spent the time analyzing the systems in place to gain better vantage points in order to strengthen the national testing system and create and maintain fair, valid, reliable, and consistent exams.

Artwork by Star Grieser members. Under the current Board’s leadership, monthly Board meetings have regularly drawn seventy-five to one hundred or more members. It is clear from all the work they have done for our members, publicly and with volunteers interpersonally, and behind the scenes with headquarters, how much they love RID and our communities. This shift that we’ve seen in the culture of the board and their engagement with membership and the organization must continue 8

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

Within RID, I will be doing the same things. I will be reading, listening, learning and absorbing everything I can with the aim of looking more closely at the programs and initiatives within RID. I will be developing strategies with the Board, our COO and headquarters staff, and with stakeholders to strengthen our programs within the certification triad – Certification, Certificate Maintenance, and the Ethical Practice System. I will be working with the Board in our continued support of CASLI and the testing system to ensure the exams used for RID’s certification program remain strong.

and perceptions about our work and the interpreting profession. We must spotlight best practices for using interpreters within the media including strategies for expanding the pool of, and promoting the visibility of, our Deaf and BIPOC interpreters.

Within RID, I will also be developing and implementing a formal plan for recruiting individuals from underrepresented and marginalized communities for Headquarters staff positions, members of the Board, councils, committees, task forces, and work groups.

Of course, the priority will be to implement strategies for strengthening the financial stability and sustainability of this Star & Little Star organization. This includes developing ideas, strategies, RID already does some great work in engaging, supporting, and plans for fundraising and grant writing for ongoing staand developing resources for our Affiliate Chapter leaders. bility of this organization for the long term.

We will conduct additional needs assessments, working closely with our Members Services department and our Affil- I know I have my work cut out for me as your CEO in leading this organization towards achieving our vision and mission iate Chapter Liaison in developing more tools and resources for their leadership effectiveness

This shift that we've seen in the culture of the board and their engagement with membership and the organization must continue this track. Their legacy in leadership and governance must live on.

The CEO’s job is to support RID’s volunteer leadership and people in volunteer work roles. Everyone committed to the important work of carrying out the vision and mission of RID needs our support. I will be developing strategies for improving communication and efficiency in their work, and their roles to help them be more successful in the work they contribute towards the advancement of the profession.

for the advancement of the interpreting profession and for those who we serve, our Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities. I’m looking forward to this inspiring and rewarding ride with all of you. Thank you for this opportunity.

RID needs comprehensive communications and public re- - Star lations for public awareness about our organization and the profession. This effort will include communications strategies for our engagement with membership, and with the public; whether that is at the individual level and offering professional development, or at the community and local levels. We are charged with providing resources for advocacy and information and enhancing interpreter services and communications access.

I will be building relationships with sister organizations and stakeholders and strategizing how we can work together to enhance the profession for the benefit of the communities we serve. We will work towards heightening public opinion Artwork by Star Grieser www.rid.org

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To view all articles in ASL, visit our Summer VIEWS playlist on YouTube, www.rid.org/aug2021viewsplaylist/

Region I Report Jason Farr, Region I Representative FROM THE BOARD Jason Farr, NIC Region I Representative Region I Leadership has selected Massachusetts RID as the host for the Region I Conference in 2022 who will be working alongside our Conference Planning Committee. More information to be shared soon!

I would like to thank those leaders whose terms have recently concluded, as they warmly welcome new community leaders. For New York City Metro RID, this includes Erika Murray of NYC Metro RID, who will be replaced by newly elected President Tim Smith. Over in Central New York RID, I would like to especially thank Board members Trish Schwartz and Grace Cogan for their unwavering support during a challenging two years, and welcome President Brenda Lee Brown. Heading up north to Maine, after four terms President Meryl Troop has passed to the baton to new Executive Team members Tristen Evah Hellewell and Tristen Downey.

Beyond elections, there are even more exciting things happening in Region I Affiliate Chapters. Genesee Valley Region RID’s (GVRRID) in depth “Get to Know Stuff” workshop series is starting up again, providing attendees with an opportunity to look behind the scenes on various topics and develop a greater understanding to help enhance interpreting. PARID, MassRID, and I co-hosted a workshop this past May titled “What Does it Take to Show Up?” focusing on Asian and Pacific Islander (API/ AAPI) ASL Interpreters while exploring ways we can support other API in our profession. We also explored what it looks like 10

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

when our allies support AAPI inclusion and anti-racism work within their own local and cultural communities. To support their local community during the pandemic, I would like to recognize New Hampshire RID for their partnership with Greater Nashua Mental Health as they offered COVID relief support, including sharing information regarding vaccinations. Of course this update would not be complete without also recognizing Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire RID’s support for the recently held World Refugee Day. A few weeks ago, we wrapped up the RID 2021 National Conference where we gained such a wealth of practical information. In particular, my biggest takeaways from this conference would be five points, evolving around the question “who is RID?” RID is each of us: Individual members, the Board of Directors, Committees, Councils, Task Forces, and Affiliate Chapters.

RID is what we want it to be: Collectively we have created RID: standards, qualifications, positions.

RID is what we allow it to be: What behaviors are acceptable, and what behaviors deserve to be called out?

RID is what it is when we show up, and it is what it is when we don’t: What does that mean to show up for others, and what do you need to unpack in order to be able to show up?

WE are what makes RID. As my time ends as Region I Representative this Aug 31, 2021, I want to share some goals and hopes I would like to see continue

to develop in Region I: • I would like to see our Affiliate Chapters do a better job of recognizing their volunteers by looking into ways to support these members. Some ACs do this very well, while others have an opportunity to see what this looks like for them

Candace Davider, Andrea Alefhi, and Treasurer Jon Lamberton.

The leadership discussions with each of these leaders were what guided me in my role as your Representative. Thank you to each of these past and current leaders for your wisdom, for sharing your heart, and for giving me the spirit to do the work over the last two years.

• During my two years as Region I Representative, I have witnessed an increase in Affiliate Chapter collaborations and do hope we as a Region continue working on co-sponsoring workshops, events, and other opportunities for AC members to get to know one another.

Finally, a big thank you to the New York City Deaf Community for welcoming me into your lives each day. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

• The Region I Presidents Council has been meeting monthly, more than what is required, providing a space for AC Presidents in the Region to connect. This has shown to be a big benefit for those who are able to attend, while being flexible to those who may not be able to attend each month.

NYC Metro RID welcomes it's new board members Tim Smith (President), Elizabeth Lauria (Vice President), and Andria Alefhi (Director at Large). The NYC Board would like to thank Erika Murray for her dedication, passion, and service to the NYC Deaf/ Interpreter communities. Metro RID is currently looking for an Associate Representative.

• I want Affiliate Chapters to recognize they have so much impact on the local interpreting and deaf communities.

• Members to understand their individual impact and opportunity to give back to this organization, this profession, and to the communities we serve. Many of us recognize that professional interpreting is much more than showing up to interpret for an assignment, but includes using our skills and our knowledge to advance the profession.

As I wrap up my final Region Report, I would especially like to thank those colleagues who have continued to show up for me during my service. Of course this list is not exhaustive, being mindful of the time limitations.

First I would like to thank the entire RID Board of Directors, 2019-2021 for welcoming me with my appointment as Region I Representative to the vacant role in 2019, as well as those members who supported me during the election in 2020.

Thank you to President Dr. Jonathan Webb: Once in a while a person shows up who influences a shift in society, a shift in our thinking, and a shift in our approach. I have been fortunate enough to experience this while serving alongside Dr. Webb.

I would also like to thank Member-at-Large LaTanya Jones and Secretary Kelly Decker, both of whom have been a constant support, practically every week, providing a warm welcome and team environment during my time of service.

NYC Metro RID

-Tim Smtih, NYC Metro RID President Pennsylvania - PARID

May of 2021 worked with Region 1 Rep Jason Farr and MassRID to host the panel workshop "What Does It Look Like To Show Up?" featuring AAPI Deaf and Hearing Interpreters.

PARID is preparing for our upcoming conference. The conference will be held Nov 6-7 in State College, PA. We have a call for interpreters for this conference. If interested, you can apply by September 1, on the PARID website.

PARID has also been working closely with the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) to provide workshops specifially for Deaf participants that want to become CDIs. That training ran from May 7-June 27. ODHH and PARID will also provide a workshop for the CASLI Generalist Knowldege exam on September 11. Both workshops were offered free and funded by the ODHH in PA. PARID is starting to plan our workshops for the remainder of 2021 and the 2022 year.

-Megan Toomey, PARID President Vermont - VTRID

VTRID members are busy planning the annual BBQ for the Deaf Community. It couldn’t be held last year, so we’re excited for this first community event since the pandemic beAdditionally, I would like to thank the Region I Presidents Coun- gan, on August 21st! cil, all those who have volunteered to serve as Affiliate Chapter Presidents during both years.

VTRID has restarted work with community partners toward the development of educational interpreter licensure My involvement with RID leadership began with NYC Metro in Vermont. We want to ensure that Deaf children have the RID, where I got my start under the leadership of (former) best access to their education with high quality interpreting President Jose Gomez, Jr., (former) Vice Presidents Lydia Callis, services. Recently, VTRID members worked together to www.rid.org

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update our Mission Statement. Our Executive Committee also wants to be working with members soon to revisit our bylaws, website, and overall values & practices as an organization. We are acknowledging that in order to stop perpetuating oppression & harm derived from white supremacy culture (such as racism, audism, vidism, ableism), we need a reframe that can better guide our policies & actions.

-Lisa Bixler, Janet Dickinson, & Elizabeth Fox, VTRID Presidents Genesee Valley Region - GVRRID We welcome Emily Call to our board as our new treasurer and thank Eric Severson, our secretary, for also being willing to step up to take on some of the Vice President responsibilities. Thank you to Don Heinz and Alyssa Vaisey for their service to the board these last few months as they served as interim VP and treasurer.

GVR is currently trying to find someone to take over as professional development chair. We thank our recent chair, Lola Johnston, for her commitment to her role during her tenure and the incredible workshops she led us to providing.

-Eliza Fowler, GVRRID President

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VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

Region II Report Eliezer Sierra, Region II Representative FROM THE BOARD Eliezer Sierra, MS, NIC, BEI Advanced Trilingual Region II Representative

Hello everyone!

Hello everyone. My name is Eliezer Sierra and I am the Region II Representative. I would like to start my final report with appreciations. First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the current Board of Directors for their leadership, integrity, and commitment to excellence. Thank you for the guidance, for the words of encouragement and for the advice provided over the past year. Thank you for being passionate and compassionate leaders. I want to thank in particular my fellow Region Representatives. Thank you for willingness to answer questions, offer support, or just to lend an ear/eye when needed. I am truly honored to have served on this board.

I would also like to thank the Affiliate Chapter Leaders in Region II. Thank you for your constant support and for all the hard work that you do for your members. Thank you for showing up to our meetings to provide updates, ask questions, offer suggestions or support, exchange ideas, and sometimes just to spend some time with people who are going through similar experiences. Thank you for the moments of levity and for the great conversations that we had.

And thank you to RID’s Affiliate Chapter Liaison, Dr. Carolyn Ball, for always showing up happy to offer her perspective and provide us with leadership tools and resources. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you over the past year.

Alabama - ALRID ALRID hosted an introductory legal workshop July 24, 2021. We have begun planning our biennial conference to be held in Mobile in 2022.

-Wendy Darling, ALRID President Florida - FRID Our Board recently met for a two-day retreat to plan for our upcoming fiscal year. We have begun the planning stages for a statewide conference in October, preparing a poll for our membership related to workshop topics. Our Advocacy, Education and Outreach Committee is in the process of working with Florida Association of the Deaf and other stakeholders to continue work on legislation for licensure/ regulation in the state of Florida. We have recently had a number of members volunteer to staff our committees, and we are very appreciative of their service to the Organization.

-Kenneth Houghtaling, FRID President

R2 Report continued ---> www.rid.org

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Georgia - GaRID At the end of July, we successfully held an in-person conference in conjunction with Georgia Association of the Deaf at Valdosta State University! This has been two years in the making and we are so excited it all came together. We are looking forward to hosting another professional development opportunity in the fall as well as our annual educational interpreter workshop in January.

-Amanda Tate, GaRID President Mississippi - MSRID MSRID has completed its Member-at-large elections. We welcome and congratulate Cheryl Thomas, Jordon Oswald, and Tracy Blocker on their win. We are looking forward to having them join the team! MSRID is ramping up for the 2021 virtual state conference. Our conference will be held Friday and Saturday, September 10/11 evening and morning sessions, and Friday and Saturday, September 24/25 evening and morning sessions. For workshop and registration details please go to www.msrid.org.

-Jamie Olson, MSRID President North Carolina - NCRID NCRID had our first virtual conference on June 1819th and we are proud to say it was a huge success! With over 100 participants and two tracks we were able to offer over 1.5 CEUs. We are excited to work on our new strategic plan and update our bylaws for the upcoming term which will begin at our fall retreat in August.

-Antwan Campbell, NCRID President Potomac Chapter- PCRID PCRID started an initiative called Community Care Chats.

These confidential, safe space chats are centered around wellness and support within the interpreting field. The goal is to foster healthy dialogue and outlets to discuss experiences that are not often shared at large, but often impact professionals at some point in their career trajectory, no matter the years of service, age, or location. We have created three pillars that focus on various aspects of the interpreting profession. The first pillar, hosted in June 2021, was "teaming". Please follow us on Instagram (@pcrid) or subscribe to our mailing list to learn about the next Community Care Chat. PCRID created a Position Statement on the recent resignations. Related: we are re-examining our policies, procedures, and operational structure; examining our own internal biases; focusing on recruitment of 14

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

individuals from marginalized communities; and investing in future practitioners of our profession. To that end, we have created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey to garner feedback from members / attendees of previous events. Survey is now closed as of August 1, 2021.

