VIEWS
EDUCATION Fall 2018 Issue 35 Volume 4
FEATURES Honoring Diversity Diversity in Higher Education A Case for Industry Disruption Tribute to Dennis Cokely
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VIEWS Volume 35 • Issue 4
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Fall 2018
VIEWS IN THIS ISSUE:
Governance
Letter from the Editor/4 President's Report/6 Region I Report/ 9
COVER STORIES Honoring Diversity
by Billy Sanders Steve Phan & Catherine Donnalley Page/24
YouTube Links: https://youtu.be/DUFIiNkUYUo https://youtu.be/0Bjg0Mkd4Cc
Region II Report/12 Region III Report/ 14 Region IV Report/ 15 Region V Report/16 From the Deaf Member-at-Large/18
Columns/articles A Standard of Inclusion/22
Diversity in Higher Education Royce Carpenter Page/30
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/CB2LQ8qNj4A
Note From Uncle Dale/26 Dear Encounters With Reality/28 Literature Sneak Peek/34 Upgrade Your Educational Self-Care/42 Member Spotlight/44
A Case for Industry Disruption Kathleen O'Regan Page/36
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/BUkoZ3rHDdENj4A
News From the Desks at HQ/ 8 2019 National Conference/20 VIEWS Print Sponsorships and Orders Available/45
Tribute to Dennis Cokely Written personal accounts Page/40
Newly Certified/53
To view all articles in ASL, visit our FALL VIEWS playlist on YouTube: www.rid.org/november2018viewsplaylist/ Layout Design and Video Editing by Maxann Keller and Jenelle Bloom
This issue’s photography gathered from collections at unsplash.com and pexels.com
#educationVIEWSfall18
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Letter from the Editor
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ello! I’m Julia, Editor for VIEWS. We are so happy to release this issue to you. I want to guide you through some of the contents. We’ve established a method for each of the Region Representatives to submit quarterly reports, which has been somewhat inconsistent for several years. We appreciate their work and being able to get updates from them. We’re also grateful to our DMAL, Branton Stewart, who is starting a serial column in VIEWS to tell you his thoughts about current dialogue within RID and how we can better connect to our Roots. Also look for important updates about the RID 2019 National Conference in Providence and the new PPO CEU criteria. Other featured contributions to this issue include: • “Diversity in Higher Education: Starting the Discussion” by Royce Carpenter, • A book review by Neil Glickman and Wyatte Hall about their upcoming release on the topic of language deprivation, • Kathleen O’Regan’s piece about industry disruption through social entrepreneurship, • A special tribute to Dennis Cokely from memories that were sent to us by friends and loved ones. The theme of this issue is “Standards in Education” and I feel that these articles all contribute to expanding our horizons and thinking about education from the perspective that we teach PEOPLE, not LESSONS. The standards for our profession need to be inclusive of the diverse needs and perspectives of the Deaf and interpreting communities. This aim can help us to be creative and flexible as we strive to mold and improve our craft. In this issue, we are also rolling out a special opportunity for outreach through and access to VIEWS print copies. I’ll leave you with a short clip from that announcement. If you have any comments about the content in this issue, I hope you'll send me a letter to the editor at views@rid.org, or add your comments to the articles posted online. Bye!
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Julia Wardle, Editor-in-Chief YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/9g_mHozOfcI See more information on VIEWS print orders on page 45
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Visit our website here: https://www.rid.org/2018/10/views-print-sponsorships-and-orders-available/
Letter to the Editor submissions can be sent here:
https://www.rid.org/membership/benefits/publications-overview/views/letters-to-the-editor/ 4
VIEWS Volume 35 • Issue 4
RID BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Melvin Walker M.Ed., CRC, CI and CT, NAD V president@rid.org Vice President Sandra Maloney, M.A., CI and CT, SC:L vicepresident@rid.org Secretary Joshua Pennise, M.A., CI and CT, NIC Adv secretary@rid.org Treasurer Byron Behm, M.A., NIC, NAD V treasurer@rid.org Member at Large Len Roberson, Ph.D., CI and CT, SC:L memberatlarge@rid.org
Deaf Member at Large Branton Stewart, CDI, CLIP-R dmal@rid.org Region I Representative LaTanya Jones, M.S.M., NIC region1rep@rid.org Region II Representative Brenda Sellers, CI and CT, NIC region2rep@rid.org Region III Representative Kenya McPheeters, NIC region3rep@rid.org Region IV Representative Sonja Smith, M.A., NIC region4rep@rid.org Region V Representative Mish Ktejik, M.A., NIC, SC:L region5rep@rid.org
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RID HEADQUARTERS STAFF
Chief Operating Officer Elijah Sow esow@rid.org
Director of Finance and Operations
Jennifer Apple japple@rid.org
Operations Specialist Charlotte Kinney ckinney@rid.org Accounting Specialist II Tong Rogers trogers@rid.org Accounting Specialist
Joshua Sechman jsechman@rid.org
Senior Director of Standards Ryan Butts and Practices rbutts@rid.org Professional Development Manager
Carol Turner cturner@rid.org
Ethics Administrator Tressela Bateson tbateson@rid.org
Certification Coordinator
Director of Member Services and Government Affairs
Ashley Holladay aholladay@rid.org Neal Tucker ntucker@rid.org
Member Services Khianti Thomas Specialist kthomas@rid.org Director of Communications and Outreach
Bill Millios bmillios@rid.org
Communications Manager
Julia Wardle jwardle@rid.org
Communications Coordinator
Maxann Keller mkeller@rid.org
Communications Specialist
Jenelle Bloom jbloom@rid.org
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PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Change from Within President's Report Melvin Walker, RID President
Melvin Walker M.Ed., CRC, CI and CT, NAD V President
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he theme of this issue is Standards in Education - one of the strong foundations of RID. Think about how you, as members, are working to improve the standards of education in your home area as well as at the national level. For example, here in Alabama, we have one county where it is really tough to find interpreters. They tried, but just could not find interpreters and were not sure who to ask for help. So they decided to try and change the law to allow them to decide who was qualified and who was not. Once we were made aware of this, we reached out to them in a positive way to help find a solution for determining qualified vs. unqualified interpreters. When we were able to connect them with the right people and help them find an interpreter, they dropped the idea of proposing legislation that would dictate who was qualified. They recognized the need for a qualification standard, though, and so we all sat down and discussed how we could solve their
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YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/hveaiM1wjWk
problem and work towards improving interpreter services in the local school system here. In this president’s report, you will find more updates on what we are doing and where we are which is slightly different than previous reports. • PPO CEUs announcement: This program will really help our organization have strong value-based standards and professional development opportunities. • Webinars and VIEWS: Both programs have really increased their outreach. The content is current and timely. Take advantage of these excellent member benefits. • CEO resignation: At this time we are discussing this with our Councils to advise us on next steps. • Upcoming elections next Spring: Consider running for a position on the Board or getting involved with your Affiliate Chapters (AC). The Nominations Committee will prepare a slate of nominees for each national electoral office by January 2019 for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Memberat-Large, and Deaf Member-at-Large. All of these positions will be available again.
Where we need to improve our standards is in volunteerism and engagement. We want to take pride in our work and earn respect for members and consumers. If you always work in a way to earn that respect, then you
and making it the best conference yet. Your engagement is critical. This will be your event - the theme is yours, the workshops are yours, the business meeting is yours. The lottery system in the early stages of the SLC Conference discouraged a lot of attendees. But this conference is open to everyone and we have a beautiful space set up and a lot of wisdom gained from the feedback of past conferences. Those who attended SLC gave us overwhelmingly positive feedback and we are determined to make this conference just as incredible and diverse can truly take pride in your work. Some people persist and empowering an experience, but with more of you in making negative comments about all that we do, but there! instead of volunteering to help us improve, they continue to criticize what we are doing or TRYING to do. The Providence has a tradition of lighting beacons on the discussion of what needs to improve is very important river that runs through downtown. I love the concept to see what our problems are, but right now we need to behind these beacons - that light one after the other work toward solutions. We’ve already established some, and create a unified piece of urban art called WaterFire. but we need people who can become involved to make When beacons were originally used in times of war, our work successful. We need people who will rise up watchmen manned the beacons and waited for a signal from within the system, and not try to harm the system to light theirs. They had to be prepared and willing to light their beacon at any moment. Lit beacons allowed by constantly criticizing from the outside.
The discussion of what needs to improve is very important to see what our problems are, but right now we need to work toward solutions.
We need all of the members of RID to be watchful and to light their beacons so that this light can work in harmony as a symbol of a greater whole. Our solution? The call for committees. Our committees are so important. For over 50 years, RID has accomplished its work through the members and through committees. Your work strengthens RID. It is extremely important and your involvement provides the diversity of thoughts and perspectives we need to continue growing in the right direction. Another solution is National Conference 2019. There are MANY opportunities to become involved. We are excited to announce the RID National Conference in Providence, RI on July 7-11. We have a team ready for action in getting sponsors, reaching out to presenters,
for clear communication and meant that people understood and supported one another - it can be very obvious when one is missing. We need all of the members of RID to be watchful and to light their beacons so that this light can work in harmony as a symbol of a greater whole. I look forward to this next season of RID and the progress we will make. Thank you, and I hope you all have a wonderful Fall and holiday season.
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From the Desks at HQ
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Look out for November 2018 Author Royce Carpenter's upcoming webinar focused on Diversity in Higher Education. View her article on page 30 to learn more!
November 2018 EPS Update on page 51 VIEWS Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation
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Region I Report LaTanya Jones, Region I Representative FROM THE BOARD YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/QshdOQNx8Fk LaTanya Jones, M.S.M., NIC Region I Representative
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i, I’m LaTanya Jones, your Region I Representative. Thank you all for your continued support and emails, I really appreciate it!
tween past and new board members. The goal of the newly appointed board is to strengthen the relationship between the Deaf/HH and interpreting communities through community involvement. Their upcoming agenda includes: setting up a general meeting with the membership and collaborating with local organizations to host a holiday party. Thank you to CNYRID for all of your work!
CRID
I want to share with you a little from my recent visits to ACs in the region. I had the opportunity to visit VTRID and NHRID in September. The members there are champ! They are warm and friendly. I also had the opportunity to sit and discuss their concerns and questions, which I gathered and brought to the Board of Directors for discussion, so I will be able to follow up with those ACs soon. Now I will share some updates from the different ACs in the region.
CRID would like to thank all who attended the NAD-RID conference in Hartford this past July. We hope you all had a great time in Hartford! Thank you to all our volunteers who kept the conference moving and provided such great assistance. Thank you especially to Elizabeth LaFlamme-Baker who processed all the CEUs for 150 workshops. CRID is now busy with the school year and fall activities. They are involved with a few new bills that will be proposed to the Legislature this upcoming session - make sure to keep an eye out!
CNYRID
NHRID
CNYRID celebrated 45 years of dedicated service to the NHRID works closely with New Hampshire Association of community this summer. They are now in transition be- the Deaf to provide events for our communities! In workwww.rid.org
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ing collaboratively with NHAD they have hosted a few paint nights and holiday parties. They also provide fundraising opportunities for both associations. July 2-7, NHRID’s co-presidents attended the NAD conference. It was a great experience for them. They’ve provided a number of workshops for their members as well. NHRID hosts a statewide annual retreat, and they are very excited for this year’s! This spring, the NHRID will be hosting the Allies conference. This event will take place in Nashua, NH, March 1-3. Everyone is encouraged to attend! NHRID is currently working to provide a Deaf Interpreter provisional credential to help address the shortage of Deaf interpreters in the state. Also, Picture: Vermont and New Hampshire RID members this year, they have developed an advanced version of state gather for a productive meeting. screening to prevent the revocation of interpreter licensures due to the moratorium preventing them from taking the national RID certification. Thank you! asked a prominent member in the Deaf Community, Joey Garth, to join our Board in an advisory capacity. They are very excited that Mr. Garth, President of NJ Deaf News, Inc. has agreed to come on board. Thank you!
