Greetings,

For many in our community the moratorium on RID performance testing and certification, the decision to form a new LLC for testing, and transparency are topics that have been at the forefront of thought and discussion for the last quarter of 2015.

It is my hope that this Prezi may aid those wishing to stay abreast of or enter the conversation for the first time. I have collected communications from only three parties: the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), and Street Leverage. The pieces included here have been published between the initial announcement of the moratorium 8/8/15 and 12/30/15.

I have tried to be sufficiently thorough for this to function as an equitable primer. The resources included in this primer are not an exhaustive collection of information on these topics. There are many more opinion pieces, thoughtful critiques, and other valuable pieces of the discussion to be found all over the internet.

I encourage you to use this Prezi as a point of departure for further reading. These conversations are worth having and they will shape the future of our field for some time. I look forward joining in these discussions with you all.

RID Moratorium News Primer – Timeline 

Regards,

Clint Brockway
President, Arkansas RID
president@arkansasrid.org
www.arkansasrid.org

Hello Fellow ARIDians!

We live in a time when social media accounts for a large portion of most people’s social activity. These new ways of interacting allow us to connect with people and ideas that we may not otherwise encounter. I am excited to present this fun article by guest author Ashley Harper (ARID’s new Technology Committee Chair)!

If you are active on Instagram, chances are you follow celebrities, food bloggers, maybe even the adorably displeased Grumpy Cat (like I do).  If you are not active on Instagram, I suggest you stop reading this right now, pick up your phone, download the app, and open an account. I am about to introduce you to eight people and organizations that celebrate Deafness, helping spread awareness daily through social media. These wonderful people not only use their platform for education and advocacy, they are Deafies, performers, interpreters, and artists of the like. Get ready to spend your lunch hour browsing the videos and photos of some awe-inspiring people. You can thank me later.

@aslnyc (American Sign Language NYC)

asl nyc is a group located in Manhattan that offers American Sign Language courses and mentorships.

@signedwithheart (Ashley Clark Fry)

Ashley Clark Fry is a social media crusader using outlets like Instagram for ASL lessons in under 15 seconds. Ashley, who is Deaf, was a recipient of NAD’s #NADHandwave award January 2015 for her advocacy through social media.

@nancyrourke (Nancy Rourke)

Nancy Rourke is a renowned Deaf artist who’s work can be found at Gallaudet University, the American School for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, and many, many more prestigious locations. She is the recipient of an extensive number of awards from various organization including De’VIA, a movement that celebrates Deaf artists.

@equalaccess (Equal Access Resources)

Equal Access Resources is an organization found on the east coast made up of Deaf and hearing interpreters to provide resources to businesses serving the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Deaf-Blind communities. This Instagram account provides ASL challenges and Deaf culture lessons.

@deafnation (Deaf Nation)

DeafNation, Inc is an organization that covers all things Deaf. Follow their account to see what’s going on with Deaf communities within and outside of the United States.

@aslslam (ASL Slam)

ASL Slam is a traveling organization that gives a spotlight for ASL performers nationwide.

@nad1880 (National Association of the Deaf)

The National Association of the Deaf regularly posts trivia, news, cultural and historical references, and so much more.

 

I hope you enjoyed this read. Keep an eye out for a feature on different figures and organizations that use Facebook to inform, educate, and entertain our Deaf world and interpreting profession.

 

As we near the implementation of the moratorium on performance testing, many of us have questions. Hopefully the infographic and links here are able to make things a bit clearer.

You can find more information from RID and NAD about the moratorium at the links below. If you have more questions and do not find answers in the links, please contact us! We look forward to connecting with you.

We will continue to share updated information as it becomes available.

Warm regards,

 

 

 

Clint Brockway
President | Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

Full moratorium FAQ

RID President Dawn Whitcher’s Response to NAD-RID Relations

RID Vice President Melvin Walker’s Address Re: Clarification of Moratorium

NAD President Chris Wagner’s Address on Moratorium and NAD-RID Relations

RID President Dawn Whitcher’s Initial Address on Moratorium

The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID) has shared additional information about the pending moratorium on certification. Vice President Melvin Walker delivers this half-hour address answering questions that members have raised following the initial announcement at the RID National Conference in August, 2015.