-Antonio Burkett, PCRID President South Carolina- SCRID SCRID hosted the bi-monthly Interpreter Hangout testing the waters for in person gatherings. The community showed up from low country, upstate, and online simultaneously! SCRID’s recent annual conference was a success— laying the groundwork for a fall CDI workshop planned for November 6th. SCRID and SCAD (SC Association of the Deaf) are partnering to provide an opportunity for stakeholders interested in becoming CDIs. Stay tuned for official presenter information. SCRID is interested in building in cross regional relationships with Affiliate Chapters. South Carolina is looking to begin “Host a Region” talks to connect with other ACs. If a board member or AC member is interested, please reach out to sc.rid.pres@gmail.com.

-Heather Knight, SCRID President Tennessee - TRID TRID hosted our 2021 annual conference in June. For the first time, we collaborated with the Tennessee Schools for the Deaf for their annual Educational interpreters Institute (EII). It was a great week! TRID members collaborated and learned with educational interpreters from all across the state of TN. We made great connections and look forward to working together again in the future!

-Megan Potts, TRID President Virginia - VRID

VRID has offered several CEU earning opportunities this past quarter. Including a series of webinars focused on ASL concepts used in Classroom settings including, Math, Science, English and Social Studies.

-Amanda Wharton Stacey, VRID President

Region III Report Marva Johnson, Region III Representative FROM THE BOARD community. The attacks directed at one member of the Board also had an immense impact on the entire Board community. The attacks were laced with vicious lies and manipulations causing harm to the Board community as well as the communities we serve. Due to systematic barriers, we were unable to defend ourselves against the Greetings Region III and RID Membership! accusation. The constant barrage of attacks was distractThis will serve as my final report. Included in the report are ing and impeding the progression of the work. Like other members of the Board, I had to consider the impact to the my departing thoughts as Region III Representative and hard work and progress gained if I continued in my role as reports from the Affiliate Chapters.

Region III Representative. I decided to stand in solidarity First, I would like to take a moment to share my departing with my community and step aside rather than continue to thoughts. I decided run for Region III Representative be a distraction. I am grateful for the experience of serving early in 2020. In my campaign I shared my experience as as Region III Representative. I am truly humbled by the a child of Deaf parents who believed strongly in commusupport, encouragement, and compassion I have received nity and taking care of each another. Once elected, I had from the Region III community and RID membership. the opportunity to work alongside many great minds from Moving forward I am committed to supporting the mission diverse experiences. The individuals on this Board honand vision of RID by fully supporting the incoming Board ored difference of each member as well as lifted the voices of Directors. In addition, I will continue to share my expeof everyone. My voice as a Black female- Deaf parented rience with the membership in hopes of creating opportuinterpreter from the rural parts of American was welcomed nities for healing. and valued in the community of the Board. We worked tirelessly on projects that would transform our field in ways Although I was in agony over the decision to resign, the conference had restored my hope and faith in the future of unimaginable. We were dedicated to being inclusive and RID. I had the opportunity to share space with wonderful transparent as we work our way through change. people from the RID community. The conference allowed Unfortunately, a small number of the RID membership us to discuss and learn about racism, audism and other community was able to attack an individual of our Board -isms! From the opening plenary to the closing remarks for Marva Johnson, NIC Region III Representative

www.rid.org

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President Webb, I was pleasantly surprised by the eagerness and willingness of the RID community to listen and learn from each another. The common theme in the breakout discussions was we need to do better. I truly believe RID will positively benefit from the memberships’ desire to do better! Please continue to do the work. I am RID! You are RID! We are RID! I will see you around!

Indiana - ICRID “Own the Past, Become the Change” ICRID is looking towards the past to accept what we have been so we can change for the better as we look towards our future. The board for ICRID fully recognizes some of the organization’s shortfalls from the past. Month after month since the beginning of the year our board and committees have met with a sole purpose of becoming the change. We have discussed Membership Benefits, Member Correspondence, Purpose and Mission, Bylaws/ Policies Procedures Manual, Committee Development and Training, and Fundraising. A lot of ideas have been proposed and solid plans have been made. One visible outcome has been the debut of our new website, www.ICRID.org in the month of June. In addition to that, the Bylaws committee has finished reviewing the bylaws, and the board has sent them to the membership for a vote. Our planning has not stopped there. We are excited about the new membership benefits we have planned and hope Interpreters of Indiana will take advantage of the free membership offerings by renewing or joining ICRID, or by joining a committee. If we step up, admit where we have fallen short in the past, we can become the change needed.

(TIEM) Center. This program is designed to become a self-sustaining Mentor Training program. Watch for an announcement soon. The board has also been hard at work negotiating and arranging professional development opportunities for our members, working interpreters and interpreting students in Illinois. Check out our website for a list of upcoming events including part II of our Summer Tax Series by Rosemary Bocian.

-Angela Malcomson, IRID President Kentucky - KyRID Summer is upon us and we are less than a month away from our first in-person conference since 2019. We are thrilled about this conference and being able to gather to learn, socialize, and be together again as an organization. We have some fabulous volunteers helping with the conference and couldn’t do it without everyone’s help. The presenter lineup is hard to beat! We want to thank South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind Division of Outreach Services for helping support the conference with processing CMPs. We are happy to announce that we have two newly appointed board members Jessica Minges and Corinne Miller whom we know will contribute significantly to our board. Additionally, thank you to the volunteer help from Zac Childers who temporarily stepped in to help KYRID with our CMP committee. We have a newly formed CMP Committee and thank Donna Lashley for taking the lead with this group moving forward. Moving forward KYRID is looking to revise and approve by-laws.

KYRID looks forward to the Region III conference coming up in the summer of 2022 and we will be working with the Our next step is working with a 3rd party consultant to help conference committee to provide a great conference to our us better connect and relate with our membership. We first members. had to accept that we needed help in this area and own the past of not providing our membership what it needed. Once Lastly, but most importantly, as President of KYRID, I would like to recognize the dedication and hard work that was done, we could continue working to truly be the organization they need. We hope to have interpreters who of Dr. Jonathan Webb, LaTanya Jones, Yakata Nichols, Marva Johnson, Jason Farr, Deb Martinez, Eli Sierra, Kelly are wanting to help us in committees to set the ideas and solid plans in place. Finding these interpreters, and getting Decker, and Krystal Sanders for their service at the national office and in our profession. It is my sincere hope that them involved, is what will be the true sign for us to “Own we can support each other and rally together and build our the Past, Become the Change.” future with recognition and honor of those voices that have -Lori Prewitt, ICRID President been oppressed. We are RID. Illinois - IRID -Amy A. Schilling, KyRID President IRID will soon be launching a new Illinois Master Mentor Program, in collaboration with Chicago Hearing Society (CHS) and Teaching Interpreting Educators and Mentors 16

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Michigan - MIRID

“Own the Past, Become the Change”

necessary to be able to unpack all of our -isms and biases as interpreters, and as humans.

We would like to sincerely thank Dr. Jonathan Webb, LaTanya Jones, Yakata Nichols, Marva Johnson, Jason Farr, To Jonathan, Marva, Yakata, LaTanya, Jason, Eli, Deb, Deb Martinez, Eli Sierra, Kelly Decker, Krystal Sanders for Krystal, Branton, Paul, and Kelly: Thank you. their bravery and service to our community.

-Tarra Grammenos, MRID President We, the MIRID Executive Board, reaffirm our commitment to our mission statement, “to promote the profession of sign language interpreters, ensure effective collaboration with Michigan Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities and promote an inclusive environment within MIRID.” We continue to strive to better the profession of interpreters here in Michigan. We unequivocally denounce racist or audist behavior of any kind, however recognizing the deeply rooted systemic hold that each has within our field.

We, at MIRID, will continue to provide opportunities to learn from each other and hope that, together, we can all do a better job of being inclusive, and being open to having some uncomfortable discussion that are necessary at this time.

Some of the opportunities that we are planning are • MIRID Town Hall discussion to unpack and discuss recent RID events happening July/August 2021 • BIPOC panel discussion to happen Fall of 2021 • MIRID is committed to being the change -Erin Humann, MIRID President Minnesota - MRID Minnesota is known for its “Minnesota Nice” (read: passive aggressive) culture. Having honest, straightforward, uncomfortable conversations is not something we do well.

Last summer, we witnessed the murder of George Floyd.

It impacted our state, our nation, and our field. We started the conversations about racism and white privilege, and how it has impacted our interpreters of color. This summer, we witnessed the most diverse RID Board in our national organization's history, being bullied, harassed, and racially attacked while pitting oppression against oppression.

We lost the work, respect, and momentum that had been building these past two years, while still trying to recover from a world-wide pandemic. Racism, audism, ableism, and many other ‘isms have been deeply rooted in RID, MRID, and many other organizations like us for many years. However while these conversations are uncomfortable, they are

Ohio - OCRID OCRID hosted our 2021 Virtual Conference the first weekend of June. It was a great weekend of workshops, learning,and networking! A motion made from the Annual Business Meeting resulted in the creation of a Mentorship Committee. This ad-hoc committee will research opportunities for OCRID to partner with mentoring programs in the state, or will work on developing our own mentoring program to provide current ITP students and recent graduates. I am very excited about this committee, as our current ITP students and recent graduates are our future! We are still looking for volunteers to join. I’m excited to see what comes of this committee. The Educational Interpreter Committee is still meeting monthly, working hard on securing some educational interpreter focused workshops in the near future. They also continue to work on gathering data across the state and are looking to partner with other local organizations in an effort to improve K-12 standards.

The Bylaws committee is editing and revising our current Bylaws. We hope that the edits and voting will be done in time to implement them starting the 2022-2023 fiscal year. During the Annual Business Meeting, we welcomed three new Directors to the Board, and we now have a full Board with a variety of experience and expertise! We hope to have an in-person, one-day conference in the Fall. OCRID is also happy to announce that we will be hosting the Region III Conference in 2022. We will begin planning in the very near future!

The current OCRID Board of Directors would like to thank the RID Board's service and dedication to this community.

We support the decisions made and stand in solidarity with you. We are motivated now, more than ever, to continue to fight for equity and inclusion for all marginalized communities. Jonathan Webb, Paul Glaser, Kelly Decker, Yakata Nichols, LaTanya Jones, Branton Stewart, Jason Farr, Eliezer Sierra, Marva Johnson, Deborah Martinez, Krystal Sanders - Thank you!

-Chelsea Sudar, OCRID President

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Region IV Report Deb Martinez, Region IV Representative FROM THE BOARD Deb Martinez, MA, CI and CT, NIC Advanced, SC:L Region IV Representative

Hello from Region IV! There are so many things to say about the conference. Much appreciation goes out to everyone who participated in making the conference happen- the presenters, participants, tech support, HQ who worked tirelessly, President Webb, Secretary Decker, RIII Rep Johnson, the note takers for the business meeting, and the list goes on!! Thanks to each and everyone who showed up and contributed.

President Webb asked me to share some of the highlights of the conference from my personal perspective. There are a few quotes that still resonate with me from the conference that I will take forward and apply to my work as an individual and collectively within the communities I serve. The first one is from Belinda McCleese, our Day 1 plenary speaker, who so eloquently stated, “we must touch our own pain so that we see the pain of others.” This spoke to me. Too often we disregard our own pain and in disregarding ourselves we in turn disregard others. This becomes a norm that carries over into every facet of our lives. A powerful frame to apply to our work. The second one is from one of our Day 2 plenary speakers, Christopher Robinson, who highlighted the concept of having “a place at the table.” This for me was so visual and clearly stated.

We all need a place at the table, how simple does that seem, yet so challenging for many, including RID. We must make space within 18

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

RID for all. At the same time, independently and collectively as RID members, we have caused harm. How do we as an organization make the necessary reparations so we can begin the healing process? How do we build an organization that people, who we have marginalized, will want to come to the table? What does that look like on a national level and more importantly at the AC level?

How do we heal our communities and nurture each other so that we can collectively all have a place at the table? Big questions that need to be asked and continuously explored. I think the conference presenters did an excellent job at highlighting for us where the collective WE need to go towards healing and providing a place at the table.

I am excited about the future of RID. We together are RID. With warm regards, Deb P.S. RIV Presidents ROCK!!! I look forward to seeing RIVPC (Region IV Presidents’ Council) do great things in Region IV. I will be cheering you on and I will miss all of your faces! Keep showing up!

Nebraska - NeRID Hosted a Spring Fling Workshop with Seth Gore (June 4-5, 2021).

NeRID had a spring conference this year. Turn out was smaller than usual but greater than expected considering

the nation is still recovering and coming out of COVID19 Pandemic.

KAI-RID. -Lisa Bolding Ballenger, KAI-RID President

Is participating in an effort to provide a fall week long session for training and testing for local CDIs. Grants are being used to fund the training and logistics involved but ideas for having the testing costs covered and test proctors from RID/CASLI is stillbeing discussed and is needed. Nebraska state has developed an Apprentice license for recent ITP graduates and it should be ready to go live August 2021.

