Region II

REPORT

Jason Hurdich, M.Ed, CDI Region II Representative

Representative Jason Hurdich, M.Ed., CDI, lives in South Carolina. He is a graduate of Boston University and the University of North Florida.

In the past few months, we have started to dive into many extraordinary events happening across Region II. I am excited to see the increased collaboration between our Deaf community, interpreting community, and vested stakeholders throughout the region. I look forward to representing the RID Board of Directors at several affiliate chapter events in the upcoming months.

At the Region II Council meeting on March 31, 2022, many officers joined the discussion on critical issues and how the board on the national level can support Region II more effectively and efficiently.

At this meeting, these topics were discussed:

1. RID Headquarters and its Board of Directors encouraged all affiliate chapters to submit events to https://rid.org/events/submit-events/, which will allow affiliate chapters to share their events on a national level.

2. Dr. Carolyn Ball, Affiliate Chapter Liaison, shared how to effectively use the Affiliate Chapter Resource Center (ACRC). The ACRC is open to any affiliate chapter member with involvement by leadership. Affiliate Chapter Leaders and members can earn free CEUs through this resource, which also offers webinars. Dr.Ball demonstrated different positions and their responsibilities, along with how to draft bylaws, finances, and so forth. 3. Discussion took place on RID’s requirements for affiliate chapter voting and its impact on chapter. According to the bylaws:

“Affiliate chapters must also honor the dual membership agreement between the national organization and the affiliate chapters requiring a voting member of the affiliate chapter must be a member at the national level. At the same time, a voting member of the national organization must be a member of an affiliate chapter.”

This discussion will be continued at the next meeting.

4. An affiliate chapter brought up that it had not yet received a complimentary contact list of members in its state once per quarter.

Carolyn Ball will follow up on this and ensure that affiliate chapters get the needed information to recruit members.

5. A leadership program is also needed to allow members to fully understand what they may experience when accepting leadership or volunteer positions within affiliate chapters.

Region II members, we are fortunate to have dedicated and committed affiliate chapter leaders wanting to better not only the profession but also the members of the Deaf community. I hope that each member will find the value of volunteerism and lift their affiliate chapters to new heights in the time to come.

ALRID has been busy planning for its biennial conference in June 2022, especially after the 2020 conference (also ALRID’s 50th anniversary) was canceled due to the pandemic. Instead, ALRID will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the 2022 conference in Mobile on June 1-3.

ALRID is hosting an in-person workshop on April 30, “Challenges of Interpreting in K-12.” The workshop will be held at the Alabama School for the Deaf in Talladega, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Registration is $25.00.

ALRID is also hosting a virtual workshop on May 17, “Unpacking Internal Biases: The Messages from Within (Part 1)” presented by LaTrice L. Dowtin, Ph.D., LCPC, NCSP, RPT. We are planning a series of workshops on this topic. Registration is free for ALRID members, and for others, we are asking for a $20 registration fee (to be donated to Alabama Black Deaf Advocates).

Florida RID (FRID)

FRID started the year 2022 with an onboarding meeting for all the newly elected officers and a reflection and celebration of the accomplishments of the Organization in 2021. FRID also had its first quarter board meeting in February, with good attendance from our membership. We are so happy to have a full board and many new committee chairperson appointments.

A highlight for FRID was partnering with the NBA Orlando Magic and other organizations to host the first ASL/Deaf Awareness night at a game held on April 5. The event included a dance performance from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, and many FRID board and committee members were in attendance.

Georgia RID (GaRID)

GARID had a Member Appreciation Day. We have just brought on a new webmaster and are excited to be revamping our website, creating new committees, and setting up a mentorship scholarship. We are working to welcome new members from Georgia State University and Valdosta State University, two universities with inter-

Left to right: Vice President of Internal Affairs Hope Diehl, Member-at-Large Mary Hoover, Sponsorship Coordinator Melanie Peach, Region Representative East Genaere Lowery, and Orlando Magic representative Corey Helvey.

preter education programs. We just completed a member survey to help improve the organization’s strength and collaboration. We are also planning a possible theater interpreting workshop in person this summer. We are setting up two liaison positions for National Alliance of Black Interpreters-Atlanta (NAOBI-ATL) and Georgia Association of the Deaf to be more responsive and diverse in our endeavors while also making our communities stronger. Last, but not least, we will be at DeafNation Expo in Atlanta in early May in collaboration with NAOBI.