NJRID
This has been an eventful year for NJRID. The current Board (pictured below) was able to attend and provide support to the Street Leverage event in NJ last April. They have a great PDC, Kathy Ferejohn, who ensures that they have workshops almost monthly. NJRID will be hosting a general meeting and workshop on Saturday November 17; I will be in attendance that day as Region I Representative. Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting and sign up for the workshop. Starting in early December, NJRID hopes to host mini town hall meetings around the state. The purpose is to gain insight to the needs and desires of our members. NJRID has
PARID
Hello from PARID! A few highlights from this year were: Street Leverage came to Philly/NJ in April. PARID was proud to sponsor the CEUs for this conference. Cindy Brown and Nichole Wade presented "Planning a Seminar,” February 2018 in Philadelphia. A happy hour open to interpreters and the Deaf community was hosted in Camp Hill, PA in May. In October, PARID hosted their Biennial Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. This year they had over 100 people in attendance! PARID was excited to have Howard Rosenblum, CEO of NAD as their keynote speaker. Howard presented on "Deaf & Interpreters: A Symbiotic Relationship." Thank you to all of the workshop presenters and to Howard for your time and energy in going to the conference.
RIRID
RIRID has had a busy year. RIRID established a Lady Bug Fund to hold $500 for supporting RIRID members and their families in difficult times. The Lady Bug Fund is in Pictured left to right. Silvia Coelho-Yi , Secretary; Audrey memory of Yvette Johnson. Aug 11, RIRID hosted Judy Rosenberg, President ; Terry Safay, Treasurer; Sharon Fer- Shepard-Kegl and Stephanie Meyer’s workshop on mentorraro, Member-at-Large; Cheryl Vail, Vice President and ing called “One to Replace You and Another to Increase the Fold.” They had six interpreters in attendance. Four RIRID Eileen Forestal, Ex-Officio, not pictured. members volunteered services for a child’s funeral. Thank you for your pro-bono work for that cause! RIRID is very 10
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will be held in early December in conjunction with VT Association of the Deaf’s holiday party and Deaf VTers Advocacy Service’s Soup Festival Fundraiser. I encourage you to go! Thank you VTRID for your work.
NYC Metro RID
NYC Metro RID has been busy! They have held Board and Chapter meetings. Additionally, they have hosted events such as the ASL Big Apple Festival, and the NYC Metro RID Oktoberfest Happy Hour. Their AC is planning the Region I Conference for 2020! That’s exciting. There are many other things going on in their community - I encourage you to read their full report. Thank you, NYC Metro RID for all of your work!
LIRID
LIRID has a lot of exciting things going on! They have had fundraising activities and game nights. They are very active in their professional development and recently provided three different workshops: “Domestic Violence,” “RepetiToni Nuccio Kretzmer presenting to LIRID members tive Strain Injury (RSI) Awareness: Preventing Wellness,” busy in their state, so please if you are interested, become and “Demand-Control Schema: Supervision, Application, and Practice.” LIRID is also providing mentorship opporinvolved! tunities, which are important to the community. They have held meetings with their board and membership, so they’ve been busy! Thank you LIRID for all of your work.
VTRID
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VTRID has been very busy this past quarter. They hosted their annual Deaf Community Picnic at the end of June. They have been hosting this event for the last four years or so, providing an opportunity for the Deaf and interpreting communities to come together for a day of fun at a VT State park. VTRID pays admission for everyone and provides most of the food. This event is in lieu of a summer meeting. VTRID also planned a visit with me as Region I Representative in coordination with NHRID for their fall meeting and I very much enjoyed my visit. VTRID is currently planning their fifth biannual retreat as a way to provide a local, lowcost, CEU opportunity. The retreat has consistently offered 1.0 CEUs for around $70 for the past ten years. VTRID also has a representative on the Governor’s Committee for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened. The interpreter licensure sub-group has been working to satisfy a legislative LIRID group photo: Robyn Dean Demand-Control Schemandate to explore interpreter licensure in the state. They ma Workshop hosted by LIRID and NYCMetro RID have also drafted some comprehensive guidelines for educational interpreters in the state. VTRID’s Winter meeting www.rid.org
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Region II Report Brenda Sellers, Region II Representative FROM THE BOARD YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/LzMcOadAwNQ Brenda Sellers, CI and CT, NIC Region II Representative
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i! I am Brenda Sellers, RID Region II Representative. I asked several states in our region to provide an update about what has been going on in their Affiliate Chapters. We will go to Mississippi first. This report is from Jamie Olson, the new president for MSRID - welcome, Jamie! MSRID has been involved in several different events in the state, some of which I would like to share. On September 15, 2018, Aaron Shoemaker (All Hands On, Inc.) provided Active Shooter Incident Response Training to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, educators, interpreters, and students in the state of Mississippi. Due to the increased number of active shooting occurrences, MSRID provided four scholarships to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. The attendees were
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taught to recognize the threat of an active shooter event, respond appropriately, and "Stop the Bleed" should the occasion arise. MSRID is dedicated to promoting the awareness and education of their membership. As Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Also, on Friday, June 22, 2018 the state of Mississippi held its first language access symposium. “Call to Action: Language Access Needs in Mississippi” featured the Deaf perspective. The current and former presidents of the Mississippi Association of the Deaf were present. A recent graduate from MSD, currently studying at Gallaudet was interviewed and participated as a panelist. Board Members of MSRID have been invited to work on a Task Force for next year’s event that will again feature barriers to services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. This is the first time in Mississippi’s history that interpreters from both spoken and signed languages have come together to address the needs of the state. Next we will travel to North Carolina. The NCRID president is Antwan Campbell, continuing for another term. Antwan reports: Here in NC we are busy preparing for licensure as our renew comes up this year. We have sev-
eral workshops going on across the state which can be found on our website www.northcarolinarid.org under our workshop section. Our next Board meeting will be held on November 17, 2018 in Greensboro, NC from 10am-3pm. During this time, we will be assessing the
passed our way. All of the schools seem to be up and running and things are getting back to normal! Finally on to PCRID. Their president is Gina D’Amore, and their conference is coming soon, December 8-9,
MSRID is dedicated to promoting the awareness and education of their membership. As Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." damages from Hurricane Florence and working on hurricane relief and clean-up for all of the affected areas. Lastly, our governor, Roy Cooper, signed a declaration for Deaf Awareness Month here in NC, for which several leaders in the Deaf/interpreting communities were present. You can see the picture with the following link on Facebook: www.rid.org/views/nov2018/ncdhhs.
2018. The conference theme is “Turning the Tide” and more information can be found on their website: www. pcrid.org. Thank you for watching. I would be happy to hear from you. My email address is region2rep@rid.org.
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Next let’s travel to South Carolina. SCRID has a new president: Mary Beth Grayson. Welcome, Mary Beth!
This is the first time in Mississippi’s history that interpreters from both spoken and signed languages have come together to address the needs of the state. She reports: The majority of the state was able to remain unscathed from the hurricane, minus a few spots very close to the NC state line at the coast. Everyone else got a lot of rain and flooding here. We have been working with SCAD to disseminate any information that gets
Photo Courtesy of NC DHHS Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Facebook Representatives from several different Deaf organizations including: NC Association of the Deaf, NC Black Deaf Advocates, NC Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, RelayNC, NC Vocational Rehabilitation, NC Department of Mental Health, NC Early Hearing Detection & Intervention, Deaf Seniors of NC, NC ASL Teachers Association, NC Department of Public Instructions along with employees from DSDHH.
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Region III Report Kenya McPheeters, Region III Representative FROM THE BOARD YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/ymODCWvUJBE Kenya McPheeters, NIC Region III Representative
ing about ideas for the region, and discussing topics that are on the table right now at RID. I was able to go to the Region III Conference and meet many wonderful interello from Kentucky! I am Kenya preters and a few of the Affiliate Chapter presidents. BeMcPheeters, your newly selected ing new, I don't have a lot to report but I want to let you know to please contact me if you have any questions, Region Representative. ideas, concerns, or compliments! Let me know, I'm I was recently sworn in on August 21, 2018 and have available by email at region3rep@rid.org. Please reach been busy orienting myself with Board members, think- out! Thank you.
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From Deaf Caucus: Workshop Spotlight First of all, we must thank Dawn Watts who created this nice video about the DI/DPI/HI Collaboration Conference. We also thank Debbie Martinez and Eileen Forestal who are co-chairs of this conference, with their wonderful committees. And we must recognize Alicia Mcclurkan as the one who set up the very first of these conferences! At the conference 1/3 DI, 1/3 DPI, and 1/3 HI attendees plus our presenters all shared amazing, different views. We respect each other. I am so thrilled that all presenters stayed with us for four days, too. That meant a lot to us! I look forward to next conference. -Sandy McLennon, Deaf Caucus Chair 14
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Region IV Report Sonja Smith, Region IV Representative FROM THE BOARD YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/scHN6ClIZDE Sonja Smith, M.A., NIC Region IV Representative
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ello, I’m Sonja Smith, Region IV representative. In the past few months, there have been exciting things happening in Region IV. More specifically, our Regional Conference: “Together We Thrive.” This conference was incredibly successful with approximately 300 people attending in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There were a variety of topics and tracks presented. We were fortunate to have one track focused on trilingual interpreting in partnership with Mano a Mano. To support our focus on collaboration and culture, we also had a group come and teach about local Native American culture and traditions. These presentations helped to foster our theme of “Together We Thrive”.
Every two years during Regional Conference, we award three individuals who have contributed to the improvement of our profession. These three awards are the Excellence in Leadership award, the Excellence in Service award, and the RIV Spirit of the Region award. This year’s award recipients are Katrina Labouliere (Excellence in Leadership), Monica Sower (Excellence in Service), and Scott Huffman (RIV Spirit of the Region). Congratulations! Remember to watch for the call for nominations for awards prior to our next conference in two years. In other news, Oklahoma (OKRID) has successfully launched their new website (which is awesome!), Wyoming (WyoRID) is focusing on professional development to improve EIPA scores of interpreters within their state, and Nebraska (NeRID) will be hosting a joint conference with the Nebraska Association of the Deaf in June of 2019! The Region IV Affiliate Chapters are doing amazing things! Thank you for all of your hard work.
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Region V Report Mish Ktejik, Region V Representative FROM THE BOARD YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/pKK_r26a5aI
Mish Ktejik, M.A., NIC, SC:L Region V Representative
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t’s hard to believe that I’m in my second term as Region V Representative.
Two years ago I ran for a seat on the RID Board of Directors. I joined for the same reason many others join - I wanted to make a positive impact at the national level. I noticed RID struggling and wanted to help. During my two years as Region V Representative, I’ve learned many lessons about leadership, self-awareness, and organizational operations. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that the RID Board does not hold the power in this organization. The power comes from the RID members; positive change and action comes largely from volunteer committees.
ing body and that difficult decisions do fall on the Board’s shoulders. But now I realize that the true leaders are the RID members. To all the members who are involved, who vote, who volunteer for Councils, Committees, and Task Forces, thank you for your involvement in making our organization stronger. You are RID. Today, I’d like to recognize the Affiliate Chapters (ACs) of Region V - all made up of volunteers - who are making a positive impact. First, I want to recognize the AC presidents who recently completed their term: Heather Benjamin (Hawaii), Jenna Curtis (Oregon), and Jennifer Pelloni (San Diego Chapter). Thank you for all of your work in our field. There are so many other volunteers I want to recognize - past presidents, presidents who will soon finish their term, and the numerous AC board and committee members in the 11 Affiliate Chapters of Region V - too many to name! These people generously give their time and energy to promote our field and support access for the Deaf community. Thank you all.