-Tina Work, NeRID President

Colorado - CRID

Louisiana - LRID

We have been successful in recruiting Committee Chair positions. I am thrilled to announce on our board: President position is vacant. Jenny Miller as Vice President. Julie (Jules) Berner as Secretary, Haley Hegeman as Treasurer, both Susan Faltinson and Sophia Stone as Member-atLarge, our DMAL position is vacant, Seb Fairbanks as Membership Chair, Lorrie Kosinski as Legal interpreting Chair, Ilah Jackson as Bylaws Chair, Danielle Baucom as Conference Chair, and we recently recruited an Educational Interpreters Chair - Karen Perry.

We are busy updating our PPM. Our goal is to have it completed by September. We are planning our Fall Conference for October 21-23, 2021. LRID is planning to have their fall conference October 22-23. More information to come.

We have been rewriting our old 1990’s PPM and updating it. It’s now going into the final draft. Several members are helping the board to be our editors. Our goal for completion is by our conference.This has been a very big task for our board. We want future Boards to know and understand their tasks and how best to manage LRID. -Dawn Melendez, LRID President Kansas - KAI-RID KAI-RID held elections in June and has a new executive board in addition to our continuing district representatives: • President: Lisa Bolding Ballenger • Vice President: Spencer Rizi, who will be on parental leave for the rest of 2021 and for whom Juliana Ladd will be supporting • Secretary: Megan Edwards • Treasurer: Jasmine Vasey • District 1 Rep: Robin Olson • District 2 Rep: Amanda Wittman • District 3 Rep: Stephanie Ehrlich In early July, I requested and had a meeting with Kansas Association of the Deaf president Kim Anderson and our two organizations reaffirmed our mutual support. We are scheduling a time to record a joint video to share these sentiments with membership and the public on social media.

The board is also planning a retreat in Emporia on July 31, in which we plan to lay out a vision for the near future of

Despite the pandemic, Colorado RID has been working diligently over the past 2 years. With our board members spread across the beautiful state of Colorado, we rely on Zoom for monthly meetings. Our last board meeting was a special treat as we were able to meet in person and have cake!

This past spring, we hosted a workshop with Robyn Dean: "Demand Control Schema: An Introduction to the Normative Ethics of Interpreting." The hybrid-style online format over the course of two weekends with homework in between was successful with a great turn out. We included a student track which included some dedicated time for students to meet with Robyn and get their questions answered.

Additionally the Legal Interpreting Committee hosted 2 Evidentiary Foundations workshops and have been working with the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind.

This past spring, we had a successful zoom business meeting - complete with prizes (!) - with both interpreters and Deaf community members in attendance.

The Board also recognized the impact of the pandemic on Colorado interpreters (hearing and Deaf interpreters) and set up the "CRID COVID-19 Relief Fund." We have been able to give financial support to five interpreters. This fund is still active and we have a few applicants in the current cycle.

We will host a spring workshop in 2022 and the conference planning committee has started the wheels moving for the Colorado RID Fall 2022 Conference.

-Angela Obrist, CRID President

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Region V Report Krystal Sanders, Region V Representative FROM THE BOARD Krystal Sanders, CDI Region V Representative

continue to foster spaces which support the ongoing potential for change in our field on a systemic and individual level. As President Jonathan Webb emphasized in his closing remarks “RID is US” and it is time to hold up the mirror and do the work. ORID has three out going board members, VP Samantha Serna-3 years served, MAL2 Laurielle Middleton-Aviles-4 years served, and Interim Secretary Sandy Pascual-1 year served. The two incoming board members are VP Josh Diaz and MAL2 Christina Healy.

-Elise Mongeon, ORID President

I may be biased, but I will say it again and again: RID’s 2021 national conference was the best yet. We addressed audism head on; I have never seen this happen on a national level and I look forward to future discussions. Seeing the many great presenters and presentations in the conference took us on a journey inside our hearts, minds, and actions. The conference was a starting point for the members to know where they Southern California - SCRID can go from this point and beyond.

Many SCRID members attended this year’s national conferThe RID national board that served from 2020 to 2021 was ence, made more accessible in many ways by its online structhe first of its kind. When we look at a diamond through its ture. We’ve heard wonderful feedback about the authenticity facets, you get different perspectives, each perspective as of the sessions, and their relevance in exploring the facets of beautiful. When you think about how diamonds are made, our own organization while seeking authentic healing from you’ll understand how this board succeeded. impacts of racism, audism, and other -isms. In bringing home this message, SCRID has begun hosting a talking circle/ Here are a smattering of gems from Region V: member forum as a space for members to gather and explore these issues within our own interpreting experiences and Oregon - ORID local organization. Our first meeting was powerful. How can The current ORID president was able to attend the 2021 it not be when we hear from our close peers that every teamed RID virtual conference and is bringing back the call to action assignment is a risk, not knowing how they will be treated by from the national level to the local Oregon affiliate chapter. their team?! We know we have a long way to go to create and Instead of shying away from the critical conversations which hold space in which all feel welcome and safe and look forward need to happen surrounding change and RID we intend to with anticipation to ongoing discussions and healing actions 20

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

brought forth through them.

-Stephanie Webb, SCRID President

virtually again.

-Sheridan Laine, NorCRID President

Sacramento Valley - SaVRID

San Diego - SDCRID

SaVRID’s commitment to ensure more Deaf involvement in our meetings, every general meeting from now on will be At the first general meeting in September, the board will elicit feedback from Deaf community members and Interpreters regarding advice they want to give our local Interpreting agencies. The board will also ask which town hall topics people would like to discuss at our subsequent general meetings.

Then, Deaf and hearing will be separated: Deaf community will discuss their experiences working with Interpreters. At the same time, interpreters will begin planning for SaVRID’s first Deaf appreciation party. Hopefully these actions encourage open, meaningful, and collaborative discussions.

-Corey Brasier, SaVRID President

In SDCRID they are still in the process of filling vacant board positions. New additions so far are Vice President Leah Brown and Secretary Paul Gabriola. They just approved a BIPOC Rep position and are looking to fill that and our Deaf Rep position soon. Their Board Retreat is in August, so stay tuned for the plan of action in the next VIEWs.

Northern California - NorCRID NorCRID’s president found the discussions at the conference insightful and hopes they were inspiring to those who haven’t engaged in volunteer leadership.

The NorCRID Board is looking for a new President to replace Sheridan and had recently formed a Bylaws committee to flatten the board and provide a lower bar for entry to Affiliate chapter leadership. We are also planning the annual NorCRID conference on November 6&7 which will be held

Washington State - WSRID WSRID had three people from the board attend, all felt that it was powerful and deeply impactful. Claudia Kienholz, director of WSRID, said “The content will take more time to digest but applies to everything we are doing at WSRID- the board, committees, communication, structure, actions- all of it. Throughout the conference we were all invited to step up, to engage, to be our best selves. Every plenary and session that I attended was thought provoking. Every presenter and panelist raised questions, answered questions, validated what we are trying to do, invited us to keep going, think deeper, work harder. “ In closure, with this final report as Region V Representative Sanders, I bid thee farewell for just a spell.

-Anna Mansell Karagiannis, WSRID President

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Region V Town Hall!

During February 2021, Krystal Sanders, Region V representative, and Adam Janisieski, Deaf Caucus Region V representative, hosted two Town Halls to reach out to CDI/DIs in Region V. The Town Halls were designed to open a safe space for issues or concerns expressed by CDI/DIs, as well as provide networking opportunities.

Both events were successful; we had over 20 participants sharing ideas and suggestions around contributing to RID. We discussed working together and creating a support system for CDI/DIs. The highlight of our first event was having Star Grieser, Director of CASLI, share updates regarding the CASLI testing process. We learned that due to COVID-19 restrictions, much has been impacted regarding the requirements and availability of testing sites. In addition, we also learned that as testing was released in November 2020, the bachelor’s degree requirement is now effective as of May 2021. CASLI needs more people to take the performance testing before standard scoring can be set. At the time of Town Hall events, only twelve candidates had taken the performance test.

Of note, we discussed several items: • We have been discussing updates to the CDI white paper. Due to the pandemic, we have not been able to meet to discuss an overhaul to the white paper.

• Wes want to create a monthly networking event to share resources, ideas and feedback with each other and the national organization.

• We briefly discussed President Jonathan Webb’s vision of the transition from a member driven organization to a professional certification organization, and what that would look like. We came away with a better idea of what the future can look like and how the transition may impact CDI/DIs. Overall, the town halls were a great kick off for CDI/DIs to get together, learn of RID offerings to the community, and to understand the resources we have available to us as the certification process continues to change. In closing, we shared the news of upcoming vacancies in the RID Board of Directors, encouraged our attendees to contribute their own knowledge and skills and to be involved with member sections and committees.

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SELF-CARE

While Re-Orienting

COLUMNIST

Breana Cross-Caldwell, BS, CI and CT Portland, Oregon Breana Cross-Caldwell holds her CI/CT from RID, B.S. in Interpretation from Western Oregon University and is a Certified Life Coach.

She has led thousands of interpreters in preventing burnout and finding the passion again in their lives through developing habits of self-care. You can find her on Instagram @brighterfocus.

Change can be hard. When things are shifting around us, uncertainty, anxiety, anger, and resentment are common.

Our nervous systems love boring - and times of change are anything but.

Over the past year and a half we’ve lived through and continue to navigate many unexpected, life-altering events, circumstances, and tragedies. Each thing we face has the potential to activate the nervous system. Navigating the re-orientation of RID is no exception.

When activated, the nervous system employs a survival response. This response allows us to run from a lion or fight off an attacker without needing to think. This response is

You have access to the best compass around - your values. an essential tool for our survival.

What our survival response does not handle well is how to respond to an angry email, or what to do when an invoice goes unpaid for another month. Executive function, creative problem-solving, perspective-taking and professional communication are all handled in the higher-thinking part of the brain - which goes offline when the survival response takes over (Siegel, 2012).

There are many names for these two control-centers, but let’s refer to them as the wizard brain - higher-level thinking center, and the lizard brain - survival-response center.

Safety is the primary responsibility of the lizard brain. In order to access the wizard brain during times of stress, we must convince the lizard brain that we’re safe.

1. Soothe your nervous system Convincing the lizard brain of its safety can be challenging when you’re still perceiving a threat. But in our modern lives, many threats to our safety do not require fleeing or fighting, they are interpersonal conflicts that require wizard-brain skills like self-awareness, thoughtful communication, and www.rid.org

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acting in line with our values.

In order to soothe your nervous system, you’ll be stimulating its calming-branch called the Parasympathetic Nervous System, or ‘rest and digest’ function. It can be helpful to recognize that soothing the nervous system does not mean a lack of input or activity (although it can!), it means stimulating the parts that regulate feel-good hormones and blood flow. It can be active, and therefore can feel more controllable during times of stress.

• • • • • •

Massage Slowing down Gratitude practice Guided visualization Time in nature Contemplative practices like yoga, prayer, meditation (Gerritsen and Band, 2018).

2. Navigate by your values

With your nervous system regulated and your thinking Deep belly breathing is one of the safest, gentlest, fastest brain back online, you have access to the best compass and most accessible ways to stimulate the Parasympathetic

Deep belly breathing is one of the safest, gentlest, fastest and most accessible ways to stimulate the Parasympathetic Nervous System.

Nervous System (André, 2019).

around - your values.

Here are some basics to help you unlock the soothing power of deep belly breathing: • Relax your chest and neck - often our shoulders creep up toward our ears when we’re feeling tense or stressed.

• Sit or stand up straight to allow the lungs to expand fully.

• Breathe in through the nose.

• Inhale deeply, filling the belly like a balloon.

• Exhale fully, out through the nose or mouth.

• Aim to make your exhale at least as long as your inhale, if not longer.

There are many breathing patterns that can be helpful to practice often so that they’re readily available when we need them. Some breathing patterns and mnemonics: • 4/6 breathing • 4-7-8 breathing • Box breathing • Smell the flower, blow out the candle

Brené Brown defines values as a way of being or believing that we hold most important. Nations have values, communities have values, families have values, organizations have values, and individuals have values. During times of change, when you may feel uncertain and disoriented, values can ground you in your foundational truths - those things you do feel certain about.

Here are some other ways to stimulate your rest and digest response: • Forward fold - putting your head below your heart • Laughter • Lightly touching your lips with your fingertips 24

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Here is a list of values to inspire and questions to consider the next time uncertainty, stress, or the need to make a decision is present: • What’s important to me in this situation?

• What quality do I want to act from?

• If I look back on this decision, I’ll feel more at peace if I’m able to act from a place of (value) .

3. Create healthy habits Soothing the nervous system and navigating by values can feel like a heavy lift when we first try them out. This weight can make hard times harder, and values-aligned action less likely.

Practicing these behaviors regularly, especially during times of lower stress, will wire-in a new default so that the next time it’s easier.

Start by choosing a daily time to practice soothing yournervous system. This could look like 30 seconds of belly breathing when you start the coffee maker each morning, or a minute of stretching each time you get up from your computer.

Keep your values at the top of your mind by creating reminders that include them - like an eye-pleasing image centering on your core values for your phone lock screen or a handwritten sticky note by your bed. Practice a go-to decision-making question, like, “What value do I want to act from?” and start using it every chance you get.

Closing Navigating times of change is inherently challenging. We are bumping (sometimes crashing) up against longstanding systems, beliefs, habits, and comforts - both within ourselves and in society at large. This is messy work.

Soothing our nervous systems allows us to care for ourselves and to self-regulate, in order to make decisions that are aligned with our values. Practicing in the smaller-stakes, less stress-inducing moments will make these skills more readily-available in the tough times.

What our survival response does not handle well is how to respond to an angry email, or what to do when an invoice goes unpaid for another month. Executive function, creative problem-solving, perspective-taking and professional communication are all handled in the higherthinking part of the brain - which goes offline when the survival response takes over.