Mississippi RID (MSRID)

MSRID has worked tirelessly to support the Deaf and interpreting communities in the state. We are in the process of setting up mentorships, training, and focus groups. Educational interpreters are meeting virtually to promote professional support and standard practices. Videos and workshops are being created to ensure all MSRID members get the most from the website. The website is being expanded to include the names and contact information of state members who want to promote their services throughout the state. MSRID will have members at the Mississippi Coast Association of the Deaf’s meeting and March event, the first meeting since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Carolina RID (NCRID)

NCRID has been busy continuing with our road trips for the membership. These free workshops are a chance for members to get to know NCRID and our roles better. We hosted our first in-person event on May 14 in Greensboro. We have updated our bylaws and policy and procedures manual for our membership to vote on at our upcoming conference. Our conference will be virtual again this year on June 24-25. We are offering two concurrent tracks over two days, with 1.5 CEUs for the combo price of $100 for members and $125 for non-members. Can’t join us all day? We have a la carte option as well. We also offer reciprocity to other state chapters upon proof of membership. For more information,please visit Potomac Chapter RID (PCRID)

The first meeting to establish PCRID was held on March 13, 1971. On April 23, 2022, we honored and celebrated PCRID’s 51 years of existence. We hosted a workshop that included a presentation by PCRID President Antonio Burkett, focusing on PCRID’s history, community collaborations, the individual and collective benefits of such partnerships, and the importance of cultural competence, specifically regarding Black ASL. The event also featured guest chef Phillip Smith, Jr., of California. He showed attendees how to create a few appetizers and age-appropriate drinks. We rounded out the event with a community montage of individuals far and wide wishing PCRID a happy birthday and congratulations.

PCRID’s ongoing initiatives include collaborating, networking, and leveraging talent with our fellow affiliate chapters such as NCRID with the intent to strengthen our bylaws. We want to make sure PCRID is a welcoming, inclusive, and professionally supportive space. We are reviewing and updating our governing policies to (hopefully) eliminate any exclusionary and unnecessary barriers to service and leadership. NCRID graciously agreed to meet with us and share insights on their bylaws update process to provide us with ideas for our bylaws review and amendment process.

We always invite volunteers to assist with our goal of elevating the hearing and Deaf-plus communities. One of the ways we are pursuing this initiative is by collaborating with Gordon Vernon of Puerto Rico RID (RISPRI) . This collaboration is another example of affiliate chapters working together across borders to strengthen our communities and profession.

We are also fortunate enough to welcome not one, but two Emilys to the team: Emily Dittmer and Emily Mize. Emily Dittmer is our new ad-hoc social media manager, and Emily Mize assists in our financial realm and supports our official treasury obligations.

Another area of emphasis involves a partnership with the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). CCBC students are required to acquire service learning hours before graduating from CCBC’s

A video call with President Antonio Burkett and Chef Phillip Smith, Jr., smiling about the event on April 23, 2022. A focused image of a stuffed yellow mini-pepper that appears to be stuffed with cream cheese, shredded cheeses, and herbs.

Interpreter Training Program. This term, students Isabel Montero, Pamela Ball, and Ben Touzeau reached out to to provide support under this experiential learning model. They volunteered for our special events, and previous students gained service learning hours for volunteering at our conferences. We expect to continue this reciprocal partnership with CCBC.

PCRID has extended its partnerships with Frederick Community College (FCC). FCC hosted a Program Advisory Council (PAC) meeting amongst stakeholders. PCRID representatives Burkett and Shannon Morrison attended this meeting and shared feedback on a targeted recruitment approach to bring in the perspectives and voices of Black and Brown individuals on the PAC.

We look forward to continuing this conversation with FCC. April 23 brought another riveting workshop presented by Claris Industrious, NIC, “A Single Story: Intersectionality and the Deaf Community” and “Cruise Control: Using Routinization.” Overall, member engagement is rising, and we are committed to continuing to encourage and support our South Carolina interpreters.

This year TSD is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their Educational Interpreters Institute (EII) on June 22-24. The EII theme is “Pearls of Wisdom: Celebrating 30 Years.” In conjunction with the EII, TRID will host our annual members’ meeting and workshops on June 24-25, 2022.

TRID (Tennessee RID)

Finally, PCRID intends to co-host a summer event with local hearing and deaf organizations. Last year, we co-hosted a Family Fun Day with the NAOBI’s DC chapter under President Sequoia Taylor-El’s leadership. This year,we met with DC Area Black Deaf Advocates President Chris “CJ” Johnson to start planning the summer event.. For now, it is slated for August 2022, and we hope to invite more organizations, such as Mano a Mano and the Greater Washington Asian Deaf Association. Stay tuned for more details!

South Carolina RID (SC RID)

Hello from the great state of Tennessee! TRID is planning our 2022 annual online conference and members’ meeting. This year, we continue to prioritize educational interpreters in our state and are excited to collaborate with the Tennessee Schools for the Deaf, Knoxville!

TRID board has some exciting news to share at the annual members’ meeting that has been in the works for several months. Please check our website for more information. We hope to see you there!

SC RID has been busy collecting membership survey results, listening to our membership, and gauging interpreter needs since the pandemic turned our world upside down. SC RID hosted several virtual workshops to boost its savings account in preparation for the 2022 conference.

This year’s SC RID conference was a smashing success! Executing SC RID’s first hybrid conference required lots of muscle from our board members, but we pulled it off! Hosted at the Hilton Garden Inn in Columbia, this central location made it possible for 75 interpreters to attend. After a delicious dinner, we enjoyed a classifier-rich Friday night performance by Deaf comedian Ben Jarashow. Saturday consisted of six hours with presenter Daniel Maffia, MA, NIC, focusing on the Demand Control Schema, followed by our annual board meeting. A short wrap-up and a two-hour workshop by Ben Jarashow presenting “Allophilia, Allyship, and Deaf Heart” and a fun interpreter