Fall is often a busy time for Affiliate Chapters - new Board That was something I deeply misunderstood before join- members are learning their roles, and Committees are planing the Board. It’s true that the Board serves as the govern- ning annual retreats, engaging with members, and planning 16
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workshops. There’s a lot happening in Region V! I won’t Another hot topic in Region V is state licensure. Region V have time to list all of the events, but I’ll highlight a few. ACs have been collaborating on licensure for a number of states. Some states such as Idaho and Arizona already have NorCRID’s Annual Conference was November 4, 2018, licensure laws. Still more states are pursuing implementahosted by Bay Area Terps of Color (BayTOC). Royce Car- tion. Oregon RID, in partnership with OAD, will be submit-
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that the RID Board does not hold the power in this organization.The power comes from the RID members; positive change and action comes largely from volunteer committees.That was something I deeply misunderstood before joining the Board. penter presented about Cross-Cultural Mentoring. The workshop discussed the dynamics of diverse ideas, language, and perspectives along with culturally relevant issues in the Black Deaf and Black hearing communities and how those issues impact the interpreting process and consumer experience. Another great workshop that just happened in Southern California RID (SCRID) was presented by Roberto Sandoval, the Deaf Member-at-Large of Mano a Mano (MaM) and Co-Chair of National Deaf Interpreters (NDI). He presented a free workshop titled, “It’s Not Just About Language.” The workshop discussed the complexities of interpreting and how personal and systemic power and privilege affects interpreter’s decisions. Workshops such as these are powerful and vital to increasing awareness within our profession.
ting a licensure bill proposal in the 2021 licensure session. California state interpreters have been discussing the need for licensure in the past couple of years. There are five ACs in California who have begun collaborating on this topic. Exciting things are happening in Region V. Increased standards and growing awareness is spreading throughout the region. There have been many changes in our field and within RID in the past few years. I’m looking forward to positive change coming from Region V that will benefit the interpreters who work in our field and the Deaf community we serve. Thank you all!
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The National Association of Interpreters in Education (NAIE) will be hosting our 3rd National Conference on Interpreting in Education June 20-23, 2018 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO. The National Conference is an opportunity for stakeholders in the education of deaf and hard of hearing students to come together, network, learn from the experts, and stay current on effective practices within the field. To stay up to date with the latest information, check out the NAIE website www.naiedu.org as well as the NAIE Facebook and Twitter accounts. www.rid.org
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From the Deaf Member-at-Large:
United We Stand, Divided We Fall Branton Stewart, Deaf Member-at-Large FROM THE BOARD Branton Stewart, CDI, CLIP-R Deaf Member-at-Large
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ello! I'm Branton Stewart, the Deaf Member-atLarge from the RID Board. I was asked to produce a vlog for this issue and I thought about what I wanted to say. First I want to explain a little bit of history. I remember when I became introduced to RID back in 2003 or 2005. I was vice chairperson of a Deaf group and we began discussing RID. Once I became part of the RID, I developed a strong connection that I have kept ever since. I will explain why this connection is so important to me since I became involved with RID. My first experience with RID was at the 1999 National Conference in Boston. I went and was amazed at the turnout. I believe (I may be wrong) it was the first time there were Deaf and hearing co-chairs for the conference. I saw hearing interpreters signing everywhere - in the hallways and elevators, and I was very impressed. When there were any concerns brought up by Deaf attendees, they were discussed in a very respectful and collegial way. I felt like it was really a family, there was so much unity. Later on, RID president Brenda Walker Prudhom and the Board voted to established the Councils of RID including
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YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/p2jFtc-iNKg the Deaf Advisory Council, the Diversity Council, and the Council of Elders. That’s when I became involved as a member of the DAC, for which I served three terms. I wanted to be involved because I wanted to see the Board’s progress and observe interpreters in the field, both Deaf and hearing, as well as the Deaf community. RID isn’t perfect so I wanted to be part of a group to improve the relationship between our communities. When there is a problem I want to get involved and provide solutions and ideas instead of exacerbating the problem by complaining. As I look back I want to thank the Councils - the DAC, the Diversity Council, and the Council of Elders - and all of the current and former members who have been involved. They have shown true commitment to the success of Deaf and hearing interpreters and most importantly they have fought to keep our focus on the needs of the Deaf and DeafBlind community. These Councils have contributed to a lot of positive change throughout RID’s history. For example, I remember at the National Conference in Boston, two hearing interpreters were on stage, one using English sign and the other ASL. Eventually they got rid of the English sign interpreter and used only the ASL interpreter, and later they switched out the ASL interpreter with a CDI, which made the understanding so much better for the remainder of the conference. It was cool to see a Deaf interpreter on stage at a national conference. The Deaf Member-at-Large position
was also established to provide counsel to the Board. Typi- CEO and discuss some of their concerns, and our relationcally members of the DAC were elected to become the Deaf ship with them. I have attended the monthly Board meetings Member-at-Large. as well as two face-to-face meetings in DC which included a lot of work on the strategic plan. This was a big job, as the objectives of the strategic plan are based on the recommendations made at the Salt Lake City Conference and we have released that to you. I was also very involved in Another example of positive change was at the Atlanta Con- the entire process of interviewing for the CEO position. I ference - there was a big discussion about VRS interpreters. went to the NAD Gala as a representative of RID and met The FCC paid hearing video interpreters by the minute, but with NAD president and CEO before the Gala to work out Deaf interpreters were not paid. We fought for RID to advo- some issues and concerns with them. I attended the weekcate for Deaf interpreters so that the FCC would recognize long NAD Conference this summer as a representative for their work. Our motion to RID passed and eventually the RID. I really fought for RID through some tough times FCC did an evaluation of VRS and acknowledged the value there, but I felt that we was successful because we stood for of Deaf interpreters should be equal billable to hearing video what we believed and we stood for the truth. I also went to interpreters, which all started at our National Conference. the Deaf Caucus/DPI meetings at the Region I and Region At National and Regional Conferences today, we have the V Conferences. opportunity to choose Deaf-owned businesses first for our printing, marketing, and other conference services. That is There have been a lot of meetings with the DAC in which we one way that we support and give back to the community. have discussed various issues over video conference and I have received their input through Glide messages and other Now we are signing in VIEWS! We can produce articles mediums. We are always discussing ideas for improvement. like this one with ASL as the original language and distrib- The same goes for the Diversity Council and the Council of ute bilingually with the English transcript. In recent news Elders - they are small and don’t meet often, but we hope to and television media, we have seen uncertified and unqual- see more from them. My goal in interacting with the Counified individuals hired to interpret in natural disaster situa- cils is to increase transparent communication within the ortions. As we have proven that we will speak out against that ganization. To keep them updated, I send Glides to all three behavior, it has slowly changed, and more Deaf interpreters are now shown on the news doing their important work. I want to thank the Councils not just for their influence in these matters but also for their advice in so many things, and for the decisions they have helped make.
I wanted to be involved because I wanted to see the Board’s progress and observe interpreters in the field.
They have shown true commitment to the success of Deaf and hearing interpreters and most importantly they have fought to keep our focus on the needs of the Deaf and DeafBlind community.
Now getting back to my position as Deaf Member-at-Large - I have been in the position for over a year. Time has gone by so fast, in the blink of an eye! I have been involved in so many things. I want to tell you about some of them so you know what I have been doing. I went to a 2017 Council de Manos Conference. A group of Deaf interpreters was there and we got together to talk about some issues in their community; I was also able to meet with the NAD President and
Councils and I meet with Deaf Caucus - Sandy McLennon and I keep in touch regularly. I remember when I was young boy seeing the quote “United we stand, divided we fall.” I did not really understand the meaning of the quote until more recently, when I saw that we need to practice it within RID. From the DMAL continued on page 47
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VIEWS Volume 35 • Issue 4
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Plane, car, or train: Providence is convenien traveling! Closest airport is Boston Logan Ai (BOS).
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PPO CEU Requirement A Standard of Inclusion: Power, Privilege, and Oppression CEUs COLUMN
Lisa Weems, CI and CT, NIC Professional Development Committee Baltimore, MD Lisa L. Weems has been interpreting professionally for over 25 years. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and she is currently enrolled in the Master of Interpreting Program at Western Oregon University, where the focus is on interpreting studies as well as pedagogy. She has done committee work for NYCBDA, NYC Civic Association of the Deaf, and NYRID. In 1999 Lisa began extensive service to NAOBI, first serving in several positions at national conferences, and finally serving as President in 2003. On a national level, Lisa chaired a restructuring committee under President Jackie Bruce and was a member of the bylaws committee. Over the years, Lisa has served on several local committees for PCRID, DCABDA, NAOBI-DC, Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, on national committees of RID and CIT. YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/mnKPTM6Guw4
Translated by Dr. Lisalee Egbert 22
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ince 2014, RID has been recovering from organizational crisis and seeking the most effective solutions in defining the organization's future. One of the primary concerns is membership engagement and the need for deliberate inclusion of members who identify with cultural groups that are divergent from the general RID demographic. The RID leadership recognized the need to explore how individual and organizational responsibility play a role in achieving informed and sustained engagement. The Board sought insight from the membership as to what authentic engagement means at the local, state, and national levels. The response from the membership challenged RID to renew their commitment to membership engagement and deliberate inclusion. At the 2015 RID National Conference, a motion was presented to the membership that each cycle, 1.0 of the required 6.0 Professional Studies (PS) CEUs be related to topics of Power, Privilege, and Oppression (PPO). The motion was passed with the support of 64% of the membership. Immediately following the 2015 conference, a workgroup was formed to define the new continuing education requirement as well as develop criteria for meeting the new standards. The workgroup was specifically tasked to identify language that accurately defines power, privilege, and oppression. After a period of research and development, the committee developed a category definition to reflect
...as we collectively endeavor to understand, approach, and embrace the widely diverse members of our intersected communities. the educational goals established by the motion. This description refers to the phenomena by which members of a society are unfairly advantaged and fail to recognize that advantage. The result of this is bias at the systemic, societal, and individual level which contributes to microaggressions that perpetuate social and systemic oppression. In addition, topics to be considered as compliant with the new standards were defined. These topics include, but are not limited to: Challenging injustice, Respecting and valuing diversity, Protection of equal access, Social Justice/Liberation studies, Cultural competence, and Identity. This list provides a guideline for activities which can be classified under the Power, Privilege, and Oppression Education/Professional Development category. A full description of the standards as well as the list of guidelines can be viewed by clicking here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yHs0LO1gTKImc7wCQqBxOoxMPPtRp9Ob
The 2017 Lead Together conference activities and training sessions were designed to help emphasize the shift in focus to the new Power, Privilege, and Oppression standards. The conference included relevant presentations, including “Unpacking Power and Privilege,” by Carla Shird and “Unpacking & Investigating Our Responsibility Within an Inherited System of Unequalized Power: the Interpreter and Deaf ‘Consumer’ Relationship” by Jonathan Webb and Carla Shird. Melvin Walker presented the closing plenary topic, “Translating Wisdom into Action: Where Do We Go From Here?” to discuss strategic planning and how the leadership and membership can partner to bring about necessary change. Each session closed with subsequent group discussions constructed to explore attitudes and practices in the context of PPO and how we as individuals, and RID as an organization, can establish an agenda for change.
tively endeavor to understand, approach, and embrace the widely diverse members of our intersected communities. These suggestions were presented to the RID leadership to establish a foreground upon which meaningful, integral, and sustainable change can be established.
The suggestions sparked a thrust of action. The Professional Development Committee will add the PPO category to their revised standards and criteria. The RID CMP Program Approved Sponsors have begun approving activities nationwide for a myriad of topics that fall under the new category. Sponsor training is underway, aligned with approving initiatives related to the newly established guidelines. RID is actively exploring ways to develop and deliver training modules centered on cultural diversity and inclusion that will be offered at a future date. Cultural sensitivity and competence is now an integral addition to our organization’s focus.
RID remains committed to cultivating an organizational culture that both honors and practices diversity and inclusion. Implementation of the changes in continuing education will begin with a staggered rollout. As of January of 2019, the new Power, Privilege, and Oppression CEU requirements will be imposed for certified members whose cycle begins January 1, 2019, requiring 1.0 Professional Studies CEUs in Power, Privilege, and Oppression be earned during their new certification cycle. Those certified on or after January 1, 2019 will also be required to earn 1.0 Professional Studies CEUs in Power, Privilege, and Oppression beginning with their first certification cycle. For those who are newly certified with cycles scheduled to begin January 1, 2020 and beyond, the new CEU requirement will go into effect at the beginning of their first certification cycle. If a member’s certification cycle is scheduled to begin January 1, 2021, for example, the Power, Privilege, and Oppression CEU requirement will go into effect for that certification cycle.