In the end, re-orienting is a process that affects and calls on each of us. May we commit to participating fully and thoughtfully.

Resources André, Christophe. (2019, Jan 15). Proper Breathing Brings Better Health. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proper-breathing-brings-better-health/ Brown, Brené. List of Values. https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Values.pdf Brown, Brené. Values definition. https://brenebrown.com/definitions/ Gerritsen, Roderik J. S. and Band, Guido P. H. (2018). Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 397. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00397 Siegel, Daniel J. (2012, Feb 28). Dan Siegel - "Flipping Your Lid:" A Scientific Explanation. https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=G0T_2NNoC68

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To view all articles in ASL, visit our Summer VIEWS playlist on YouTube, www.rid.org/aug2021viewsplaylist/

Reflections From an Old Hand COLUMNIST

Phil Giambaresi

Former CSC, LCSW (Retired)

California

I was born in 1950 to parents who have been Deaf since their birth. I have a younger brother who is also a hearing child. The influence from my mother's deaf family and my interest in being the family interpreter led to a career of being a certified interpreter. I received a BA in Psychology. At the age of 34, I earned my Master's in Social Work, specializing in mental health of the Deaf. After living in NYC for over 30 years, I moved to California and am now retired.

As a hearing person who has deaf parents and relatives, I had to adapt to my parent's sign language differences. It taught me early in my life how there was this difference between my folks in their own re-orienting to life's challenges. I've written about the "style" of various deaf people in my family and their friends. I learned to adapt my own expression and reception through re-orienting myself to each individual. A person cannot use sign language in the same way with every deaf person! There is an amazing spread of these styles of communication.

When I went from "family interpreting" to "professional interpreting" I was working with deaf and hard-of-hearing college students and had to alter my way of signing to accommodate the student's "style." Eventually, as I moved on in my career, it was important to get the chance to arrive early at an assignment to meet the deaf person(s) and establish communication. Did the deaf person use ASL or PSE? Greetings from Southern California!

We interpreters have to be oriented to the best methods of I see that the theme for this issue of the Summer VIEWS our sign language abilities to be in sync with what the person magazine is "re-orienting." What this term means to me is is comfortable with regarding their expressive and receptive defined by making changes and adaptations in what one does methods. in life, work, and personal thoughts and feelings.

Perhaps you have been someone who has also had deaf My "reflections" are of my experiences as an (elderly, ahem) friends with whom we would socialize? There was a feeling, retired person who recalls certain events that happened as being a hearing person who wanted to be helpful, to inwhich may relate to the present time. How well I remember terpret (for example) the hearing restaurant server's interinstances in my career that taught me lessons; and I hope action with our deaf friend(s.) It made things easier, but I my past situations will be somewhat illuminating to you and recall how important it was to ASK the deaf friend, "Would your own experiences. you like me to interpret?"

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VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

In a professional job as an interpreter, we are expected to knowing it would be a situation she would be more suited bridge the communication but my previous example was a for doing: interpreting in a Jewish Temple. I was uncertain situation that was informal and social. The term "re-orient- and she insisted I could succeed at doing the sub job. ing" oneself applies to the situation.

I showed up to the Temple, and the section of the congreIt was so ingrained in me to do "automatic" interpreting for gation which was for the Deaf welcomed me. The Rabbi bemy parents to "make life easier" and it gave me that feeling of gan to speak in Hebrew! I signed, "speaking Jewish" and doing something helpful. I've mentioned in prior columns then he translated to English with an accent that was quite how I felt as though my parents would fall apart without me strong. Not being used to such a speaker, I continued to when I went off to college. My wise mother said to me, "You sign "speaking Jewish" to the deaf people when I realized have spoiled us and we'll miss you, but we got along without he was actually speaking English! I could feel the blood you before you were born." Wow, that was a dose of reality! rush to my face. Additionally, the "oral" deaf Jewish people It was quite a moment for me which I'll always remember, insisted that I "mouth" the Rabbi's Hebrew words! I did the best I could, and after that experience, I realized what and feel it is worth repeating. a mistake I made in accepting this job. I was not qualified When I became a social worker, there was another thera- despite doing the best job I could do. pist who happened to use a wheelchair. She offered me a ride in her car. As she routinely placed the wheelchair into In short, I was not orienting myself to the situation and in the trunk of her car, I reached out to help her. She got very the future I learned to admit I couldn't accept certain asupset with me and said "I can do it myself!" In the car, as signments! Sometimes it requires a bad experience to ben-

I did the best I could, and after that experience, I realized what a mistake I made in accepting this job. I was not qualified despite doing the best job I could do. a passenger, I apologized for assuming she needed help. I efit one's abilities or lack thereof. We hopefully learn from realized I could have said, "Would you like some help?" Or our mistakes.

"May I help you?"

One last example of re-orienting myself as someone who It taught me a lesson that a deaf person has to fend for them- had deaf parents, and as I often say, "it is my personal expeselves when they are alone to communicate with the "Hear- rience and not necessarily the same for other hearing CODAs." ing world!" Independence.

Another learning situation. An interpreter was unable to do her assignment due to an emergency and it was a weekend when the agency was closed and there was no time for her to make arrangements quickly. She called me and asked me to "sub" for her. She begged me to help her out, despite my

Sometimes it requires a bad experience to benefit one's abilities or lack thereof. We hopefully learn from our mistakes.

When I got married (to a hearing person) it took me a long time to get used to being called "sweetheart" or "babe" and using expressive terms of endearment. My parents loved each other but I never saw them sign their names to each other and use endearments! Had to learn something new, and it continues throughout our lives to do so.

Wishing you the best for the Summer of 2021.

Comments? Contact me at pgiambaresi@aol.com

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To view all articles in ASL, visit our Summer VIEWS playlist on YouTube, www.rid.org/aug2021viewsplaylist/

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Efficient screening cient screening tool plus your l plus your mentors equals ntors equals better allies for the ter allies for the community afDeaf community

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VisitVisit get.goreact.com/RID to learn more.

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VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

5

YOU complete

our community.

Together, we can weather through human challenges.

GROWTH and CHANGE

are inherent in the process to forge stronger RELATIONSHIPS.

WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF OUR COMMUNITY. www.rid.org

29

2021

RID National

Conference

Re-Orienting July 8-12, 2021

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VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

32 33

Conference Recap Event report

On the Screen

Some of our speakers

34

Land Acknowledgement

35

President's Message

41

Conference Survey

42

Every Child Matters

43

Our Sponsors

Re-Orienting This conference was dedicated to

addressing the many -ism's that our

community and profession encounter on a daily basis. It's time to do better.

We are on indigenous land A Time to Re-Orient

From a number of participants Orange Shirt Day

Thank our sponsors

Audism Curiosity Discovery Growth Transition Transformation www.rid.org

31

C

E V E N T R E P O R T:

Conference Recap

Audism

We had to acknowledge that due to who we are and what we do, RID has a special and unique relationship to the system of audism.

Curiosity

The time right now within RID is filled with a strong desire for us to learn and know something different, something better.

Discovery

Self-discovery can be uncomfortable. We had to look at our biases and how we contribute to the systems that marginazile and oppress individuals.

Growth

RID members and our communities can use what we learn from self-discovery and put it into action. Continue to be in the work; grow, learn and change behaviors.

"WE ARE RID. OUR MEMBERSHIP CONTINUES TO Transition Transitional change is a proSTRUGGLE WITH NOT UN- cess of relinquishing one thing in order to have something different, this is exactly what we are DERSTANDING THAT RID IS doing as we transition to a Professional CertifiSIMPLY A REFLECTION OF cation Organization.

WHO WE ARE." Transformation Transformational -RID President Jonathan Webb 32

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

change is about hope and faith in something.

Moving forward that energy and hope, we need to clearly see the journey and the form or shape of the destination.

ON THE SCREEN GET A GLIMPSE INTO WHAT OUR IMPACTFUL SPEAKERS HAD TO SAY

Belinda

Opening plenary.

This is an opportunity for you to prepare to address issues of personal impact (like audism and racism) and reflect on where you are. What are things you are doing that don’t support you? What’s a change you can make to your career journey that will give you more peace? What will happen (what is the cost) of you not doing anything about this?

How can you turn this around immediately and enjoy the process of transformational change?

ITOC

Critical conversations about race in interpreting.

We have different stories, different accounts of history, and some of us have to live the experience, just by nature of how our skin presents, day in and day out, in ways that others don’t. To make sure that we have the essential conversations that are necessary for racial consciousness development...to increase our awareness, understanding, depth, complexity. These are the conversations we should be having... racial socialization, historical context around race, what are the patterns of racialized experience, and what should we do about it?

MJ Getting real about the work of transformation.

On the other hand, Black hearing people who are signers and want to be interpreters, or become advocates for the Deaf, might feel nervous and decide they don’t want to be involved. They might just work in their communities but when talking about working on a professional level for a career, they may back out. So that means, remember the 5% statistic about Black interpreters. It might go down to 3% or 2% or 1%. Then White Deaf people might say, ‘Where are the Black people?

Why? What happened to them?’ You own it. -David Player www.rid.org

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INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

re-orient your perspective:

YOU ARE ON INDIGENOUS LAND

"Welcome everyone. I am Dr. Melanie McKay-Cody and I hail from the Cherokee Nation. This land acknowledgement is rooted in the need to not only express gratitude for the First Peoples of this land, but to do so in a meaningful way. I demonstrate this by using language developed by the Turtle Island Hand Talk collective.

I acknowledge that I live, work, and experience life on the sacred land of the Kaw, Kanza, Osage, Dakota, Lakota and Kickapoo peoples. Here I stand, and express gratitude and appreciation for the original stewards of this land and honor these ancestors. While the ancestors exist in the realm of spirit, we recognize their influence and impact on us today.

As we commence the RID Conference which physically exists in Alexandria, Virginia, we acknowledge that we exist on land cared for by the ancestors of the Deeg and Piscataway. We honor their lives and acknowledge that this sacred land was stolen from these ancestors. We hope that this acknowledgement begins to heal the damage and destruction caused by the colonization of the lands and its peoples.

In solidarity with our Canadian family, I am wearing the color orange. As our people grieve the discovery of myriad unmarked indigenous children’s graves, we pray to the ancestors for the children’s journey to the spirit realm and commit to holding the memory of their struggles, their challenges, and their lives within our hearts." -Dr. Melanie McKay-Cody 34

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Re-Orient

A Time to Jonathan Webb PhD, CI and CT, NIC Advanced President For me, questions hold far more power than that of statements. Statements are limiting in and of themselves. They may be very important, but they offer a sort of finality. Questions, on the other hand, lead us to explore and embark on new forms of discovery. And make no mistake- the experience of the last two years has led me to develop lots of statements and I’ll share some of those. However, I have far more questions and we’ve even had the opportunity to explore some of those very questions over the last six weeks having gone through the sociopolitical upheaval our association has just experienced.

We are RID. Our membership continues to struggle with not understanding that RID is simply a reflection of who we are. RID’s success is ultimately our collective success. Conversely, RID’s struggles and challenges belong to and come from us as well. There is little separation. RID did not appear out of the ether. RID was created, organized, and has been maintained by us- practitioners and stakeholders in the profession of sign language interpreting. It’s time we come to terms with this.

The irony is striking here, because we proudly proclaim that RID is member-driven. And when we do well we seem to have no problem taking pride in that. We also need to own the challenges and obstacles we experience too without projecting them onto something when that does nothing to actually address the issues. I’ve shared this message regularly as I’ve talked with us, but the time is now that we understand when we ask why RID? We are ultimately asking about our own efficacy and viability as sign language interpreters.

Who are we?

We are practice professionals. There’s a lot to unpack with that designation, but one thing I’d like to highlight is our social responsibility as practice professionals within this field. It’s hard to argue that we haven’t discussed that we live in a society full of systems born from -isms meant to marginalize and disenfranchise certain peoples. As interpreters, we live in-between these two experiences- the systems that create the marginalization and the people who suffer from it. We must use this understanding to frame how we go about our practice. We cannot be passive participants, bystanders in the marginalization of Deaf people. One of the things I believe might help us better understand our duty and obligation as practice professionals in this field is our mission statement. Via our mission statement, which has evolved over the years, we clearly see that we work to facilitate communication between those who use signed and spoken languages and that we do such with a degree of excellence, in adherence to ethical and moral behavior, all while committing ourselves to continued professional growth.

Where are we going?

We are not completely unified within RID. We seem to have a strong group of individuals invested in and dedicated to RID’s and our collective growth and transformation. We sadly have another smaller group of individuals who seem invested in and dedicated to political game playing and theatrics. When you think back to ancient myths of two-headed beasts we see some of the metaphors around a house divided. It’s time for us to come together.

For a year and a half we have been deep in the discussion of transitioning RID into a professional certification organization. These discussions have happened in a variety of ways both large and small. Members have made their wishes known- we need and want to transition into a professional certification organization. This member, Deaf community, and stakeholder sentiment has been verified by a 3rd party consultant.

Our conference opening plenary, offered by Belinda McCleese, addressed change. Belinda talked about transitional change as being a process of relinquishing one thing in order to have something different. That’s exactly what we are www.rid.org

35

What do we want?

doing as we transition from a member-driven organization to a professional certification organization. However, we must acknowledge that this hefty transition is taking place within a larger context of transformation within RID. Belinda shared that transformational change is about hope and faith in something now and moving towards that energy and hope without being able to clearly see the journey or even the form or shape of the destination.

