REGION III COLUMBUS OHIO

Region III Columbus Ohio June 16 – 19, 2022

by Meghann Cassidy, NIC

Columbus, Ohio welcomed RID’s Region III conference to its great downtown in June. For four days, the attendees were kept busy with a wide variety of workshops providing up to 24 hours of CEUs. The conference planners took a hybrid approach to the conference with the presenters and attendees. Most presenters were in-person; however, some presented via Zoom. The workshops were also presented to an in-person audience and through Zoom. This, of course, caused some technical problems that were quickly solved by the great support staff.

The long weekend started with a presentation by RID president, Ritchie Bryant. He looked back at the history of RID. He pointed out some of the missteps that have happened through the years and the organizational trauma resulting from those missteps. President Bryant then went on to discuss the changing demographics of the profession and how it needs to be embraced so RID becomes more diverse and more reflective of the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf Blind communities served. The presentation ended with what RID is planning to do to address these issues and a call for all members to work together to build a better RID. Then it was time to earn those CEUs. Most time blocks offered three different workshop options. The range of topics provided opportunities for newer interpreters and the most seasoned. The best part of the four days was seeing everyone come together again. This conference seemed like a family reunion filled with hugs and laughter that has not happened in several years. There was an additional reunion happening outside on Saturday with the Columbus Pride march. The conference and hotel location, downtown Columbus, was convenient to have a stroll at lunch for a quick bite or to a pub for a relaxing dinner. The conference planners put together a wonderful conference that had something for everyone.

The weekend ended with RID CEO Star Grieser, looking toward the future of RID. She explained the history of RID’s certification systems and what the next iteration will look like. She also discussed how some of RID’s structures do not allow for pressing issues to be addressed and changed as quickly as members would like. This is an issue that will be examined by RID’s leadership. If changes are made to the structure of RID correctly, under the guidance of the President and CEO and with member input, members can begin to heal and trust RID again.