The facilitated discussions focused on developing substantiated recommendations that can contribute to RID’s evolution in terms of standards, education, programs, and policy. Some members, for example, proposed that RID leadership become more reflective of its diverse membership and the communities we serve. It was also suggested that RID integrate language supporting diversity and inclusion in guiding documents such as the Standard Practice Papers and the mission statement. Further, it was suggested that RID Standard of Inclusion continued on page 48 provide instructional training modules to bring deeper knowledge and guidance to the membership as we collecwww.rid.org
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Honoring Written and signed by Billy Sanders, NIC Author bio on page 48
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Steve Phan CI and CT, SC:L
Silver Spring, MD
YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/DUFIiNkUYUo
W
hen a child raps a song with the term “bling,” are they more likely to envision gaudy diamond-studded jewelry, or could they possibly imagine Steve Phan, wearing a pair of ruby and diamond-studded rings given to him by award-winning models for his exemplary service with the Miss Maryland Organization Beauty Pageants?! Having grown up watching pageants with his beautiful Vietnamese family, Steve gives credence to advice he later received as the key to longevity for interpreters: find something that makes your heart sing!
scholarship, mentoring, teaching,and volunteer service to attract and encourage every aspiring interpreter to grow from a caterpillar of hope into the cadre of certified interpreting butterflies of which we are honored to be a part.
A former adjunct instructor at University of Northern Colorado and Houston Community College, Steve interpreted the milestone press conference regarding the passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. A unique scholar who co-authored the Workbook/Independent Study Guide for Law Enforcement Interpreting for Deaf Persons; he also Steve is the young boy who marveled at the butterfly, and went on to earn the 2013 Registry of Interpreters for the learned how to attract them. How so? Bright colors. As a Deaf Distinguished Service Award. All to inspire other butyoung caterpillar (or a senior in high school) his Deaf guid- terflies to “seize every opportunity to learn!” ance counselor, Brian Kilpatrick, convinced Steve to pursue sign language interpreting and became one of his ASL instructors, Deaf mentors, and closest friends. So, Steve colored his experience with a commitment to excellence through
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Diversity Catherine Donnalley NIC
J
Alexandria, VA
YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/0Bjg0Mkd4Cc
ovial Friend. Insightful Scholar. Professional of Culture. Catherine Donnalley is what Maya Angelou defines as a “phenomenal woman.” As a young lady who believed in her imagination like the poet laureate, Mary Oliver, illustrated in her poem Wild Geese, Catherine determined to pursue something that previously she never knew existed, but once enlightened, she soared. Never flinch when an opportunity arises - this is the type of courage Catherine carried throughout her childhood.
class, Catherine fell in love with the language and changed her major from pre-nursing to interpreting!
Having met no Chinese interpreters before entering her major or becoming nationally certified, Catherine found two Deaf mentors in Joseph Featherstone and Mr. Christensen. In her own words: “At times, you may think it’s too hard, and you may want to give up. In those moments, think about how you show up to represent not only yourself but the Interpreters of Color community. You will get there, as Adopted at a young age into a loving family, perseverance many of us before you felt the same way one time or anothand connection to her Chinese roots and cultural identity er. Establish a support system and know who you can were key. Widening her perspective on go to. We believe in you. The best way to prove the what the world had to non-believers wrong is to overcome.” offer, she looked to elicit the good from everyone she encountered and everything she experienced.
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After a nudge from her mother to take an ASL
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Note From Uncle Dale
T-I-Ps For Work With IEPs COLUMN
Years ago in my role as an attorney, a school district hired me to observe and evaluate its mainstreaming services for students who are Deaf...
Dale H. Boam, CI Attorney at Law Salt Lake City, UT Dale is an Associate Professor of Deaf Studies at Utah Valley University, an attorney advocating for the rights of persons who are Deaf, an interpreter, and a blogger at “Uncle Dale’s Rules for Interpreters.” He consults and presents nationally on both interpreting and legal topics. Dale recently received a favorable decision from the Ninth Circuit Court that makes Section 504 more accessible to persons who are Deaf (See Ervine v. Desert View Regional Medical Center). Dale has served in advisory committees for the NAD, the organizing board for Deaf Studies, Today!, and the 2007 Deaflympic Games. YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/yHEJRy0u7b8
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(I can tell this story because I produced a public document). The district was huge, covering an urban center and extending into rural communities. It had a well-developed Deaf education program (two schools for the Deaf had closed leaving a void. The district absorbed most of the larger of the two schools, but then displaced students outside the boundaries had clamored for access and Deaf students simply poured in). There were Deaf education classrooms in two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Interpreters worked in these schools and others throughout the district. I requested interviews with a random sample of interpreters. The district seemed hesitant. I assured them that I knew the CPC and would not ask questions that would cause interpreters grief. They were... dubious, but the simple fact was that they had invited me. I conducted ten interviews, about half of the district’s fulltime and part-time interpreters. Some had less than two years of experience, a couple had well over twenty years and the others were a mix. They worked through the spectrum of educational settings: urban, rural, several students, one student, two or more interpreters at the same school, and “out there all alone.”
My first question was, “What laws are most applicable to I compiled my report and presented it to the district: your work?” The interpreters I interviewed and observed, both formalI got a few blank looks, but most mumbled, “Um, the ADA?” ly and informally, appeared fully competent, however, they lacked certain supports required for their job: One of the experienced interpreters said, “It’s, like, PL 921. The interpreters were unaware of the obligations under 124.” federal laws governing their work, a direct and proxiAt the time, legal theory was that the ADA didn’t apply withmate result of the Special Education Department being in the four walls of a public school (that has changed - so reequally unaware; cently that the citation doesn’t have a page number! Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, 580 U.S. ___ (2017) - the 2. Both parties’ ignorance resulted in patterns of non-compliance with stated goals of the IEP (many of which had, case features Wonder the Goldendoodle and if that doesn’t less than a month prior, been marked as “successful”). make you curious, you have no imagination!) For example, the IEP states, “student will raise his hand The interpreter who said PL 92-124 almost got it. PL 94and ask the teacher for clarification, when needed, at 142 is the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. PL least 80 percent of the time.” During my observation 94-142 was passed in 1975, but for many years prior to my the student indicated to the interpreter that he did not interviews it was known as IDEA, the Individuals with Disunderstand on 37 occasions. On each occasion the inabilities Education Act. terpreter rephrased her interpretation. In the same period of time, the student raised his hand only twice, once None of the interviewed interpreters came up with Section to ask to use the bathroom and once to ask who I was; 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Because none of them knew the laws that govern their work, 3. Extrapolating from the general misunderstanding that interpreters are forbidden to read the IEP, such patterns my next question was a forgone conclusion, “Have you read had likely repeated, and IEPs were incorrectly docuyour student’s IEP?” mented district-wide; “No,” from all of them. 4. If interpreters were aware of IEP goals, they were not “Why not?” considered members of the IEP Teams. District data indicates interpreters generally have more contact hours Each said that federal law forbade it. When I asked the Spewith Deaf students than any other staff member. Often cial Education Administrators if interpreters read the IEPs an interpreter is the only person in the building with the they were SHOCKED at the idea, because IEPs are federally communication ability to accurately observe if a student protected.1 is meeting IEP goals. Next, I asked the interpreters if they attended their student’s Educational interpreters don’t have to be attorneys or memIEP meetings. Two did, to interpret for the student’s Deaf orize the IDEA and Section 504. But they do need to know parents. The rest said their students had hearing parents so, these laws well enough to advocate for their role and by so no need for them to attend. doing, improve and sustain educational standards for the students they serve. There is almost no aspect of a Deaf stuInterviews completed. dent’s school day untouched by these laws because special Next, I knew a parent with a highschool student in the dis- education is more regulated than regular education. trict who gave me written permission to read the student’s IEP (for this article I asked permission from the former student, who now has his own children). You would have thought I had asked the administration for nuclear codes. I read the IEP and observed the student and his very nervous interpreter (she almost had a stroke whenever I made a note) for a full Block Schedule - two days.
As I’ve said before... Know the pool in which you swim.
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IEP Team members have access to the IEP.
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Dear Encounters With Reality
D
COLUMN
EAR ENCOUNTERS WITH REALITY:
During a doctor’s appointment I interpreted, the doctor referred the Deaf patient to physical therapy. When we were leaving the office, the Deaf client asked me about my availability to interpret her upcoming physical therapy appointments. I told the Deaf woman my schedule and she said, “Oh well,
Brenda Cartwright, M.S. CSC, CI and CT Lansing, MI Brenda Cartwright, MS, CSC, CI and CT has been the Director of the Sign Language Interpreter Program at Lansing Community College for over 30 years. She holds an undergraduate degree from Ball State University and graduate degrees from Ball State and Indiana University. She is a Coda with a bilingual cat named Coda. YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/jm8jyIp5DMo
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that’s fine, if you can’t come, my daughter will come and interpret.” Her daughter is a young girl who can sign, but she is not an interpreter. The daughter has no training or certification. What are our boundaries as interpreters to say something to a Deaf client about their right to request a qualified interpreter? I don’t want to look like I’m just trying to make money. My concern is also that her doctors will begin to think that they don’t need to hire interpreters for her because she can just bring her daughter for free. AN EXPERIENCED INTERPRETER’S PERSPECTIVE: If the patient prefers a relative, that is their choice. At the same time, doctors need to be educated about the hazards of using family members to interpret. Liability issues should compel them to want to avoid lawsuits. AN EXPERIENCED DEAF CONSUMER’S PERSPECTIVE: The NAD has a position paper on this topic. It explains the cons of using family members to interpret. This is an ongoing dilemma, especially in rural and remote areas where there are few interpreters. It is unfair to put the burden to interpret on family members, regardless if they are qualified/ certified.
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Save the Date!
Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT) 2020 Conference in Minnesota!
August 12-15, 2020 http://www.cit-asl.org
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FEATURE YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/CB2LQ8qNj4A
Diversity in Higher Education Starting the Discussion
By Royce Carpenter M.A., NIC Master
We’re excited to announce that the author of this feature article will be presenting a supplemental webinar! “Diversity in Higher Education Standards” – The webinar will be presented live on Thursday, December 6, 2018 from 6-8 pm EST. Registration is open now – to register, log in to your member portal at myaccount.rid. org and click the “Meetings” tab. CLICK HERE: Http://myaccount.rid.org/Meetings/RegisteredEvents.aspx 30
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It is my hope that this article can be a starting point to an important discussion about the need for standards on diversity, specifically including people of color (POC), in interpreting education.
T
his means purposeful selection of POCs as language models, especially in rural areas, and literature about and from POCs (McCaskill, Lucas, Bayley, & Hill, 2011; Hairston, Smith, 1998). Working with various Deaf and hearing people can be challenging without the proper knowledge and tools. In many cases, the challenge is compounded when the interaction is with people of color, whether they be consumers or teams. The challenge is not because of the people of color but because there has been a lack of education in interpreting programs related to the narratives and signing styles of people of color (Carpenter, 2017). It is
some scholars as continued oppression and ethnocentrism (Delgado, 1995). There is certainly not a standard of diverse education across colleges and universities where generations of interpreters are being taught. In my research on cross-cultural mentoring, I held focus groups with black and white interpreters of varying ages and experience. With the help of a white facilitator, the groups were mono-ethnic, so participants could be more open to answering questions related to race and ethnicity in their educational experiences without feeling they were being judged by a person of another ethnicity or culture (Carpenter, 2017).
The challenge is not because of the people of color of the quesbut because there has been a lack of education in One tions asked of parwas how interpreting programs related to the narratives and ticipants much and what of educasigning styles of people of color (Carpenter, 2017). type tion they received inevitable that we will work with various ethnic groups in the interpreting field, whether they are Deaf or hearing consumers, or our interpreting teams. The many facets of cross-cultural relationships and encounters cannot and should not be ignored. There is a need to understand the varied perspectives, life experiences, and schemas of individuals who have perspectives which are different from your own or the majority culture. Learning about such diversity of thought and experience cannot be something placed upon the shoulders of a novice interpreter at graduation. It should be the charge of the educators to expose students to the possibility or rather, the likelihood that these interactions and relations will occur. Interpreter education professors, instructors, and teachers are the ones who must pour into the students knowledge about diverse ethnic experiences that touch the interpreting process. These are lessons that the student, on their own, would not learn until they encountered the experience up close and personal.
concerning Black Deaf and Black hearing people in their interpreter education programs (Carpenter, 2017). None of the interpreters had a full semester or quarter course dedicated to the minority experience: whether it was the Black, Latino, Asian, Islamic, or Pacific Islander (Carpenter, 2017). Many of the interpreters said they faintly remembered some things related to the Black Deaf culture but nothing any of them could explain in great detail. A few of the focus group participants who were also educators felt it was not their “place� to teach about cultures that were not their own. Participants of color felt isolated and uncomfortable that their teachers would defer to them when issues of race were brought up in class (Carpenter, 2017).