Audism

Many of you have probably seen our CASLI President, Dr. Miako Villanueva, talk about the CASLI experiment. This refers to the natural human process of coming up with a strong plan, executing that plan, and assessing our progress along the way making adjustments as needed. This follows the philosophy of continuous improvement. We engage in continuous improvement because we all understand, that is what you simply do in systems and and in life. Now, despite the adjustments to the experiment along the way, I think we can all agree that the CASLI experiment has been one of great success. I want to thank our past boards, our interim-director Anna Whitter-Merithew, Dr. Villanueva, and all the others who made difficult decisions to make CASLI happen. They created breathing room for CASLI and our tests.

They created a structure whereby CASLI has a small group of caring and conscious people dedicated to providing stewardship over our tests.

This type of change can be frightening. Dealing with the We have an opportunity to replicate this success. A similar unknown often brings up feelings of trepidation and hesi- structure and approach could be utilized with the Certifitancy. And, it is 2021. We technically started this journey cation Maintenance Program and our Professional Develin 2013. People need time for change, but it is time to engage in the conversation and then move forward. ...we live in a society full of systems born from -isms There is a very general timeline set out that would help set mile markers for this transitionmeant to marginalize and disenfranchise certain al process of our transformation. Ultimately, the membership holds the power in this propeoples. As interpreters, we live in-between these two cess and decision. Now, I must digress for a moment. There have been multiple accusations that I have attempted to hoard power as experiences- the systems that create the marginalizathe president. The reality however is far more fascinating- as a member I have considerablye tion and the people who suffer from it. more power when not wearing the mantle of President. Much of this has to do with power of voice. Interestingly, those who have claimed I opment Committee. This could be done with our Ethical have hoarded power are the same ones on social media who Practices System and our Ethics Committee. This model have decided to engage in a way that is becoming much more could be used with our Certification & Credentialing Deof government politicians than that of those belonging to a partment, and our Certification Committee. Following this Professional Certification Organization. I don’t have that approach then means that the RID Board of Directors could same luxury right now, as I am the President. However as of finally take on and devote time and attention to education, September 1, 2021, that will change. I intend to continue advocacy, legislative affairs, and then stronger coordination to show up and push this conversation. We will have those between the CMP, EPS, and Certification & Credentialing. who resist change, naturally. It behooves us to recognize Again, this model allows the RID Board to devote time and that phenomenon, band together, and collectively push this attention to communication, financial stability, and overall change to be realized. stability and growth.

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Curiosity

bodies. What we as a membership need to understand is that it takes both organizations to be interested in collaboration, in order for them to come together. Some of these How do we get there? organizations are not currently interested in working with RID. And that’s understandable. Look at our history. Look This journey requires us to relinquish individual power at our challenges. Look at our mistakes. We have a situation within RID. This of course doesn’t preclude us from influencing these systems and programs. But it would mean providing that influence in the right way. This tendency of This journey requires us to relinquish indiours to submit last minute motions and then expect a brief discussion and vote is not healthy for our association. We don’t make huge life impacting decisions in a last minute vidual power within RID. ...We owe doing way with little to no discussion in our personal financial affairs, so why would we do this for our national association? this the right way to those we serve, namely We owe doing this the right way to those we serve, namely our Deaf communities. They depend on us to be wise and our Deaf communities. strategic with what we do and how we do it. They expect us to make measured decisions that take multiple perspectives into consideration. We owe it to them to do this in the right where some organizations, and individuals, feel burned by way.

RID and it will be some time before we demonstrate what This journey requires us looking at the composition of the is needed for them to come back into relationship with us.

RID Board of Directors. Do we elect officers through our But that’s our work. We have the responsibility to show that standing voting process? Do we instead create a pathway for our organization is stable enough, strong enough, and conMember Section leaders to sit on the Board of Directors, en- scious enough for relationship and partnership. Until then, suring representation? We must determine effective ways to we can’t expect them to want what we want. And I have to ensure there is diversity of identity and lived experience on emphasize again, we are RID. This isn’t about some external the Board. And yet, representation isn’t enough. We need body out there that needs to change and mature. It is us. representation in tandem with qualification- possession of Our voting process and how we utilize the power of our Afknowledge, skills, and abilities relative to the position being filiate Chapters is another way we get to where we are headheld. Great examples of this are Secretary Decker and Treaed with transition and transformation. I’ve stated repeatedly surer Nichols. They have both demonstrated what it means that our Affiliate Chapters are one of our greatest untapped to come in with diverse identities and also be highly qualified resources. As we recognize this critical piece we can’t help to lead in the areas they steward. They have demonstrated but acknowledge the important work that was done in 2017 success time and time again. This is what we need in all our during the national conference. An abundance of feedback, officers for RID. When we start to recognize that RID is a perspective, and insight was gathered- much of what could business, a corporation with a hefty budget, it begs the quesbe used to help us in this transition. Headquarters staff, with tion- why are we electing those whom we choose to fill these Bill Millios spearheading the project, developed a draft proseats? Are our elections simply a popularity contest? Or, are posal on what a delegate system might look like for RID. It we really seeking diverse candidates that have the qualificaseems that now is the time for us to move forward with this. tions for the positions?

We must consider the manner in which we advise the board as a membership. We have to figure out how we do that for the multiple smaller Boards of Managers meant to govern our systems such as EPS and CMP. We need to figure out how we also get advisement and insight from other stakeholder organizations. And make no mistake, this will be a challenge in certain circumstances. I’ve been asked countless times to work to repair longtime broken relationships with certain

When do we get there?

I believe it is feasible to make this happen over the next three years. The question is- are we ready to do the work it takes to make it happen? It is possible, but only if we dig in and do it.

Why are we doing this?

We must stay true to our mission and our vision. This should www.rid.org

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Discovery

be our guide as to why we do what we do. And then after we have a clear understanding of what our mission and vision really mean, we have a duty and obligation to move forward. I understand that words like duty and obligation are complex for some. Some of my sense of duty and obligation come out of my personal community I come from, and quite a bit of it also probably comes from the family dynamics I was raised in and the fact that I am the eldest child- which probably isn’t a surprise to most of you.

When we look at what we are doing and where we are headed in terms of a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis, we discover some prevalent themes.

In terms of our strengths we have a contingency of volunteers around the nation who are eager, motivated, creative, and full of energy. This holds true for our HQ staff too. A prime example is how they handled the onerous switch from a 3rd party conference platform to our own Continuing Education Center. They utilized their talents and skills and worked overnight so that the membership would wake up to conference the next day with a different and enhanced user experience. We as RID members need to see this example and replicate it in the work we do.

Like many other organizations, we rely heavily on volunteers. This means we are reliant on people to carry out our mission and vision, on top of their full-time jobs, family, personal life and pursuits, and so on. Distraction is one of our weaknesses because unlike the HQ staff who are paid to lead RID, our volunteer leadership has a finite amount of time dedicated to this work.

in terms of a cookout. You can bring everyone together and just have a couple folks provide a couple dishes. That’s deeply appreciated! But if everyone brings what they can offer to the cookout you inevitably have a feast! We need everyone to bring their skills and talents and connections to the RID cookout.

Now, there’s the infamous T in the SWOT analysis- threats.

Ironically, we don’t have to look very hard to identify the threats before us. In fact, the intensity of some of our primary threats have increased exponentially over the last few months. In fact, another T word that we could use relative to threats in RID is toxic. I don’t necessarily care for how the word is overused in society, but truly believe that it fits us here in RID. We live in a world that deals with these issues at the macro-level, and we see the same phenomenon playing out here in RID at the meso-level. The only rational thing I can think that we as members can do is firmly set boundaries and demand that toxic characters in our field stop the destructive behaviors. And then we must resist and turn away from those who are relentless, as we cannot allow ourselves to be infected. I understand that sounds harsh, given some of our social relationships in RID. In many ways we are a family. But I would urge us to consider that even in family, we may have toxic relatives. And sometimes the only way to handle those very problematic people is to set firm and unmoving boundaries. But again, I’m the oldest in my family so I certainly understand that colors my point of view when I consider the overall health and safety of our family (RID).

We are RID. Not the board, not the building, not even the CEO. It is us; we are RID. We need to center ourselves in our mission and vision. This is the way. This is the path.

Transformation, while beautiful, can at times feel like a harrowing journey. But on any journey, whether harrowing or Opportunities abound in RID, and I would claim that many tranquil, you must determine what you will bring along with of those opportunities exist within the membership itself. you. You can’t take everything on a journey- it’s not helpful

We must stay true to our mission and our vision. This should be our guide as to why we do what we do. And then after we have a clear understanding of what our mission and vision really means, we have a duty and obligation to move forward.

We have many highly talented people in our field. Sadly, we and it’s unnecessary. So what is it that we need to bring with have not tapped many of these individuals and their talents, us on this journey of RID’s transition and transformation? skills, expertise, and their relationships. I think about this We need to bring our values. And I’m not referring to the 38

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

Growth

low ego-based values that we at times fall prey to, but our highest and most noble values. We need to bring our dialogic tools and use them to help us communicate in clear and effective ways. And then we need to bring our will to do the required work.

to jump in. I would encourage you to reach out to your Affiliate Chapter President. Again, our affiliate chapters are a tremendous untapped resource. It takes what feels like an inordinate amount of time to make change at the national level. But at the local level change happens at a much faster pace. The process of engaging in clear and effective dialogue, working towards consensus, and agreeing on direcAnd what do we leave behind on this journey? Pettiness, tion can happen locally at a fraction of the amount of time it distraction, self-centeredness, selfishness, and political takes to do that at the national level. Please get involved with game-playing. your AC. In our history we’ve asked what the point of RID is or ques- And something I have to add here when I talk about our in-

Transformation, while beautiful, can at times feel like a harrow-

ing journey. But on any journey,

whether harrowing or tranquil, you must determine what you will bring along with you.

tion what does RID do for me? I’d like us to take a moment and flip the question. Instead, let’s ask what it would look like if there never was an RID. We have an experience in RID where we have exceptionally arrogant colleagues, members, and stakeholders suggest that maybe RID should simply be dissolved and disbanded. To them I have one question- then what is your solution? What is the replacement? After you finish your destruction, what instead do you build? To suggest destruction without providing a vision to what we then build, is an example of worthless empty meaningless diatribe, at best. For those who seem to throw stones but have no meaningful solutions, I sincerely ask you to take a seat, do your inner work and identify where the problem lies, engage in a little humility as you realize this isn’t all about you, and then contribute to the work of us all making RID better.

I extend this invitation to any and all of us who need it.

volvement, work, and investment in RID is our dues and fees structure. Let me be clear- our dues and fees are directly tied to the operation of our certification program systems. It takes financial investment to run the CMP, EPS, and screen and process for credentialing. And in reality, what we pay in order to maintain the system of our professional organization is rather miniscule. I acknowledge, I say that from a seat of privilege. I remember when I was strapped to come up with dues. I remember those years well because frankly, it wasn’t all that long ago. And I also acknowledge that some of us are going above and beyond. I deeply appreciated some of our members who stepped up and offered to pay conference entry fees for marginalized and underrepresented interpreters. I truly believe if we all contribute in big and small ways, we are left with a thing of beauty.

Now, I’d like to turn our attention away from the business of RID to the gratitude I have for those who make RID possible today. We have an incredible HQ team. To have people like CEO Star Grieser see the unnecessary theatrics within RID over the last little while and still be willing to stand at the helm of RID is inspiring. Directors like Ryan Butts who wears multiple large hats and engages her work with humility, is breathtaking. Marva was certainly my right-hand for the business meeting, but Ryan was my left hand.

I won’t name everyone at RID but I would do a disservice if I didn’t talk a little bit about my brother, COO Elijah Sow. RID is indebted to him. On a very personal level, we’ve been through a lot the last couple of years, and that includes the spotlight on Black Lives Matter as we’ve witnessed Black men, women, and trans folks be murdered in broad daylight.

When you come from a highly collectivist community and see these murders take place, you see the murders of your parents, your siblings, your aunts and uncles, and even the We need to lead this thing together. And I know some of you lynching of yourself. Elijah was one of those people who was are right there, eager and excited, ready to figure out where there for me in all of this as I did my best to steer RID. That www.rid.org

39

Transition

will never be forgotten. Our committees and task force workgroups have taken on very difficult initiatives with little fanfare yet contribute quite a bit to the fulfilling of our mission and vision. It’s especially difficult when we have people who complain, or even fellow leaders - like the president - complain. This work is not easy and I acknowledge they sacrifice a lot to be able to do it.

the second term for which I was elected, I had no idea that the board in its entirety would also resign. For whatever reason, that possibility never entered my mind. And make no mistake, I trust and love these people and fully support their decision, as difficult as it is. I’m still grappling with the fallout of everything, and continue to process how this has all happened. But in all of this turmoil I need to make something abundantly clear to our membership, Deaf communities, and general stakeholders.