The full video announcement is included below, followed by links to both the English transcript of Mr. Walker’s address and to the newly released FAQ regarding the moratorium. I encourage you to watch and read through all of these materials as you will find that the moratorium impacts individual certifications differently than others (Ed:K-12, for example, operates on a different timeline than the NIC).

This conversation has quickly attracted the majority of our focus as a profession and I suspect that it is a conversation that will not be finished soon. I challenge all of you to engage in this conversation with your colleagues here in Arkansas, across the country, and around the world. Do not forget to look at community partner organizations like the National Association of the Deaf, media partners like Street Leverage, and other credible sources to form a more holistic understanding of these currents in our discipline.

This is a time of change for our organization and profession, all of our critical thought and reason will be called upon before we find a resolution. Our thoughts cannot be considered if we are not forming and sharing them with others in our field.  I look forward to engaging in this conversation with you.

 

 

 

Clint Brockway
President | Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

 

An English transcript of the announcement is available with the announcement on the RID website.

A copy of the FAQ mentioned by Vice President Walker can be found here.

As of 9/3/15 the following positions have not been filled, to our knowledge:

Hot Springs School District – Intervener/ Interdisciplinary Team Member

Seeks an individual with extensive knowledge of American Sign Language to work with a second grade student with autism spectrum disorder. Student has no formal knowledge of ASL. Work would be focused on meeting the student’s communicative needs through various means including ASL, apps, and other means as deemed appropriate.

For more information, including required qualifications, work hours, and salary, contact:

Bobbie Morrison
morrisonb@hssd.net
Special Education Director
Phone: 501 623 7421
Fax: 501 620 7847
Hot Springs School District
400 Linwood
Hot Springs, Arkansas 71913

Farmington School District – Sign Language Interpreter

Seeks a sign language interpreter to work with a 7th grade, female student at their Randal Lynch Middle School campus in Farmington, Arkansas.

Qualifications: Arkansas license for interpreters and one or more of the following: minimum QAST 3/3 or above, EIPA 3.5 or above, or national certification.

For more information, including work hours and salary, contact:

Felicia Pasley
Special Education Supervisor
fpasley@wftigers.org
Phone: 479 841 4018
359 Rheas Road
Farmington, Arkansas 72730

or

Velma Byrum
Administrative Assistant
Phone: 479 839 3035

Buffalo Island School District – Interpreter

Seeks a sign language interpreter to work with a second grade, female student at their Buffalo Island Central Elementary campus in Leachville, Arkansas.

Qualifications: Arkansas license for interpreters and one or more of the following: minimum QAST 3 or above, EIPA 3.5 or above, or national certification.

For more information, including work hours and salary, contact:

Janee’ McElhanon
janeemc@crmail.k12.ar.us

Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing – Interpreter

This is a staff interpreting position at the CCDHH in Johnson City, Tennessee where you would work 40 hours per week as a community interpreter. The work ranges from medical to legal to instructional settings and beyond. Employer covers costs for some professional development. Start with 28 days PTO annually: these days are not subdivided into sick days and vacation days. You have 28 days to use as you see fit.

Licensure not required (currently being developed in Tennessee).
High School Diploma required, Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Nationally certified or QAST 4/4 (or above) preferred, not required.

For more information, contact:

Jessica Harrison, NIC
Program Coordinator
jharrison@frontierhealth.org
Phone: 423 434 0447
VP: 423 218 1215
TTY 423-434-0448

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ARID) website! My name is Clint Brockway and I am the President for the 2015-2017 term.

ARID is an affiliate chapter of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. Our membership is comprised of interpreters across the state of Arkansas who work in a diverse variety of settings providing interpretation and transliteration services to the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, Deaf-Blind, Oral Deaf, and Hearing communities of Arkansas.

I hope that you will find our online home to be welcoming, informative, and easy to navigate. We are happy to host information about:

• credentialing, certification, and licensure
• membership in and governance of our organization
• upcoming community and professional development events
• resources for working interpreters
• resources for those interested in becoming interpreters
• resources for those looking to hire interpreters
• current and previous editions of our award-winning newlestter, The ARIDian
• and more about the field of interpreting and our organization

If you do not find the information that you are looking for, or have questions and ideas to share with us, please contact us! We look forward to connecting with you.

Warm regards,

Clint Brockway, QAST 5/5, EIPA 3.5

President, Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

president@arkansasrid.org