Historically, residential schools faced similar disparities in the education of Deaf people regarding minority narratives and experiences (McCaskill, Lucas, Bayley, & Hill, 2011). Is this really ethnocentrism in interpreter education or is it simply fear and even avoidance of the unknown? The histoThere is a lack of diverse cultural narratives in many inter- ries of marginalized people are often left out of education, preter education programs. This disparity in educational not by design perhaps; the narratives are absent due to materials and teachings about people of color is seen by privilege or complacency. Curricula without the inclusion www.rid.org
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of various ethnic stakeholders perpetuates an unbalanced educational system that can have a negative systematic and economic impact (Delgado, 1995; Delgado, Stefancic, and Harris, 2017). Understanding the history of all Deaf and hearing stakeholders can prepare interpreters for the future of the profession (Pinkley, 2015).
In reality, tough conversations can be like salve to the soul if approached with openness of heart and mind and attentiveness to each other’s perspectives. Interpreter education governing bodies have tried to include diversity as a standard for interpreting programs (CCIE, n.d.). What is not clearly addressed is how to educate interpreting students about the diverse, multi-faceted experiences of people of color. The intersection of color for many diverse people is being slighted in interpreter education. This snub comes at the expense of interpreting students and consumers. Understanding the differences between ethnic and cultural norms can help educators, interpreters, and students better prepare for the consumers they will serve. Isn’t the point of education to influence not only the learner’s understanding but to change the world we live in and make it better? Conversations and education about racial issues are often avoided, put on the back burner, and even dismissed as “trouble” by privileged groups. Communication between privileged and less privileged groups is often difficult (Lozano-Reich & Cloud, 2009). Avoiding needed conversations is like neglecting to take care of an infection in part of your body. The infection grows and damages other areas and can cause unknown harm. In reality, tough conversations can be like salve to the soul if approached with openness of heart and mind and attentiveness to each other’s perspectives. I have witnessed these interactions and conversations during my workshops on cross-cultural mentoring. They have become awakenings which have produced revealing and healing learning environments.
remains to have “Standards in Education” regarding the history, experiences, narratives, and signing styles of Deaf and hearing people of color in interpreter education programs. For more information, the reader could see Carpenter, R. M. (2017), Let’s Bridge the Gap! Cross-Cultural Mentoring (Master’s thesis, retrieved from https://digitalcommons. wou.edu/theses/43). The first step is discussion - understanding there is an issue which needs be addressed in our profession. RID has taken a bold step by offering this article in VIEWS. Please join in the conversation! References Carpenter, R. M. (2017), Let’s Bridge the Gap! Cross-Cultural Mentoring (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.wou. edu/theses/43. CCIE. (n.d.). Accreditation Standards 2014. Retrieved from http:// ccie-accreditation.org/. Delgado, R. (Ed.). (1995). Critical Race Theory: The cutting edge. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Delgado, R., Stefancic, J., & Harris, A. (2017). Critical Race Theory (Third Edition): An Introduction. New York, NY: New York University Press. Hairston, E., Smith, L. (1998). Black and Deaf in America: Are we that different. Silver Spring, MD: T.J.Publ. Lozano-Reich, N. M., & Cloud, D. L. (2009). The uncivil tongue: Invitational rhetoric and the problem of inequality. Western Journal of Communication, 73(2), 220- 226. McCaskill, C., Lucas, C., Bayley, R., & Hill, J. (2011). The hidden treasure of Black ASL: Its history and structure. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press. Pinkley, J. (2015). History quote of the day: Teddy Roosevelt [Web log]. Retrieved from http://discoverhistorictravel.com/history-quoteof-the-day-teddy- roosevelt/
Author Bio Royce Carpenter, M.A., NIC Master Columbus, Ohio
Royce M. Carpenter is the Interpreter Education Program coordinator at Columbus State Community College. She interprets in a variety of settings. Royce has worked in the role of VRS interpreter, conference interpreter, workshop presenter, conference coordinator, and mentor. Royce holds a RID NIC Master certification, an Associate’s degree in Interpreting/Transliterating from Columbus State Community College, a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Wilberforce University, and a Master’s degree in Interpreting Studies from Western Oregon University. In August 2017, Royce traveled to Ghana to teach at In this article, I am not saying that no one is teaching about the University of Education, Winneba with an amazing team the multi-faceted experiences of people of color. There are from Western Oregon University. wonderful classes in sparse parts of the country. The need
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FEATURE
RATURE E IT L Literatu
By Neil Glickman & Wyatte Hall Translated by Joshua Mora
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SNEAK PEEK
YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/LIacKtZAduo
Language deprivation is a game changer: An introduction to the book “Language Deprivation and Deaf Mental Health” edited by Neil Glickman and Wyatte Hall
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n many respects, the process of interpreting between native users of signed and spoken languages is comparable to the process of interpreting between native users of foreign languages. It is well-known, however, that language skills among Deaf people are much more diverse than among hearing people – varying from those who are essentially a-lingual (something virtually unknown among hearing people unless they are severely neurologically impaired or abused) to those fluent in multiple signed and spoken languages. The key difference for sign language interpreters is that the Deaf people they interpret for may not be native users of their first or second languages and may have experienced language deprivation. Among mental health providers, a Deaf mental health clinical specialty is emerging. This specialty requires clinicians to have a great deal of training in the diverse ways Deaf people communicate. It requires a great deal of personal and cultural self-awareness, a broad understanding about all matters related to Deaf people, and clinical skills such as the ability to adapt standard mental health practices so that they are culturally affirmative and Deaf-friendly. Specialists must also be able to adapt all such practices for the subset of Deaf people who can be said to have experienced language deprivation so profound that its associated consequences create a disability all its own. This disability of language deprivation, with all of its implications for the allied fields of mental health professionals who work with Deaf people (including sign language interpreters), is explored in a new book called “Language Deprivation and Deaf Mental Health” edited by the two authors of this VIEWS article. The book envisions language deprivation as the center of a wheel. The implications of language deprivation for the various domains of service providers are depicted as spokes of the wheel, as in the following diagram: To illustrate briefly, in Chapter 1, psychiatrist Sanjay Gulati describes how early language deprivation may create a clinical syndrome (based on brain functioning research) which he calls language deprivation syndrome. This syndrome consists of language and cognitive deficits that interpreters may recognize along with developmental and psychosocial
Click to enlarge
problems. In Chapters 2, 3, and 4, a variety of mental health clinicians discuss the implications of language deprivation for practices like psychotherapy and forensic psychology. In Chapters 5 and 6, two models for communication assessment of Deaf patients are presented, and the process of communication assessment is made relevant to the work of sign language interpreters. In Chapter 7, Romy Spitz and Judy Shepard-Kegl discuss what they learned about the best methods for adult language and communication training from their extensive work with language-deprived Nicaraguans. They also discuss what kind of language skill advances are possible after the critical window for language acquisition has closed. In Chapter 8, interpreter Joan Wattman discusses the application of the Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI) created by Betty Colonomos to a case study of forensic interpreting in which a hearing and Deaf interpreting team work in a courtroom with a highly language-dysfluent Deaf defendant. Chapter 9 deals with the controversial subject of what cochlear implantation, often with an accompanying rejection of sign language, means for language development in Deaf children. Finally, the concluding chapter by NAD attorney Tawny Holmes presents best practices in advocacy for language development in Deaf children. Language Deprivation continued on page 48 www.rid.org
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FEATURE YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/BUkoZ3rHDdENj4A
A Case For Industry
Disruption How Social Entrepreneurship Can Create and Sustain Access at the Local Level
By: Kathleen O'Regan M.A., NIC Translated by Rayni Plaster, CDI, SC:L 36
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Originally written by Kathleen O’Regan, this article was shared with the Civic Access team for collaboration in the editing process. A huge thank you to Calene Carrano and Lauren Hooten for their efforts and for the synthesis of current industry data. Thank you also to Rayni Plaster for capturing the spirit of our intent in American Sign Language. The daily dedication of the entire Civic Access team and the trust and communication with our local deaf community make this model possible.
My “I” statements: I am a hearing interpreter. I did not grow up in the Deaf community... I was welcomed and taught by patient and caring Deaf people who saw my potential to be an ally, and I will live doing my damndest to uphold the standards of allyship with the understanding that it can be taken away from me at any time. I make ignorant, oppressive mistakes every day, and I am grateful for those who are loyal and make me aware of where I slip. In heart, I am a humanitarian. In intellect, I am an innovative dreamer. In practice, I am a social entrepreneur. In spirituality, I am affected when others suffer. I recognize that being hearing in our society is an advantage; however, I can leverage the resources that I have access to and contribute to creating large-scale, transformational change by way of sharing those resources with our community. We all can.
these areas. The overarching goal of our method is to ensure high quality communication access is sustainable. Each community’s barriers to access will be different; therefore, staying connected and surveying the local community is vital to its sustainability and to fueling the social entrepreneurship spirit. The prevailing business model in the Communication Access Industry has a significant economic impact at the executive management/ownership level of a company. All decisions of economic investment and hiring are made at the executive level. These decisions can have pernicious impact on the deaf community. Enter: Disruption1.
The Communication Access Industry: Urgent Breaking New Ground: A Socially-Conscious Need for Disruption Business Model In 2014, I founded a social enterprise within the Community Access industry and committed ten percent of revenue earned through interpreting service provision to be invested back into the local community in the form of advocacy and education. Now embarking on our fifth year, we are a team of seven, full-time staff who sustain a communication access department and an advocacy department. We have quickly learned that although we are small, we are powerful in our ability to create local impact because we are working in solidarity with those we serve. Our advocacy department regularly surveys our local community asking where they would like the earmarked resources to be invested. By using this method, we have been able to identify key strengths and challenges within our community, allowing us to re-invest in
Social Entrepreneurship (SE) is trending up in regards to social equity and economic empowerment. The entrepreneurial sector of the business market is engaged in healthy discussion about what SE is, its powerful impact on society and local communities, and if there are drawbacks to this approach to business. Before clarifying the concept of SE, let us look at the conventional business model as this is likely familiar to the majority of the interpreting industry. A conventional business model is the way in which a company generates revenue and makes a profit from company operations. One main metric of a company’s success is gross profit2 earned. After attending StreetLeverage Accelerate in 20163, it became clear the conventional business model is used as a standard business model in the Communication
Trigger warning: the following sections may spark some threat to those in a position of control in the current market of communication access. I simply ask you to notice the defenses that come to the forefront, and set them aside as you continue to read. This is not a request to relinquish control, but rather an opportunity to consider how you can harness that control to invest in that which will make a positive, constructive impact for our community. 1
Investopedia, http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/businessmodel.asp
2
Accelerate 2015 was a pioneering conference for Sign Language Interpreting Agency owners to gather and learn about the current industry standards and practices. 3
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Access Industry (ASL interpreting agencies, foreign language agencies, Video Relay Services (VRS) companies, etc). In other words, the standard metric of success in the Communication Access Industry is monetary profit. One significant observation at StreetLeverage Accelerate was that the majority of communication access agency owners are not representatives of the deaf4 community. This observation indicates that there is an opportunity to shift our metric of success to that of investment into systems that are in desperate need of economic power and resources to thrive (deaf education, access to resources, lobbying, creating employment opportunities, etc).
of “large-scale, transformational benefit that accrues either to a significant segment of society or to society at large.” In regards to the Communication Access Industry, this impact can be made from within our segment of society—the transformational benefit to deaf people accruing to society at large.