I want to thank our councils and advisors. Some of our ad- Many of you have seen the powerful testimony Treasurer visors provide consultation outside of any official capacity, Nichols shared on the racism that was utilized to engage in and I truly appreciate their investment as well. the attacks that have happened. Somehow, many have decided that the board resigned due to racism. Let me state, I want to take a moment and applaud the work of our Affil- unequivocally, you are wrong. When Black and folks of iate Chapter leadership. I implore you, tell your AC Presi- color are confronted with racism it is not in our nature to dent that you love them. Tell them they have your support. run and hide. In fact, we typically lean in, dig in, and fight Then show it. Prove it. harder- with an aim to do nothing less but win. And you can Our Member Section leadership also must be thanked. We be guaranteed, the fight we’ve engaged in, to win, does not have a tendency to not give much attention to our MS and conclude on 31 August 2021. You may recall earlier in this some of them only ever perk up when it’s conference time. message me sharing that bearing the role of president means The last two years however, they have been challenged by that there are certain things that simply cannot be said or the board to do something more and different. Internally, done. In essence, certain aspects of your personal voice we created some initial processes and systems to support must be siloed. As of 01 September, that will change. them in their work. We see some evidence of this growth via So let me be clear. I resigned because a narrative was conour conference. We had the opportunity for some sections cocted in an attempt to disparage me. Their solution was to take ownership of a conference session and simply lead. simple- we must have a Deaf president in RID, immediately.

A great example of leadership is Matt Salerno. It was an- When this concocted narrative reached a crescendo, it benounced that VIMS was devoid of leadership and he simply came the dominant narrative. It posed a clear and present volunteered. And sometimes it is that simple- a willingness threat to our association and its mission. And ironically, it to pitch in and help. Willingness and follow-through is what began to have an impact on our conference which was cenwe saw, and I appreciate it. tered in actually unpacking audism within RID. This was And finally, I have to mention our esteemed conference presenters. A few years ago I had the thought that it would be transformational for RID to devote a conference to unpacking audism. Certainly all isms deserve our time and attention, but we have to acknowledge that due to who we are and what we do, RID has a special and unique relationship to the system of audism. Interpreters directly and monetarily benefit from the system of audism. This benefit then demands that we are exceptionally careful, conscious, and accountable for how we show up as practitioners within a system of audism. To show up in the way we need to requires authentic listening. Conference presenters, thank you for giving us the opportunity to listen.

nothing less that the dirt and muck that we find in the theatrics of politics.

There is no room for this behavior here. Yet, this de-

structive behavior and narrative permeated our communities and it caused some presenters to back out of their participation in the conference. So I ask, what would you do?

Assert your power and authority and hold onto the thing you were legitimately voted into by the membership, or simply relinquish the power, and then find other ways to lead from outside of the system? For me, choosing to leave the system in this capacity meant that I was choosing the mission over self, and the conference agenda over self. For me, it was clearly more important that we have a successful conference As I close out this message, there is a final point I would like that actually did what we set out to do- address audism and to make. When I made the very difficult decision to not fill other isms. I share all of this because I want you all to under40

VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

Transformation

S U R V E Y:

stand that the board did not resign out of fear or some need to supposedly escape racism. That is about the furthest thing from the truth. We left because it seemed that this is the way that life was aligned in that moment. I thank you for receiving that, and sharing it with others.

2021 National Conference **These numbers reflect the response of our 167 survey participants and do not represent the whole of conference attendees**

65%

Individuals who were extremely satisified or satisfied with the variety of course content.

54% Individuals whose priority was to gain knowledge while attending the conference.

57%

The conference agenda satisfied my goals 30.38%

Extremely satisfied

34.81%

Very satisfied

24.05%

Somewhat satisfied

6.96%

Not so satisfied

Not at all satisfied

Individuals who felt the conference influenced their perspective of RID in a positive way.

Identity

3.80%

Percentage of attendees who went to live sessions 23.95%

1-5 Sessions

28.14%

6-10 Sessions Coda (13.50%) Deaf (7.36%) Hard of Hearing (4.29%) Hearing (80.98%)

10-15 Sessions

26.95%

15-20 Sessions

17.37%

I did not attend any live sessions

3.59% 0

5

Sessions Attended

10

15

20

www.rid.org

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41

CLOSING BLESSING

every child matters

orange shirt day

As we come to the close of this conference, I express hope that what has been learned will stay within the hearts and minds of the participants so that it might prove beneficial to each individual’s practice, the interpreting profession as a whole, and ultimately support the needs of our Deaf communities.

I pray that what has also been learned will also help us to do better at supporting, uplifting, and expanding the community of interpreters of color. In particular, may we find ways to grow our collective of indigenous interpreters, as there are far too few and we need them.

I pray that the participants’ knowledge, love, and compassion be infused into the work being performed.

And I express gratitude for you doing such.

I leave you with a blessing of peace. I pronounce upon you a blessing of cooperation. And I implore you to remember our children and that each of their lives are precious to us. May we continue to live in gratitude to the ancestors for our children.

I leave you with a blessing and encouragement to continue this good work. May our journeys cross paths and allow us to reunite, and may that which you contribute continue to blossom and grow for us all.

-Dr. Melanie McKay-Cody 42 VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

Thank you

to our conference sponsors. The companies and organizations who helped make this year's conference a success.

we can weather through human challenges.

GROWTH and CHANGE

are inherent in the process to forge stronger RELATIONSHIPS.

VE IN THE POWER OF OUR COMMUNITY.

www.rid.org

43

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WE’RE HIRING JOIN OUR TEAM TODAY!

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purplevrs.com/jointheteam 44 VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38 zvrs.com/jointheteam

From the Desks at HQ How many CEUs have you earned?

Are you interested in volunteer leadership?

Leaders and volunteers are the backbone of any nonprofit organization. Volunteering helps every party involved as it gives much needed support to nonprofits while also teaching you many important tools that can greatly impact your life. Volunteering not only teaches you the confidence you’ll need to network, but it opens new doors that can help you make great connections. www.rid.org/considering-volunteer-leadership/ www.rid.org

45

FEATURE:

Re-Orienting the N-Word

By Billy Sanders

Billy Sanders credits his love for serving within the Deaf community to his mother, Debra – who is Deaf. Having earned both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Public Administration from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Billy is currently a doctoral student on a mission to strengthen higher education throughout Africa. A staunch advocate for education, Billy has taught extensively since the year of 2000 at a myriad of colleges and universities in the subjects of American Sign Language, Signed Language Systems, and Strategies for Cross-Cultural Communication.

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As a professional interpreter, Billy is a Communications Consultant with Bridges Consulting; a company he founded over twenty years ago to champion cross-cultural communication through education and empowerment. Aside from living out his passion, Billy loves to spend time with his 22-year old son, Donovan, who is the recent graduate of the University of VirVolume ginia 3 • Issue and38 the currently applying his talents at Deloitte.

“I don’t know you personally, but I know you historically.” -James Baldwin You remember ‘Central Park Karen’, right? The fascinating White woman, Amy Cooper, who walked through New York’s infamous[1] Central Park with her unleashed dog. When a man, Christian Cooper – who happened to be Black (no blood relation, just same plantation[2]) – was bird watching on the same trail. Once Christian recognized the charming woman allowing her dog to meander uncontrolled, he politely asked her to leash the dog.

Indignant, Amy belligerently denied the request, then felt emboldened to weaponize her whiteness and call the police to fabricate a false claim of physical threat and harassment. In the widely publicized video, you see Amy with her phone in one hand, and her unleashed dog in the other hand. Conceptually apropos, are when White deaf ‘Karens’ weaponize their whiteness in one hand and recklessly hide themselves behind deafness like the unleashed dog as a shield for non-accountability. The parallels of power, privilege, and oppression[3] were on full display in the Central Park incident, just as the duality of white deaf privilege exists in the profession of sign language interpretation.

Too tough of a pill to swallow? How about this food for thought: many people in our society never imagine any societal ill like racism, to be attributed to a Deaf person, or any disabled person for that matter. However, when interpreting on the frontline of civic engagement as the live embodiment of accessibility, we – Black interpreters, specifically, wrestle with the advocacy of those who will blacklist us for misinterpreting a sneeze. Thus, the passive synonym signs of disrespect arise out of the communicative hands we are bound to hold confidential honoring the Code of Professional Conduct[4].

Yesteryear’s paradigm on what a racist was is not too far from what the conventional ideal of what racism looks like in practice in this western society we interpret. When we think of a racist today, we are still doomed to envision an antiquated image of an enslaver, KKK member, slave catcher or any of the first 16 US Presidents who either owned or managed enslaved relatives of ours[5]. We now see newer images of racists as present day slave catchers - professionally known as police, the network of remarkable White people who convened in the U.S. Capitol January 6, 2021, a recent U.S. President, or a sensational Deaf white woman making a series of opinionated videos.

The impunity of those beloved White Deaf community members who carry out the onslaught of papercut microaggressions we experience far too often to elicit a reaction of any kind creates a new n-word: numb. Numb to the inconsequential merry-go-

we- Black interpreters, specifically wrestle with the adovcacy of those who will blacklist us for misinterpreting a sneeze. round of experiencing racism, not knowing how to effectively report or address it with integrity. Conversing with yourself that the next person will get addressed in the most honorable disrespectful way, only to resort to another buried frustration of inaction. Because, at the end of the day, what will we gain by one standing up alone?

Papercut racism in our beloved profession looks like, but is not limited to:

• A White interpreter signing greetings to everyone else at the Many Black folk who use American Sign Language as their first interpreter table, yet when one gets to the Black interpretor second language pick up on these passive-aggressive signs er, the stereotypical fist pound and an add a “bro” - like we of disrespect. To be frank, there a several signs for “nigger”. family now - is offered only to you.

Trust and believe. Much to the chagrin of society becoming more “woke,” the signs for nigger are elusive and ever-changing.

• Boldly (as in big signs for all hearing people to see but not Conversely, to persevere with integrity, the n-word for those of understand other than the proverbial f-bomb) signing “f-ck us on the other side of the smoking gun are numb, normal, and Farrakhan and Black Lives Matter and anyone who supports nevertheless. Allow me the opportunity to re-orient you to the Palestine” while on assignment knowing no one will contest n-word, using n-words. the clandestine White woman in her expressed “fear” for her Jewish life. Why? Because everyone else fears their contin“You must let suffering speak if you want to hear ued employment for admonishing a Deaf-woman. Let alone, the truth” - Cornel West a White Deaf woman.

Whiteousness [in my profession and community at large] is disingenuously masking the gross privilege of whiteness with neoliberalism behind the defense shield of deafness. www.rid.org

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Scores of Black interpreters experience the moment of loneliness in the aftermath of experienced racism while on an interpreting assignment • Calling a hearing Black woman a b-tch while on assignment, and sign it to you “in confidence” because one is now comfortable with you being a man who is Black, rather than a Black man. Assuming one's new professional comrade, who is Black, will not check her for even feeling comfortable enough to utter such nonsense in cavalier fashion.

• Comparing ANY struggle of yours to slavery.

Numb to the privileged mantra of “I’m white and I say so” when defending yourself against another pointless claim filed with the RID Ethics Committee. Numb to the vicious character assassination meant to permanently blacklist Black interpreters from working at any agency they work at, or are serviced by. Easy to dismiss? Sure. In theory. When the vast majority of clients and interpreters we work with are White we, Black interpreters, are prone to experience papercut racism on a weekly basis. Not so easy to recuse yourself from multiple jobs until the majority White-owned agencies do not want to work with you anymore, or clients (who are majority White) put you on their ‘Do Not Send’ list. Numb, we show up every day on the corner of courage and justice, armed continue to with a smile that is one-half genuine and one-half defensive.

wants to deal with the public relation nightmare of being biased, prejudiced, or even audist towards a deaf person. Granted. But that underlying fear paralyzes us from thinking beyond circumstantial evidence as is, rather than challenging the merit of any deaf person’s allegation, complaint, or expressed reasoning to blacklist another interpreter…who happens to be Black.

As a component of privilege, knowing that a White Deaf person’s opinion is to be believed and not fact-checked allows ample room for impropriety and abuse of privilege before ever seeing the light of due process. A White Deaf person never has to use the n-word in today’s environment. One can just character bash, because it is far more hard to prove racism from the smoking gun of personality conflict, skewed professionalism, or inadequate interpreter matches on the often used claim of not being able to understand the interpreter. Who is going to contest the validity of that?

We are afraid of being blacklisted based merely on hearsay.

Afraid of being “that” Black interpreter no agency wants to work with by mere reputation. Because your reputation is emboldened by the one who signs the check or influences the check signer.

Doomed to the 1:20 rule: when you piss off one Karen, you have pissed off twenty. The catch for us culturally-hued interpreters is that those amongst the “twenty” are connected to opportunities we will never see the light of day with: interpreting agencies, interpreter coordinators, influential interpreters, and the like.

To cement the issue at hand, a near century ago, world-renowned scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois pontificated that “whiteness” was a societal ill scholars needed to explain. That whiteness was neither privy nor automatically attributed to a particular construct of human life. Whiteness, in its political, social, and cultural construct, is only applicable in an infinitesimal sliver of human history. Yet, so prevalent at this moment in time, is addressing the elephant in the room.

Scores of Black interpreters experience the moment of loneliness in the aftermath of experienced racism while on an interpreting assignment, or in correspondence with interpreting agencies. Knowing that the slightest move off the tightrope of professional integrity can and will result in detrimen- A White Deaf person never has to use the n-word in tal and permanent loss of opportunities today’s environment. One can just character bash, beto flourish in the profession you felt destined to.

cause it is far more hard to prove racism from the smoking gun of personality conflict, skewed professionalism, or inadequate interpreter matches.

There is no, one answer, for “Karen” to transform her ways. No magic pill. No workshop. No come-to-Jesus meeting to resolve what we have become too familiar with… the perpetuity of nuanced racism creates a new n-word for the likes of us: normalcy. The At the time of Du Bois’ history-changing publication, The Souls normalcy of fear when holding a deaf or disabled person account- of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches, he asserted that his theory of able to their actions. whiteness was 250 years old. Du Bois professed that the talented [6] Generally speaking, most people would dare not imagine a racist tenth of scholars are held accountable to cultural and political analysis of society’s ills and solutions for them. Building off of deaf or disabled person in their wildest abstract depiction of whiteness, I like to introduce the current practice of whiteouswhat a racist is or can be. Not one entity, be it public or private, 48

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ness. Whiteousness [in my profession and community at large] is disingenuously masking the gross privilege of whiteness with neoliberalism behind the defense shield of deafness.

and trained to do.