The Numbers, the Potential Impact, and the How-to-Embark on Constructive Change
Yes—our company has been investing ten percent of our revenue back into creating and sustaining access where our community has identified a need. What does ten percent Our community is facing a critical moment in history as look like in our industry? Is this figure feasible to invest and more and more Communication Access Industry entities contribute to constructive change-making efforts?
Social justice conversations are at the forefront of sociological debate as deaf people continue to be identified as a commodity to be exploited for capital gain without respect to their cultural or linguistic diversity... continue to scale exponentially with limited involvement or investment in the deaf community. Social justice conversations are at the forefront of sociological debate as deaf people continue to be identified as a commodity to be exploited for capital gain without respect to their cultural or linguistic diversity even as their diversity continues to rise (Cogen & Cokely, 2015). Deaf people and interpreters are breaking ground with such dialogue while the majority interest and control still holds strong. Can constructive forces partner to overcome destructive ones? How can we, as interpreters, historically accepted as “hearing members of the deaf community,” positively contribute to these constructive forces? Martin & Osberg (2017) distinguish between an entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur in their article “Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition.” The main difference they cite is that social entrepreneurship has the intention
Let’s play with a few numbers. Looking at the industry players who have federal contracts, a quick search on ISI Federal reveals that of the top 50 companies who provide interpreting and translation services to the federal government, there are seven top-earning companies directly engaged in ASL interpreting service provision5. The total annual revenue of these seven companies amounts to $26,542,447. Ten percent of revenue earned is $2.65 million dollars. • What impact would $2.65 million dollars have in creating large-scale, transformational benefit to our community? Where do we as a community need to invest? • Let us add in the three more visible VRS companies (not deaf-owned6) whose estimated revenue can be accessed via online sources. The total estimated revenue for these
The National Deaf Center (NDC) is using the term deaf in an all-inclusive manner, to include people who may identify as Deaf, deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and hearing impaired. NDC recognizes that for many individuals, identity is fluid and can change over time or with setting. NDC has chosen to use one term, deaf, with the goal of recognizing experiences that are shared by all members of our diverse communities while also honoring all of our differences, https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/about-us 4
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It is unclear how many of the other companies listed are engaged in ASL service provision under the auspices of foreign language translating titles
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As you can see, this ten percent “potential investment” by the seven top-earning companies directly engaged in ASL interpreting service provision to the federal government and the most visible VRS companies well exceeds the budgets of 50 deaf-centric organizations, including our National Association of the Deaf. There is still money to spare and to re-invest in causes and efforts that raise our community’s Below is a visual to illustrate what a ten percent impact could capital. We have yet to maximize the potential of positive, do for our community. After taking a rough sampling of 50 large-scale, transformational benefit to our Deaf Ecosystem. nonprofit organizations that have the word “deaf” in the orIf you are currently in the business of communication acganizational name,7 this graph shows the total budgets of all cess, I encourage you to take a look at your budget and at the 50 nonprofit organizations in comparison to the potential community, or communities, you serve. Ask the question: $61.18 million dollars of ten percent contributions.8 Where could I repurpose funds to address local barriers 50 Sample Deaf Organizations vs. experienced by the people we serve? Then, ask the people 10% of Industry Revenues you serve. If you could start with a percentage and commit to increasing it over time, where does your community want to see improvements? Local community events with no ADA budget? Deaf Self Advocacy Trainings?9 After-school programming for deaf children? Health education? Sponsored family events? Yoga classes? Public education? Social media, Survey Monkey, and YouTube videos are powerful tools. Create a simple survey, make a video, and send it out to your local community. Better yet, attend a community event, say hello, and hand out the survey in person. in Millions of Dollars
top three companies is to the tune of $585.33 million dollars. • Consider the transformational benefit of investing ten percent – $61.18 million dollars – in our community. How could we leverage those resources to constructively contribute to our community?
Nonprofit Organizations Total Budget
Industry Leaders 10% Revenue
If you are not in the business of communication access but you are considering, be mindful of how urgently we need more industry players who are invested in creating transformational change at the local level. I encourage you to be a part of that change. The intent of this model is entirely to benefit our community and to invest in our community and its success. Companies whose genuine and transparent motivations are geared toward the benefit of the community will experience the fruitful outcome of our community’s re-engaged trust. Industry Disruption continued on page 49
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I recognize that a company being deaf-owned does not assume that this model of social investment is a reality. However, deaf-owned companies are part of the Deaf Ecosystem. Kelby Brick, Director of Maryland’s Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing states, “Ultimately, a strong Deaf Ecosystem will lead to increased social and economic clout from the retention and expansion of jobs, resources, and wealth within the Deaf and hard of hearing community. The community’s increased influence is leveraged to support the community in turn, creating a synergistic effect. The synergy leads to more healthy, productive, and empowered Deaf and hard of hearing citizens. Social, political, and economic barriers no longer stand in the way and discrimination is eradicated.” http://odhh.maryland.gov/deaf-ecosystem/ 6
This search of organizations and the 990 filing budgets came from www.foundationcenter.org. The sampling focused on deaf organizations, and organizations that had majority hearing membership were intentionally excluded. 7
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A full list of nonprofit organizations represented in this analysis are included at the end of the article.
Deaf Self Advocacy Training (DSAT) curriculum was developed as a part of an RSA funded grant out of the Northeastern University’s National Interpreter Education Center (NIEC). The curriculum is free to anyone upon request and accessible on the website. It is important to emphasize that “this initiative promulgates an ‘…of, by, and for the deaf, hard of hearing, and/or DeafBlind” philosophy in all aspects of its programming. The DSAT curriculum was developed by individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or DeafBlind and designed as a peer-led training’” (NAD Website, 2018). This is critical to sustain this intention to keep this as deaf, hard of hearing and DeafBlind space to ensure the effectiveness of the program. 9
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Remembering DENNIS COKELY, CSC 1946-2018
RID President,1983-1987
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When I think of Dennis I think of him as intellectually challenging, thoughtful, and having a soft side - especially with babies. I remember being shocked the first time a former student came to visit with her newborn. Dennis held the little girl, cooed, and made us all smile. Dennis also had a soft side for his students. However he never let that get in the way of being the best and most challenging teacher. In our junior year a classmate lost her mom. After she eventually returned to campus, I came up with this ridiculous idea to make her smile. Our class loved to warm up by interpreting Kesha songs because the fast beat would get us thinking on our feet. I asked Dennis to be a part of our video. With some coaxing, Dennis joined us in interpreting a Kesha song but made us promise to never reveal the video online. We laughed and had the best time making the video to cheer up our classmate. He loved his students and challenged us to to be more than we ever thought possible. He has certainly made an impression on the world which will pass on through his students. The interpreting and Deaf communities were forever changed by his support, knowledge, and advocacy. Rest In Peace Dennis, you are loved.
Grace Taylor
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Prior to the Atlanta 2011 conference, lots of discussion swirled about having no CODAs on the Board, so I decided to take action by writing a very simple motion for the Regional Conference in Chattanooga in 2010. Simply stated, the motion was: “I move to have a CODA seat on the RID Board of Directors.” Most of you will recall this was quite a controversial topic and eventually required a vote which had to be recounted.
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The behind-the-scenes story in Atlanta is that on day one of the Business Meetings, I did a lot of networking with very concerned members, which was fully anticipated. When my daughter Summer called and said Dennis wanted to propose a substitute motion, my initial resistance was apparent, but Dennis had the savvy to soothe my defenses and show me a much better way to clarify the motion. Dennis and I took our idea to Bummy Burstein and Libby Pollard, co-parliamentarians for the Atlanta conference, to consult about procedure on stage. After an hour of discussion and research, we settled on the best way. The next morning, after I moved to substitute the motion, Dennis gave his unforgettable support speech about the Roots of RID.
the fact that nearly all of us are guests in this community, so as not to overstay our welcome.
Although the motion ultimately failed, at least we drew official attention to a tumultuous bylaw issue. The other day I received word that Bummy, whom I met in 1988, had passed away. That these distinguished pillars of knowledge passed away within days of each other caused me to think on how they gave me time to present a controversial idea and showed professionalism, experience, and wisdom - what a major learning experience that was for me. Their passion for the interpreting profession sharpened my own, and they bestowed an example of partnership that should be exhibited by every RID member. I salute Dennis and Bummy with the highest honor and regard that I can muster. May they rest in perpetual peace.
He’d want us to remember that every one of us who practices as an interpreter has an obligation to change the direction of our profession for the better and maintain trusted partnership with the Deaf community. He’d remind us that our commitment to do so is evident in where we donate our time and our money. These are some of the things I think he’d want from us, though undoubtedly it is just the beginning. We know he had some pretty high expectations for us all.
Randy Chappell
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For anyone else who’s also wondering how or where they could begin to honor a legacy for this lighthouse of a man who illuminated our paths, here’s some of what I’m reflecting on, what I think he’d want, for what it’s worth… He’d want us to live our lives in service of the Deaf community, never once losing sight of
He’d want us to remember that ethics are not something we have, they are something we do. And with each of the decisions we make, we have an opportunity to steer closer to or farther away from the true North of our moral compasses. He’d want us to invest in the future - in youth, in students, in ideas. One of the things I’m sad about with his passing is that he didn’t get to read to Deaf kids at The Learning Center in his retirement, which he so looked forward to doing. Can you imagine what a character he’d have been in front of the room with those kiddos?
Jackie Emmart
Jackie's full ASL vlog can be viewed HERE.
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I met Dennis in 1970 when he did not know sign at all (yes, he was 20 something). He sat on a stool in Rathskeller and watched us sign. Two weeks later, I met him again and he was signing as if he had been signing all this life. He was attending Seminary at the Catholic University and during a class, saw a man “flailing his hands” in front of another man. It was Rudy Gawlick interpreting for Patrick Graybill. Dennis was puzzled and at the end of the class, he asked Rudy what was going on. Rudy explained about interpreting for the Deaf. Dennis wanted to know if the Deaf guy understood his flailing hands. He was hooked and came to Gallaudet to watch Deaf people signing. He was interpreting two months later. In those days, there were no formal interpreters; anyone who signed was asked to interpret and was paid in a “thank you” (not always). Dennis Cokely continued on page 51
Photo courtesy of StreetLeverage
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Upgrade Your Educational Self-Care COLUMN
The education system presents many opportunities for interpreters and interpreting students to upgrade our self-care. Adhering to a class schedule, managing the pressures of tests and deadlines, operating within the politics of the system, navigating personal and professional relationships, AND getting our own needs met can at times feel like too many balls to keep in the air. Something is bound to get dropped.
Breana Cross Hall, CI and CT CTACC Portland, Oregon Breana Cross Hall holds her CI and 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 passion again in their lives through developing habits of self-care. Brea is a native of Portland, Oregon, where she can usually be found writing, reading, or playing near water with her partner, four kids, and two dogs. YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/AGkDijBMte0
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To keep from dropping the self-care ball, I recommend incorporating self-care so that it does not feel like “another thing to do”, but rather incorporates the things you’re already doing in a more nourishing way. Here are two tips to help you do just that. Tip #1: Pack a Ball Luckily, the self-care ball can be kept in your bag instead of in the air. Massage is a luxury that, at best, some prioritize weekly. Self-myofascial release, which is a fancy way to say “self massage”, is a DIY tool that can be done daily. After a very low initial investment ($3-$20), you have a tool that can massage your muscles, knots, and sore spots every day and can even be done at work or school! My personal favorite is the LaCrosse ball, which has a little bit of squishiness in the outer layer with a very firm core. I keep the ball in my bag at all times, and pull it out during breaks to loosen up any knots or tension in my shoulders, back, and neck. Many interpreters have told me they keep a ball in their car and place it behind their shoulder blade
while driving to or from work. At VRS, I rest my foot on a ball and massage the reflexology points for stress and pain-relief while working. There are so many ways to incorporate this tiny, inexpensive gem into your daily routines! Self Myofascial Release is very easy to learn and perform. For the most common area of complaint for interpreters, watch this video on YouTube that clearly demonstrates using a LaCrosse ball (Tousignant, 2013). For more resources, check out Physical Self-Care for Interpreters in my Burnout Proof Toolbox. Tip #2: Understand Your Brain The brain can be divided into three main parts: the cortex, the brainstem, and the limbic area (Siegel, 2010). Understanding how these parts of the brain work together is the first step toward staying grounded when our work presents challenges. Integrating this knowledge into your everyday life is an effective way to put brain science to work in your self-care.