How are we fighting white gaze, privilege, and racist impropriety from the same people we are advocating equality for? What is the continuous spirit that flows from one interpreter to another Nevertheless…is our resolve. Nevertheless, we show up every to encourage and strengthen each other in the pit stops of vent day on the corner of courage and language justice to fight the and breathe -typically in the confines of safe spaces we create good fight. We show up ready for all the smoke armed with a for ourselves. Our n-word becomes nevertheless. Nevertheless, trained eye for nuanced passive aggressive attacks against our we show up to interpret. Nevertheless, we persevere beyond the personal character and professional pedigree. Wearing a smile of constant threat of being blacklisted with no recourse or justice. what W.E.B DuBois refers to as a double consciousness that is Nevertheless, we continue to believe in a vision that is not pracone-half genuine, and one-half defensive. ticed so much amongst those we include in the vision of a just society, because even fools belong to a loving community.

Love is in the need of love, because sometimes our love for the profession and the people we serve and fight for is not enough.

Dual privilege is being able to behave free from consequence or lounge in impropriety of whiteness behind the iron-clad shield of deafness. More specifically, it is one thing to emphasize the need for capable and competent interpreters to handle the demands of a deaf client’s needs. Conversely, it is a whole other ball game for a Deaf person to character bash an interpreter with the intent of making sure he/she does not work again. Understanding the power of white privilege is the “I’m white and I said so” mantra, which plays out daily far too often to the detriment of our opportunity to feed our families with the very gift we were born

Nevertheless, to answer Du Bois’ challenge that the Talented Tenth of the beloved scholars in our unique cultural collective poignantly provide cultural critique and analysis, we give our flowers to Dr. Heather Clark, David Player, Dr. Jonathon Webb, Dr. Joseph Hill, Dr. Lisa Ramirez-Stapleton amongst so many more who are the jewels in the crown of Black academic pantheon. In order to make sense within a senseless construct, love is in the need of love, because sometimes our love for the profession and the people we serve and fight for is not enough.

White deaf privilege is not having to think about the consequences of one’s actions or inaction, while freely being able to stand furtively behind the deaf banner of non-accountability.

When confronted, the resolve far too often is another “I didn’t know,” or a meaningless “I’m sorry if I unintentionally offended you.” Nevertheless, we remain in the spirit of Tupac Shakur: never ignorant, getting goals accomplished. Nevertheless, we numbly normalize the words of prominent Deaf civil rights advocate Erica Baylor, “Enough!”

Resources & Footnotes Baldwin, J. (1963). The fire next time. New York: Dial Press.

the Negro in America, 1619-1964. Baltimore :Penguin Books

Bennett, Lerone, Jr., 1928-2018. (19681964). Before the Mayflower; a history of the Negro in America, 1619-1964. Baltimore :Penguin Books.

[3] “Power, Privilege, and Oppression” The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf ’s relatively new coined term to recognize and reckon with the benign neglect of its past by mandating a current professional development requirement for certified interpreters to become knowledgeable, and ultimately sensitive to the plight of marginalized people within the construct of who we serve, and serve with.

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. (1968). The Souls of Black Folk; Essays and Sketches. Chicago, A. G. McClurg, 1903. New York. Johnson Reprint Corp.

Middleton, S., Roediger, D., Shaffer, D. (2016). The Construction of Whiteness: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Race Formation and the Meaning of a White Identity.

The University Press of Mississippi.

Richards, Leonard L. (2000). The Slave Power: The Free North and Southern Domination, 1780–1860. Baton Rouge. Louisiana State University Press.

West, Cornel. (1996). Race matters. University of Wisconsin--Madison.

[1] “Infamous” amongst many from Black America who witnessed the public lynching (widely substantiated by Donald Trump) of 5 innocent Black boys accused of killing a White woman in Central Park. Thus, reluctantly called The Central Park Five, leaves many Black Americans leery of ever visiting the park.

[4] The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf maintains a Code of Professional Conduct for all certified interpreters and members to uphold [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States_who_ owned_slaves Richards, Leonard L. The Slave Power: The Free North and Southern Domination, 1780–1860. Baton Rouge. Louisiana State University Press. 2000 [6] Talented Tenth – a term coined by the late great historian Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois to illustrate the chances of a black man to become a leader of their race (i.e. one out of ten), and, secondly, the process through which the transformation of this proportion of the population would happen: classical education. The implication of this dichotomy was that this classically educated “talented tenth” would lift up the “submerged” fraction.

[2] Bennett, Lerone, Jr., 1928-2018. (19681964). Before the Mayflower; a history of

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To view all articles in ASL, visit our Summer VIEWS playlist on YouTube, www.rid.org/aug2021viewsplaylist/

FEATURE:

A Fish Out of Water

By Liz Essary and Stephanie Scramlin

Liz Essary has nearly two decades of experience as a Spanish interpreter in a variety of settings. She is certified through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI), and through the Indiana Supreme Court Interpreter Certification program. Liz was a founder in Seven Sisters Interpreter Training & Consulting, where she worked with her partners to develop and deliver online practice intensives for interpreters.

Stephanie Scramlin, received her BA degree in American Sign Language/ English Interpreting in 2015 at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis. She received NIC certification in January 2020, and currently is a staff interpreter for Amazon Indianapolis.

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Previously published by That Interpreter blog, by Liz Essary, on listeners or Deaf consumers immediately looking at interpreters as if to ask, “Hey! Are the interpreters going interpret, or what?!”

July 31, 2018.

Reprinted here by permission of the authors. https://thatinterpreter.com/a-fish-out-of-water/

Reformulation and interference: There was a lot of talk about un-sticking yourself from the signs and the individual words. This really resonated with me, as we focus so much on interpreting the This Spanish interpreter got to attend a 5-hour workshop for in- meaning, not the individual words. Which leads us to dynamic terpreters–ASL interpreters! I felt like I was sneaking over to the equivalence. other side, and I was really trying my best to fly under the radar. I got there early to introduce myself to the trainer, Josh Garrett. I Dynamic equivalence: I heard this term being thrown around a lot, and it was new to me. Dynamic equivalence is not just taking quietly asked if there might be a seat in the back for me, somea sentence and finding the equivalent words in another language, place out of the way where I could discreetly observe. NOPE! but takes into account relevant cultural and setting-specific deThere was a seat for me front and center. After all, that’s where mands. The goal is to not share a literal interpretation, but rather the interpreter was, who would give me a whispered simultaneto accomplish the goal of the speaker in both languages. An easy ous interpretation of the workshop content that was in ASL. example would be, “I feel like a fish out of water”. Although this As an interpreter trainer, I went to see what kinds of similarities is a widely understood idiomatic phrase in English, it would be an and differences there are between spoken language and signed incorrect interpretation into ASL to literally sign, “FISH-OUT-

As an interpreter trainer, I went to see what kinds of similarities and differences there are between spoken language and signed language interpreter training. The similarities surprised me. The differences fascinated me. language interpreter training. The similarities surprised me. The WATER”. Obviously the goal of the speaker is to make a point differences fascinated me. I left feeling energized, and inspired to that she feels out of place. learn more.

We strive to accomplish this in spoken language interpreting, but Practice and feedback: Taking your interpreting to the next level I don’t think we have a term for it. My experience is that we deincludes practicing, but how do we practice? With whom? How scribe it as “natural speech” or “reformulation”. do we give feedback? The trainer included specific ideas about Interpreting humor: Equally challenging in all languages, I think. how to practice with a partner.

Especially challenging is the cultural context, the cultural bagAmazingly, the last 45 minutes of the training was spent on a gage. If the audience laughs, you gotta find something that will small-group/class exercise interpreting about 5 minutes of vid- make your listener or Deaf consumer laugh so they don’t feel left eo. I say amazing, because it was exactly like some of the exercises out. That is indeed the point of interpreting–To include people I did in my training–Interpreting, and stopping after every chunk who would otherwise be excluded. of meaning to get feedback from a partner. That’s right, about 5 A big similarity between signed and spoken language is this: We minutes of a speech will take nearly an hour to practice.

Lag time: The trainer named short lag time, or processing time, as the number one culprit of errors. Same for spoken languages!

When we stick too close to the speaker, we parrot what’s being said, and it comes out as a string of words that may or may not make sense. We know this. But if we all know that shorter processing time leads to errors, why do we continue to breathlessly run right behind the speaker? Same reasons across the board: We’re nervous we’re going to miss something, and/or we don’t trust ourselves and our short-term memory.

Interestingly, apparently spoken and signed language interpreters have the experience of the speaker beginning, and then the www.rid.org

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This experience left me wondering, why don't spoken language and signed language interpreters collaborate more? We have so much to learn from each other!

In spite of worrying that I might be a fish out of water in a room full of ASL interpreters, I was made to feel included. want the person we’re interpreting for to be able to participate in the same way as everyone else. That means a Spanish speaking mom can participate in her child’s care. That means a Deaf student can access her education. It means a French speaker can participate in his legal proceedings. A Japanese speaker can participate in a business meeting with non-Japanese speakers. Interpreters work upon a foundation of equality. And that’s something we share across languages. How we accomplish that? Well, I’m still learning.

An interpreter for an interpreter: I had a wonderful ASL/English interpreter who intuited when I might need extra context to fully understand the material, and so I was really able to access the content. As an interpreter myself, I understand how difficult that is to accomplish and I appreciated it. Experiencing an event through an interpreter also made me appreciate when “adding” content actually helps the person you’re in-

terpreting for. When the participants did work in small groups in ASL, the interpreter was also able to look around the room and give me brief overview of what everyone was saying. Fascinating! This could never happen with spoken language.

This expereince left me wondering, why don't spoken language and signed language interpreters collaborate more? We have somuch to learn from each other! In spite of worrying that I might be a fish out water in a room full of ASL interpreters, I was made to feel included. What’s your experience been?

This post was possible thanks to the collaboration of ASL interpreter Stephanie Scramlin, NIC. Stephanie has a Bachelors of Science in American Sign Language/English Interpreting from IUPUI. She has been interpreting full time for six years in the Indianapolis area and works in a variety of settings including medical, work trainings, conferences, and post secondary education.

Dynamic equivalence is not just taking a sentence and finding the equivalent words in another language, but takes into account relevant cultural and setting-specific demands. The goal is to not share a literal interpretation, but rather to accomplish the goal of the speaker in both languages.

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To view all articles in ASL, visit our Summer VIEWS playlist on YouTube, www.rid.org/aug2021viewsplaylist/

5 Ways to Collaborate with Other Freelancers

By Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo

Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo is a freelance translator (Spanish and Portuguese to English), a copywriter, and the owner of Accessible Translation Solutions, a boutique translation agency based in Southern California.

She believes that some of the best T&I agency owners are those who understand the freelancers they work with on a daily basis because they began as freelancers and/or continue to freelance themselves.

Madalena currently serving as ATA President-Elect, and Chair of ATA's Governance and Communications Committee. www.rid.org

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Previously published by Madalena Zampaulo, on June 12, 2019.

3. Present together.

Reprinted here by permission of the author. https://www.

This may be another rarely considered form of collaboration madalenazampaulo.com/blog/ways-to-collaborate-with-transla- among colleagues. Let's say you live near a colleague who is also tion-interpreting-colleagues a translator/interpreter. Take a look at the organizations in your local region and pinpoint a few venues where you could propose a presentation together, including local conferences, chamber of ometimes we get into the habit of putting our heads down to commerce gatherings, local "lunch and learn" events, etc. Just work and not coming up for air. But perhaps just as important as like with the article idea in #2, split up the work involved: pitchworking hard to grow in our profession is taking the time to develing, preparing the outline of the presentation, putting slides toop relationships with others who do what we do for a living. gether, preparing and printing handouts or marketing materials, One of the ways we can do this is to collaborate! Not only does etc. collaborating help you to grow in your craft, but it could very well After your presentation, split up and talk to as many attendees open the door to new opportunities, even if that isn't your primaas you can. Regroup after the presentation and Q&A portion to ry intention for starting a collaboration. share notes and ideas for follow-up.

S

Here are 5 ways to collaborate with other freelancers to grow in your career.

1. Attend client-facing conferences together.

This can be a really wonderful way to work with a colleague in a strategic way. When you find someone who is willing to attend a conference with you in one of your areas of specialization, you can benefit from this experience both in the long term and the short term.

Just as important as working hard to grow in our profession is taking the time to develop relationships.

Split up at the event and talk to as many people as you can. Think of one another as your "wingperson" throughout the conference weekend. By pairing up with a colleague at client-facing events, you can promote your own business, as well as theirs, more widely. Circle back to one another every few hours and share ideas, contact information for possible leads, notes to follow up with certain people or companies, etc.

2. Write an article together.

4. Join forces and pitch to similar clients.

Do you know someone who works in the same language pair(s) and specialization(s) as you? Consider becoming a translator/ editor team and pitching to clients in the same industry. By embracing a collaboration over competition mentality, you can reach more potential clients and benefit from each other's legwork.

When you pick up a new client from this process, hire your colleague to edit your work as part of the scope of the project, and vice versa.