Luckily, the self-care ball can be kept in your bag instead of in the air.
(Siegel, 2012). In the case of missing fingerspelling, we may be flooded with emotions like fear and panic, giving us the deer-in-the-headlights look and cutting ourselves off from our rational thinking capabilities. Our cortex is then offline, and we lose access to our problem-solving faculties. What can be done when our brain stem has taken over and our cortex is offline? There is no way to “think ourselves out” of this situation. The fastest and most effective way to get our cortex re-engaged is to BREATHE. That’s right - getting oxygen to the brain will allow the cortex to come back online and give us access to all of our wonderful problem-solving and processing abilities (Xiao Ma et al., 2017). Begin practicing this today and you can soon create a habit: when you feel your nerves and anxiety start to ramp up, take one to three deep, conscious breaths before doing anything else. As this becomes an automatic response, you will find yourself able to make thoughtful decisions in the face of stress that previously would have sent your cortex running for the hills. • As you incorporate more self-care into your daily work and routines, ask yourself these questions: • When does my body feel the most sore or worn out?
• What natural opportunities do I have to incorporate a ball or another tool into my day? The frontmost part of the brain is called the cortex, where our higher thinking resides. When we are operating in the • What circumstances in my job as an interpreter stimucortex we have access to creative problem-solving, seeing late anxiety or send me into a fight, flight, or freeze resituations from many perspectives, and understanding the sponse? long-term implications of our decisions. Interpreting relies • What reminder can I put in place to help make breathing heavily on this part of the brain. in these circumstances more automatic? The brainstem is the oldest part of the brain. Its main job is to regulate our automatic responses. When we feel scared or Changing your default responses and habits is not always threatened, the brain stem enacts our fight, flight, or freeze easy, but it is worth it! I promise, as you incorporate these response - enabling us to act quickly in order to escape dan- tools into your daily life, you will discover more moments ger. This response was very helpful when we were common of joy and ease. If there is any way I can support you on this prey for lions, but not as helpful in our modern world where journey, please reach out! Find me at brighterfocus.com stressors like a bill coming due or not being able to understand a consumer’s fingerspelling are common issues. References on page 51 The limbic area of the brain works in conjunction with the brain stem, regulating our emotions and storing memories
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Member Spotlight JETHRO (Jet) Griffin, NIC Region II - Nashville, TN
Why the passion to interpret? I believe that everyone, including my Deaf parents, deserves a fair opportunity to live freely and be able to contribute to society as they please. I have been immensely blessed to be a multi-cultured native signer, so I plan to employ this gift to crank up the volume and allow others to be understood.
Where does your passion lie? Is it in being a bridge between hearing and deaf constituents? Is it the love for the Deaf community? Is it in interpreting itself? My passion lies in the trust given to me by the Deaf community and by my family to facilitate communication between them and their non-Deaf counterparts. To facilitate their interactions, when warranted, with coworkers, bosses, physicians, lawyers, and sometimes even their own family members. I know, firsthand, the necessity of full accessibility as I witnessed my Black Deaf father get wrongly arrested after an altercation between him and a law enforcement officer due to a lack of communication access. I want to prevent situations such as this from happening.
Is there a golden rule to maintain longevity in this profession? Resilience is key; fail big and take chances. Do not be afraid of disappointment, as it is inevitable, and learn that your reaction is what matters. Also be patient, not only with others but also with yourself. Lastly, selflessness, a great smile, and a positive attitude will go a long way for anyone in this line of work.
Read the rest of Jet’s interview HERE YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/Xug5f7kIhww
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VIEWS Print Orders Print Sponsorships and Orders Available
YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/WInukXMQMig
Despite operating with limited resources, we have been trying to expand awareness of the profession and engagement with the community through VIEWS. We are still limited in our resources, but want to offer our members the opportunity to also receive VIEWS in print format. Our strategy is to conduct outreach with ITPs, businesses, and organizations who may be interested in sponsoring print copies to distribute to their employees and members. We want VIEWS in print format to become a community effort and for the membership to benefit from it. If you would like to order a copy for yourself, you can do that too! Please note that the main platform for VIEWS is still online. The online platform is preferred because there's full access to ASL content - and that content is so important! Some of our authors have partnered with CDIs to produce their articles, and others have produced their articles with ASL as the primary language, so the English is transcribed. This source material is essential for us as practitioners to consume, so we highly encourage that. We hope you enjoy this offer! If you have questions or comments please email me at views@rid.org. We look forward to releasing VIEWS to you. We want for you to feel more knowledgeable about your colleagues in this profession and more connected with the RID community. We appreciate you! Thank you.
Order your copy HERE!
If you or someone you know would like to sponsor print copies of VIEWS, we have multiple options available. Please contact advertising@rid.org. Visit our website HERE to learn more about how RID is working to provide you with print VIEWS option.
Offered at cost for $9 per issue! Enrollment for Fall issue until November 30, 2018. Receive in the mail in early December! Order form: https://www.rid.org/views-print-order-form/
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MAKING GOOD INTERPRETERS
GREAT Efficient screening tool plus your mentors equals better allies for the Deaf community
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VIEWS Volume 35 • Issue 4
From the DMAL continued from page 19... We need to follow the counsel to develop unity, so that we can stand and not fall. Let me explain. I have had some negative experiences at RID. Since Boston, I have gone to many national and Regional Conferences and been disappointed to find that hearing interpreters won’t all sign! They speak until they notice a Deaf person, and then they will hurriedly apologize and start signing. But why not sign in the first place? I remember at the Chicago Conference, there was a lot of resistance to signing and I felt like I had to be the cop - Hi, I’m Deaf, can you please sign? What an awful feeling! I see a lot of interpreters who do not use CDIs because they don't feel like they need Deaf interpreters - their sign language is just as good. Couldn’t you call that audism? Another negative influence I have seen - probably the worst of all - is on social media. People are spreading libel and backstabbing and prejudice, and it is so disappointing. Instead of having all of the information to make correct judgments, people are spreading misinformation that hurts us as a community. Since 1999, I feel like our family unity has disintegrated. There is so much contention and blame and it's enough. I am confident that the issues we have can be solved but they require unity. For who? The Deaf community and the DeafBlind community. We need to focus on them and support them. These negative experiences can become positive but the RID Board cannot do it all ourselves! We need your involvement to make a change. Put aside your grievances, become involved, and we will be successful! I promise you - we have seen from the DAC, the Diversity Council, and the Council of elders, that positive change has happened. I know that more can happen as you become involved. I was thinking about a story I told at the Regional Conferences and I want to share with you again. Since 1999 in Boston, it’s as if I am in a train station and I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Will the train reach me? Or is is broken down? I can only wait and hope that it will come. Now the train has arrived in the station. It is magnificent and beautiful and ready to be boarded. All of the doors are open, so we can all get on! The tracks are smooth and ready to guide us where we need to go, but wait! There is a gang of bank robbers on their horses, chasing down the train, trying to stop us. I think, no! Don’t do that. You will wreck the journey, when you could join the train instead.
ative or distracting is enough. Let it go and become part of the unified whole. We recently sent out a call for Committees and Councils that are open for applications, so see where you can contribute and what you are interested in! The same goes for the Board positions which will be open next year - apply! We need you with us. Thank you. Another negative influence I have seen - probably the worst of all - is on social media. People are spreading libel and backstabbing and prejudice, and it is so disappointing. Instead of having all of the information to make correct judgments, people are spreading misinformation that hurts us as a community. Since 1999, I feel like our family unity has disintegrated. There is so much contention and blame and it's enough. I am confident that the issues we have can be solved but they require unity. For who? The Deaf community and the DeafBlind community. We need to focus on them and support them. These negative experiences can become positive but the RID Board cannot do it all ourselves! We need your involvement to make a change. Put aside your grievances, become involved, and we will be successful! I promise you - we have seen from the DAC, the Diversity Council, and the Council of elders, that positive change has happened. I know that more can happen as you become involved. I was thinking about a story I told at the Regional Conferences and I want to share with you again. Since 1999 in Boston, it’s as if I am in a train station and I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Will the train reach me? Or is is broken down? I can only wait and hope that it will come. Now the train has arrived in the station. It is magnificent and beautiful and ready to be boarded. All of the doors are open, so we can all get on! The tracks are smooth and ready to guide us where we need to go, but wait! There is a gang of bank robbers on their horses, chasing down the train, trying to stop us. I think, no! Don’t do that. You will wreck the journey, when you could join the train instead.
We want you to board the train and help us to move toward our destination together. The success of the trip is for the Deaf and DeafBlind community. Anything else that is negative or distracting is enough. Let it go and become part of the unified whole. We recently sent out a call for Committees and Councils that are open for applications, so see We want you to board the train and help us to move toward where you can contribute and what you are interested in! our destination together. The success of the trip is for the The same goes for the Board positions which will be open Deaf and DeafBlind community. Anything else that is neg- next year - apply! We need you with us. Thank you.
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Standard of Inclusion continued from page 23...
Language Deprivation continued from page 35...
If a member’s new certification cycle is scheduled to begin January 1, 2022, the new Power, Privilege, and Oppression CEU requirement will go into effect for their certification cycle at that time.
We think that interpreters will find the research and discussion in this book interesting and relevant, particularly the chapter by Joan Wattman, which was written in collaboration with a Deaf interpreter and DPI. Wattman takes as her starting point the premise offered by Danica Seleskovitch and frequently cited by Colonomos that “to interpret, one must understand.” When such understanding is not easily obtained, more is required of interpreters; indeed, they must develop a skill set for unpacking and eliciting meaning that goes well beyond what foreign language interpreters are routinely called upon to demonstrate. Wattman explains how the principles and practices of IMI guide the interpreting team in this work. She also makes clear that the interpreting participants and framework must adapt by allowing for consecutive interpreting which may take more time, and/or by allowing interpreters to initiate utterances such as clarifying questions. She also describes how interpreters may use drawing, manipulatives, and role playing, all of which make the interpreter quite visible and prominent in the communicative process – putting to rest any remaining notion that interpreters work unobtrusively, like a machine.
The CEU requirements will apply as each new certification cycle begins. If a member has not begun their new certification cycle, no CEUs with the PPO designation will be listed on their transcript. Further communications will be sent via email, eNews, hard copy letter, and social media to ensure that all members are apprised of the new requirements as well as the relevant protocols. RID remains committed to cultivating an organizational culture that both honors and practices diversity and inclusion. We will further honor our commitment by providing content that will focus our endeavors toward growth and change. RID and the PDC are here to support and answer any questions you have. Please do not hesitate to contact the Professional Development Department at cmp@rid.org.
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Honoring Diversity continued from page 25... Author Bio Billy Sanders, M.S., NIC Washington, DC https://youtu.be/cINQzl1ZbbU
It is exciting to see how the field of sign language interpreting is devoting more attention to the challenges of interpreting with language-deprived and language-dysfluent individuals. This book complements emerging discussions about interpreting dysfluent or atypical language such as one finds in Pollard and Dean’s application of the demand-control schema when interpreting for dysfluent consumers (Crump & Glickman, 2011; Pollard, 1998). The challenge of interpreting for dysfluent consumers is already being addressed in the yearly Mental Health Interpreter Training program hosted by the Alabama Office of Deaf Services, and more recently through an online course developed by the Center for the Interpreting of Atypical Language at Northeastern University. In Deaf mental health, we absolutely must focus on how to effectively serve Deaf people with language deprivation, an increasing percentage of our clientele. We hope this new book will contribute to the development of new knowledge and skills for our interpreter colleagues.
Billy Sanders credits his love for serving in the Deaf community to his mother, Debra, who is Deaf. 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. As a nationally certified interpreter, Billy is a Communications Consultant with Bridges Consulting, a company he founded fifteen years ago to champion cross-cultural communication through education and empowerment. Aside from living out his passion, Billy loves to spend time with his 19-year old The book is available at www.routledge.com. A twenty person, Donovan, who is a scholar-athlete attending the Uni- cent discount is available by using the code BSE19. versity of Virginia. References
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VIEWS Volume 35 • Issue 4
Crump, C., & Glickman, N. (2011). Sign language interpreting with language dysfluent deaf clients. Journal of Interpreting, 21-36. Pollard, R. Q. (Ed.) (1998). Mental health interpreting: a mentored curriculum. Rochester, New York: University of Rochester School of Medicine.
Author Bios Neil Glickman Ph. D. Worcester, MA
In 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated an eighteen percent increased demand for interpreters, well above the average for any other career.
Neil Glickman received his Master’s Degree in Counseling from Gallaudet College in 1973 and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1993. He is the former Unit Director of the Mental Health Unit for Deaf Persons at Westborough State Hospital in Massachusetts. This is his sixth boom in the clinical specialty of Deaf Mental Health. His website is NeilGlickman.com.
There is also a clear trend in some geographic areas where hiring entities, per procurement policies and procedures, are engaging in more contracts with agencies rather than independent contractors. Oftentimes, these agencies are national-level and/or foreign language agencies whose gross income is not re-invested back into the local deaf community. The Communication Access Industry is trending toward making a single agreement with an agency who can handle Wyatte Hall Ph.D. large-scale coordination of services; this will continue to Rochester, NY put more focus on monetary profits and less on the people Wyatte Hall is a research assistant professor at the University served which is detrimental to meaningful investment within of Rochester Medical Center. He researches the connection our local communities. between early childhood language experiences and adult The above discussion is directed toward traditional agenhealth outcomes, especially as seen in the Deaf population. cies, as they are the ones with healthy profit margins. This As a public health scientist, Wyatte is especially committed was not intended to encourage an increase for individual into combating language deprivation in the Deaf community terpreters’ rates. Local rates impact access, and it’s imperby helping to promote a first language foundation through ative we all remain conscious of that effect. When we as insign language for every Deaf child. terpreters raise our rates, the agencies raise theirs too. This
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can result in access being cost prohibitive and therefore cause further barriers for deaf people at the local level. We all, as interpreters, have the power to work for agencies that Industry Disruption continued from page 39... are socially-conscious and engaged in large-scale, transformational benefit to our community. Let us never forget, we How Our Decisions Lead, Provide, and Sustain would not have a legally-mandated, secure job without deaf Access Impact in our Community people. And agencies, let us never forget that either. It is clear that the Communication Access Industry has money-making power. It is also clear that the demand for interpreting services is increasing dramatically. There is a severe shortage in the number of interpreters available to fill the growing need for interpreting services within the community (Cogen & Cokely, 2015).
It is time to redirect our focus to access at the local level and, as allies and partners, invest in creating access to more resources for which our current system is failing. We have the power to shift this trend. Not only do we have the power to shift this trend, I would argue we have a moral obligation to do so. This shift is not easy; this is and will be messy. Ask your local community: what barriers are you facing? Then,
FY 2018 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 Main-
tenance Program. 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 the revocation list, please visit the link HERE. Should you 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.
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invest resources into breaking those down. Be local community partners have faith to know that the money always comes - the market is clearly healthy. Remember, “We rise together.” Be patient. Look beyond self. Realize you have the power to influence change on a local level.
Deaf Women Against Violence Everywhere
References
Genevieve E. Dunkman Trust for The Central Institute for the Deaf
Deaf Youth Sports Festival Discovering Deaf Worlds DOVE Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Women and Children Foundation for Deaf Education
Bureau of Labor Statistics Summary. (2018, April 25). Retrieved Au- Greater Cincinnati Deaf Club Inc. gust 28, 2018, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communi- Home - Deaf Single Mothers Gallaudet Housing Fund cation/interpreters-and-translators.htm International Catholic Deaf Association- US Section Cogen, C., & Cokely, D. (2015). Preparing interpreters for tomorrow: Lions of Canv Wilderness Camp for Deaf Children Inc. Report on a study Mahoning Valley Association of the Deaf of emerging trends in interpreting and implications for interpreter eduMark Seven Deaf Foundation cation. Retrieved from http://www.rid.org/niec-reportpreparing-interpreters-for-to- Minnesota Deaf Campers morrow National Association of the Deaf Deaf Self-Advocacy Training. (2017, January 10). Retrieved from National Black Deaf Advocates Inc. https://www.nad.org/dsat/ National Family Association for Deaf Blind Martin, R. L., & Osberg, S. (2017). Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition (SSIR). Retrieved April 15, 2017, from https://ssir.org/ National Theater of the Deaf articles/entry/social_entrepreneurship_the_case_for_definition New England Home for the Deaf StreetLeverage | Accelerate Conference (2016, January 29-31). New Jersey Deaf Awareness Week List of 50 nonprofit organizations used for budget/revenue comparison New York Deaf Theatre Ltd. chart (stacked A-Z from bottom to top): NJ Deaf News Inc Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services Project Deaf India American Society for Deaf Children Rochester Recreation Club for the Deaf Inc. Aspen Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing San Francisco Deaf Club Bay Area coalition of Deaf Senior Citizens Staten Island Club of the Deaf Cleary Foundation for the Deaf Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. D.E.A.F., Inc. USA Deaf Sports Federation DAWN DE LEPEE Deaf Center Deaf Action Center (TX) Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government Inc. Deaf Centers of Nevada Deaf Community Advocacy Network Deaf Empowerment Awareness Foundation Inc. Deaf Harbor Deaf Inc. Deaf Initiatives Inc. Deaf Plus Adult Community Inc. Deaf Prison Ministries Network Deaf Reach Housing Inc. Deaf Reach, Inc Deaf Unity Deaf West Theatre Company
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VIEWS Volume 35 • Issue 4
Author Bio Kathleen O’Regan ( O’Varanese), M.A., NIC Corzet, VA Kate O’Regan is the President of Civic Access, a social enterprise that leverages its economic power to invest in local Deaf Community efforts, access and programming. She grew up in the green mountains of Vermont where she learned American Sign Language from local Deaf students. She is a graduate of Northeastern University’s Interpreter Education Program and holds a Master’s degree in Social Impact from Claremont Lincoln University. After a decade of coordinating interpreting services at the post-secondary level, Kate dedicated herself to providing reputable, accessible Deaf-centric services by listening to and working directly with Deaf consumers. Kate lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her three energetic children and enjoys taking
advantage of all the Virginia countryside has to offer, while Self-Care continued from page 43... continuing her love of learning and staying active. References
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Dennis Cokely continued from page 41... Dennis taught at Kendall School and was involved in Gallaudet’s theatre productions, working closely with the legendary Gilbert Eastman. He also developed a sign language evaluation system for the Pre-College Program (Clerc Center). This was perhaps the first such system in the US, if not the world. He also developed Super 8 movies for teaching “Kendalese” SL (his name for the version of sign language used by Kendall School kids). I worked closely with him as the cinematographer and editor and was impressed with his eye for detail and pursuit of perfection. Most of all, he was fun and funny. We taught together at Kendall School and often met in the morning and at lunch, which meant a lot of laughs and guffaws as we exchanged our invented “SEE” signs. One incident stands out in my mind. I asked him one morning for a tea bag. He gave it to me and told me to read the name of the brand of tea. It was “Constant Comment.” Dennis started to talk about all kinds of things and I told him to stop so I could make my tea.
Siegel, Daniel. (2010) Minding The Brain. Retrieved from https://www.psychalive.org/minding-the-brain-by-daniel-siegelm-d-2/ Siegel, Daniel. (2012, February 29). Dr. Daniel Siegel Presenting a Hand Model of the Brain. Retrieved from https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=gm9CIJ74Oxw Tousignant, Scott. (2013, August 4). Self Myofascial Release: Upper Back Relief. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/hKKu9pJGmKY?t=64 Xiao Ma, Zi-Qi Yue, Zhu-Qing Gong, Hong Zhang, Nai-Yue Duan, Yu-Tong Shi, Gao-Xia Wei, and You-Fa Li. (2017). The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Front Psychol, 8: 874. Published online 2017 Jun 6. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5455070/
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He said, No, I have to make constant comments, and you will have your tea when my comments are not constant. That was Dennis!
Madan Vasishta
See also ASL Features: Topic Comment by Dennis Cokely at Madonna University: https://www.njvid.net/show. php?pid=njcore%3A32579
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November 2018 EPS Update In accordance with the Ethical Practices System (EPS) Policies, the following members were found to have violated the NADRID Code of Professional Conduct (CPC): Member
Region
Tenets
Sanction(s)
Xenia Fretter (Woods)
V
1.Confidentiality 5. Respect for Colleagues
1. 3-month suspension of certification 2. 15 Mentoring hours 3. Submit a self-reflection and assessment report 4. Submit a sworn and notarized affidavit agreeing to comply with the CPC 5. Not provide training, workshops or mentoring during the suspension period
Beth Evans Maclay
II
2. Professionalism 3. Conduct 4. Respect for Consumers 6. Business Practices
Read “Deaf Professionals and Designated Interpreters: A New Paradigm. (by Peter C Hauser, Karen l. Finch, and Angela B Hauser, editors, Gallaudet Press.), meet with a mentor for at least 2 hours and submit a report to Appeal Panel
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National Interpreter Certification Certification awarded between 08/09/2018- 11/08/2018
Region I - Northeast
Region III - Midwest
Monique DuBois, MA Andrew Irving Galuskin, NJ Nora Foley, PA Katherine Lawrence, NH Kelly Muskopf, MA Catherine Pica, NY Jaimee Saemann, PA Rebecca Suskin , PA Hope Victoria Williams, NY
Nicole Lynn Berends, MN Angela Denise Carroll, IN Emily Fitterer, WI Sam Freeman, IL Corinne Miller, KY Joseph Moeller, KY James Overing, KY Margaret A. Ritter, IL Adella M. Shaw, OH Chelsea Sudar, OH Nicole Marion Thornberg, MN
Region II - Southeast Tristan Brown, VA Heidi Kay Green, TN Jillian Rose Kalish, FL Kaborski Tamar Ledbetter, FL Benjamin Llamas, MD Ruth Marie Mendiola, FL Kathryne Nash, VA Doney Oatman, NC Tabatha Marie Podleiszek, MD Jonathan Sanchez, FL Tracy Utecht, GA Kathleen Ann Vance, VA Katrina Watson , GA Stephanie Jean Wellum, DC
Region IV - Central Alecia Madora Abeling, TX Brianna Sensenig Brubaker, NM Whitney Lee Gard, SD Adrianna Lucero, NM
Region V- Pacific Eric Daniel Brown, CA Kristina M Estep, WA Sarah Elizabeth Tisdale, CA Valerie Thornton, OR Jarris L Wright, CA Shannon Eileen Yessick, UT
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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 Jefferson City, MO and other mailing offices by Brown Printing Co. 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 Michael B Ballard, ABD Dale H. Boam, CI, Attorney at Law Kelly Brakenhoff, NIC Jami Macdonald, Associate Member Jonathan Webb, CI and CT, NIC Advanced Julia Wardle, MA © 2018 the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. All rights reserved. 54
VIEWS Volume 35 • Issue 4
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 (703) 838-0030 V • (571)-257-3957 VP • (703) 838-0454 Fax • www.rid.org www.rid.org
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GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF INTERPRETATION AND TRANSLATION The department offers three levels of education. •
Ph.D. in Interpretation program focuses on research and pedagogy of interpretation and translation.
•
MA in Interpretation program prepare interpreters and researchers who will provide exemplary services and become leaders in the field. We offer two concentrations: • •
•
Combined Interpreter Practice and Research concentration Interpreter Research concentration
BA in Interpretation focuses on interpretation.
Interested in the graduate study? Contact interpretation@gallaudet.edu. Interested in the undergraduate study? Contact bai.hug@gallaudet.edu.
Use code GRADRID2019 to receive a $25 off your fall 2019 graduate application fee.
Department of Interpretation and Translation (202) 559-5627 (videophone) (202) 651-5493 (voice) www.gallaudet.edu
CONNECT WITH US @GallaudetU