Even if you don't have a close colleague who works in the same language pair(s) and specialization(s), you can still find a colThis might be one way to collaborate that most people don't think league who you can refer work to whenever a client inquires about. However, when you write an article on a given topic related about a project you don't feel particularly qualified to handle. to your area of specialization or language pair, you are often seen When you begin referring work to colleagues, they will rememby readers as an authority on that topic. ber your kindness and will often return the favor.

Split up the work involved in pitching and writing the article. Decide who will do what part of the research and writing process, 5. Volunteer together. benefit from editing one another's work, and enjoy seeing your A lot of us meet colleagues who we become friends with simply names together in writing. Then share the article with your colfrom volunteering together. If you're a member of a local, releagues and clients!

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By embracing a collaboration over competition mentality, you can reach more potential clients and benefit from each other's legwork. gional or national association, consider volunteering a few hours a month with the goal of promoting the profession and meeting like-minded colleagues. I can tell you from my own experience that I have found so many colleagues to collaborate with over the years, and most of them are people I've met through professional volunteer activities.

Other ways to collaborate with colleagues.

• Mentor one another. Let's say that you want to learn something new in your area of specialization, or you might want to establish yourself in a new one. You may have a colleague who could mentor you. In exchange, you could offer to pay

There are counless ways to collaborate with other translation and interpreting freelancers. If you find yoruself feeling stuck or on the verge of burnout, now might be the perfect time to get that extra boost of energy from joining forces wiht a colleague.

ner with a colleague to organize an event, and invite others to join you to learn about this topic, share their professional experience and exchange advice on a given topic.

I recently heard about this idea from a colleague in France who attended an event hosted by another colleague as part of a larger translation and interpretation association. She told me that it was very well organized, and the topic (Machine Translation) drew several attendees in the area. If you're thinking of organizing an event like this on a specific topic, check out this Speaking of Translation podcast episode to hear about the event Eve Bodeux organized for her local translators association colleagues on technology for translators.

There are countless ways to collaborate with other translation and interpreting freelancers. If you find yourself feeling stuck or on the verge of burnout, now might be the perfect time to get that extra boost of energy from joining forces with a colleague.

And if you're not sure who that person could be, put out a "call" on Twitter or elsewhere for another serious freelancer who has similar goals. It's doable! And you might just find that you'll meet new people in this process or become closer to a colleague you've already admired and respected for some time. Win-win!

Have you collaborated with other colleagues before? What

this person for their time or mentor them in something you was your experience, and would you recommend it to are particularly well skilled in. Another option is to find a others? mentor through your local, regional or national translators/ interpreters association. Whatever you choose, try to find a mentoring program that is mutually beneficial for both the mentor and mentee.

• Be each other's accountability partner. Is there something you'd like to do in your business this year? I'm guessing there are others who would like to reach certain professional or business goals as well. Look for someone in the same or a similar stage of their career and offer to be one another's accountability partner. Check in with and support one another on a regular basis. Brainstorm new ideas together, and continue to build your professional relationship with that person.

• Host a social/learning event together for other colleagues. Is there a topic you'd like to learn about that would lend well to a one-day workshop style event? My guess is that if you want to learn about a topic, there are others in your region (or even virtually!) who would like to do the same. Partwww.rid.org

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To view all articles in ASL, visit our Summer VIEWS playlist on YouTube, www.rid.org/aug2021viewsplaylist/

Call for Deaf EPS Mediators!

Mediator Application

EPS/Ethics Statement

EPS VIOLATIONS In accordance with the Ethical Practices System (EPS) Policies, the following members were found to have violated the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct (CPC): Member

Region Tenets

John C. McDonald IV

3. Conduct 4. Respect for Consumers

Sanction(s) 1. Suspension of Certification until completion of sanctions: A. Work with an RID Appointed Mentor for at least 6 hours (more if the mentor deems necessary).

B. Submit a professional quality reflection paper which has been approved by the mentor. Reflection paper will: a) thoroughly summarize the situation that gave rise to this grievance; b) what he could have done differently; c) his overall experience and learning with 1-1 mentoring and the above reading; d) include a thorough discussion of the power dynamics involved (male/female and interpreter/consumer) while addressing the harm caused by his actions; e) summerize a plan for monitoring and maintaining ethical practice in the interpreting profession.

C. Only after approval of reflection paper by panel can suspension be lifted.

2. Failure to comply will results in revocation.

FY 2021 Certification Reinstatements and Revocations

Below, please find a link to a page on our website that lists individuals whose certifications have been revoked due to non-compliance with the Certification Maintenance Program or by reasons stated in the RID PPM. The Certification Maintenance Program requirements are as follows: • Maintain current RID membership by paying annual RID Certified Member dues • Meet the CEU requirements:

m CMP CEU Requirements: w 8.0 Total CEUs with at least 6.0 in PS CEUs w (up to 2.0 GS CEUs may be applied toward the requirement) w SC:L’s only–2.0 of the 6.0 PS CEUs must be in legal interpreting topics w SC:PA’s only–2.0 of the 6.0 PS CEUs must be in performing arts topics • Follow the RID Code of Professional Conduct If an individual appears on the list, it means that their consumers may no longer be protected by the Ethical Practices System, should an issue arise. This list is available on the RID website and can be accessed by the community at large. The published list is a “live” list, meaning that it will be updated as needed if a certification is reinstated or revoked.

To view 56 VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38the revocation list, please visit the link HERE. Should a member lose certification due to failure to comply with CEU requirements or failure to pay membership dues, you may submit a reinstatement request. The reinstatement form and policies are outlined HERE.

National Interpreter Certification Certification awarded between 05/13/2021- 08/17/2021 Region I - Northeast

Adrienne DeCramer

FL

Emma Rose DeCaro

TX

Alicia Brand NY

Olivia Meehee Ginn

FL

Megan Dawn Edwards

KS

Brooke R Burch

NY

Lauren Elizabeth Harris

DC

Capree Raquel Guerrero

TX

Brianna Cameron

NH

Crystal Howard

FL

Christine Hill

SD

Kyleigh Nicole Camp

NY

Kristin Isaac

MD

Cynthia Rae Jiron

NM

Natalie Clairin

NY

Meagan Michelle Johnson

DC

Ami Shea Johnson

KS

Samantha Rose Duda

MA

MJ Lorenza Jones

DC

Tristan James Lenzo

NM

Pamela M Duttweiler

NY

Nicolas Roberto Macias

DC

Teri L Marsh

CO

William Joseph Flint

NY

Susannah Marin McClure

TN

Laura Murtishaw

TX

Alison M Fournier

NJ

Brianna McCormack

DC

Tyriibah Royal

TX

Meghan Harpold

WV

Emily Marie Mize

MD

James Flynn Wilder

CO

Brooke Noelle Keniston

NY

Selina Patel

FL

Region V - Pacific

Cheyanne Marsh

PA

Emily Riley

GA

Johanna Kathleen Arthur

CA

Judith Mermelstein

NY

Katelyn Childress Spangenthal MD

Bernita Bontrager

WA

Jeremy M Michaud

CT

Greta Stanley

NC

Anita Buitrago

CA

Lindsay Mullowney

RI

Robin Cheryl Sweeney

AL

Heather Anne Edlin

WA

Cayle O'Brien

MA

Kaylee Teixeira

VA

Karley Espinoza

WA

Allyson Paduano

NY

Taylor Whittenton

MD

Summer Hodges

WA

Maria Ranieri

NY

Region III - Midwest

Jacob Aaron Hoffman

WA

Daniel L Rappa

NY

Krista Jo Anderson

MN

Elizabeth Ann Holland

WA

Emilio Daniel Schaffino

NY

Tramon Biciunas

IL

Kelsey Janson

UT

Todd Thieu

NY

Jessica Emily Eberhardt

MN

Cassandra Dawn McAlmont

CA

Emily Timm

NH

Joey Guizar

OH

Natalie Claire Kraft

OH

Rachel Hannah Miller

ID

Sarah Sylvia McWhorter

IN

Brittany Olney

UT

Michelle L Remer

MN

Anne Louise Seaman

UT

Barbara J Snapp

KY

Laura Seitz

AK

Sierra Jean Stewart

MN

Andrew Snarr

ID

Tamra S Thacker

OH

Samantha Steede

NV

Amy Nicole Truman

IN

Tricia Vazquez

CA

Katherine E Vickers

WA

Sarah Decker Walter

WA

Brian Allan Zimmerman

WA

Samuel Zampelli

NY

Region II - Southeast Sarah Ann Bartmess

NC

Jessica Bass FL Chelsea Nicole Boyce

MD

Michaela Joy Brandt

MD

Jordan Cain

NC

Ashley Coale

TN

Corey Arthur Crickenberger

FL

Region IV - Central Brian Keith Brown

OK

www.rid.org

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VIEWS

Vision: VIEWS, RID’s digital publication, is dedicated to the interpreting profession. As a part of RID’s strategic goals, we focus on providing interpreters with the educational tools they need to excel at their profession. VIEWS is about inspiring, or even instigating, thoughtful discussions among practitioners. With the establishment of the VIEWS Board of Editors, the featured content in this publication is peer-reviewed and standardized according to our bilingual review process. VIEWS is on the leading edge of bilingual publications for English and ASL. In this way, VIEWS helps to bridge the gap between interpreters and clients and facilitate equality of language. This publication represents a rich history of knowledge-sharing in an extremely diverse profession. As an organization, we value the experiences and expertise of interpreters from every cultural, linguistic, and educational background. VIEWS seeks to provide information to researchers and stakeholders about these specialty fields and groups in the interpreting profession. We aim to explore the interpreter’s role within this demanding social and political environment by promoting content with complex layers of experience and meaning.

While we publish updates on our website and social media platforms, unique information from the following areas can only be found in VIEWS: • • • • • • •

Both research- and peer-based articles/columns Interpreting skill-building and continuing education opportunities Local, national, and international interpreting news Reports on the Certification Program RID committee and Member Sections news New publications available from RID Press News and highlights from RID Headquarters Submissions: VIEWS publishes articles on matters of interest and concern to the membership. Submissions that are essentially interpersonal exchanges, editorials or statements of opinion are not appropriate as articles and may remain unpublished, run as a letter to the editor or as a position paper. Submissions that are simply the description of programs and services in the community with no discussion may also be redirected to a more archival platform on the website. Articles should be 1,800 words or fewer. Unsigned articles will not be published. Please contact the editor of VIEWS if you require more space. RID reserves the right to limit the quantity and frequency of articles published in VIEWS written by a single author(s). Receipt by RID of a submission does not guarantee its publication. RID reserves the right to edit, excerpt or refuse to publish any submission. Publication of an advertisement does not constitute RID’s endorsement or approval of the advertiser, nor does RID guarantee the accuracy of information given in an advertisement.

Advertising specifications can be found at www.rid.org, or by contacting the editor. All editorial, advertising, submission and permission inquiries should be directed to (703) 838-0030, (703) 838-0454 fax, or publications@rid.org.

Copyright: VIEWS is published quarterly by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. Statements of fact or opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the opinion of RID. The author(s), not RID, is responsible for the content of submissions published in VIEWS. Statement of Ownership: VIEWS (ISSN 0277-1088) is published quarterly by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. Periodical postage paid in Stone Mountain, GA and other mailing offices by The Sauers Group, Inc. Materials may not be reproduced or reprinted in whole or in part without written permission. Contact views@rid.org for permission inquiries and requests.

VIEWS electronic subscription is a membership benefit and is covered in the cost of RID membership dues. Single issues of print VIEWS are available to members or nonmembers for $9.00 VIEWS Board of Editors Kelly Brakenhoff, NIC Royce Carpenter, MA, NIC Master Jami Macdonald, Associate Member Amy Parsons, Associate Member © 2021 Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. All rights reserved.

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VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38

MISSION The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf strives to advocate for best practices in interpreting, professional development for practitioners and for the highest standards in the provision of interpreting services for diverse users of languages that are signed or spoken.

VISION By honoring its past and innovating for the future, RID envisions a world where: • Its members recognize and support the linguistic rights of all Deaf people as human rights, equal to those of users of spoken languages; • Deaf people and their values are vital to and visible in every aspect of RID; • Interpreted interaction between individuals who use signed and spoken languages are as viable as direct communication; • The interpreting profession is formally recognized and is advanced by rigorous professional development, standards of conduct, and credentials.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) understands the necessity of multicultural awareness and sensitivity. Therefore, as an organization, we are committed to diversity both within the organization and within the profession of sign language interpreting.

Our commitment to diversity reflects and stems from our understanding of present and future needs of both our organization and the profession. We recognize that in order to provide the best service as the national certifying body among signed and spoken language interpreters, we must draw from the widest variety of society with regards to diversity in order to provide support, equality of treatment, and respect among interpreters within the RID organization.

Therefore, RID defines diversity as differences which are appreciated, sought, and shaped in the form of the following categories: gender identity or expression, racial identity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, deaf or hard of hearing status, disability status, age, geographic locale (rural vs. urban), sign language interpreting experience, certification status and level, and language bases (e.g. those who are native to or have acquired ASL and English, those who utilize a signed system, among those using spoken or signed languages) within both the profession of sign language interpreting and the RID organization.

To that end, we strive for diversity in every area of RID and its Headquarters. We know that the differences that exist among people represent a 21st century population and provide for innumerable resources within the sign language interpreting field.

Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. 333 Commerce Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314 Contact Us

www.rid.org

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Let's thank our conference sponsors AGAIN!

we can weather through human challenges.

GROWTH and CHANGE

are inherent in the process to forge stronger RELATIONSHIPS.

E IN THE POWER OF OUR COMMUNITY.

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VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38