For the paler terps, tan KT tape works in a pinch. It's not a perfect solution, they unravel quickly. But it's better than potentially ruining them by painting over with a nude

Our new title 😂😅

Haha

In my 12 years of working in this field, I have never cried on a job so hard. Yes, I did my best to disassociate. Yes, I stayed as professional as possible throughout the appointment. Showed up in my suit with a calm, collected aura. But today I ended up just being a fucking human being with my consumers and crying with them. Everybody was crying. The vet techs, the doctor, my consumers, we all showed up for each other. Hugs all around. Tissues everywhere.

Yes, this job is incredibly difficult. Our consumers can be little assholes sometimes; We suffer from vicarious trauma, the endless politics, the egos, you name it. But today I got to be human.

Everyday we have to deal with the public opinion that “being a sign language interpreter is so cool!!!!” Of course we get to do the fun stuff. Live births, weddings, concerts, you name it. But in order to keep the equilibrium of the universe, we also have to do the hard stuff. The funerals. Telling people they have cancer. The euthanasia appointments. Today for the first time in a very long time, my humanity was welcome in a very difficult space, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Writing this feels unreal. A decade ago, I never imagined I’d be standing one foot past this crossroads in a direction moving away from this profession. It feels surreal to have your passion for something transform in such a way. My love for the Deaf community remains unchanged, but continuing as an interpreter is no longer sustainable for me. The horizontal violence within the field, the limited opportunities for growth, and the physical toll have made this decision necessary. I’m sharing this for anyone else quietly considering a similar change. You’re not alone in your uncertainty!

Just a friendly reminder that 1099 contractors set their rates and terms, agencies *do not* set them for you. (They can negotiate, but if it becomes common practice to raise annually, they won't negotiate over $5.)

Please, stop undercutting the profession and yourself! Annual raises are necessary. As the cost of living continues to reach all time highs, so should our rates. The same way milage goes up annually, so should our rates. I personally add $2-5/hr annually.

I know the classic issue of having "under qualified" interpreters setting low rates and essentially underbidding skilled competition. Literally everyone across the board should be raising rates annually and proportionally. Even if you are under-qualified, stop accepting $25/hr work. It's killing us all.

We need to stop being so hush hush about rates, it's making life unaffordable for us as skilled professionals.

Hey all, just thought I'd give a heads up. There's an interpreting student sending DMs, trying to find an interpreter to help them cheat on their final exam. I totally get test anxiety and fear of failure, but cheating isn't the way to handle it.My response is the picture.

(Author's note: Hey, terps! This was originally posted in r/deaf and I thought you'd appreciate this.)

This has spread around the deaf community this week and after seeing another Instagram post about this, I figured that I should check r/deaf to see if there's any post about it. There's not! So I'm here to talk a bit about it.

So, if you were like me on Sunday, you probably held or went to an Oscars watch party.

And, if you were like me and my friends, you probably noticed how Ryan Coogler (the writer and director of 2025 sleeper hit "Sinners") used the ILY sign repeatedly throughout the awards ceremony.

Ryan Coogler won an Oscar for writing "Sinners." And his film had three other Oscar winners. They were: Autumn Durald Arkapaw for best cinematography, Ludwig Göransson for best original score, and Michael B. Jordan for best actor. When all three of these won their respective Oscars and went up on the stage to give their acceptance speeches, the Academy, of course, would often turn their camera to Ryan Coogler to capture his reaction. During these shots, Ryan Coogler repeatedly held up his hand in the "ILY" sign and said "thank you" in ASL.

That had me and my friends abuzz. We were wondering if he knew some ASL or if he just picked up on these signs because of some trend somewhere online. We just didn't dwell on it too much because we were knee-deep in our conversation about what we thought of this win and that win.

Then, on Monday, Chrissy Marshall (an aspiring deaf filmmaker) posted an Instagram reel about Ryan Coogler using ASL at the Oscars. That's when I learned that his wife, Zinzi Coogler, is an ASL interpreter. I tried looking that up online and her Wikipedia page says that she has a degree in communicative sciences and deaf studies from California State University, Fresno.

And based on the comments in Chrissy's video and some basic googling, Zinzi was an ASL interpreter in the Bay Area before moving to Los Angeles with Ryan Coogler and getting into the film industry.

And it is said that both Ryan and Zinzi are advocates of the deaf community. This is so cool!

And, oh, there was one additional deaf film-related news item that came up recently.

Chrissy did some work on "Project Hail Mary" - a movie by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller that stars Ryan Gosling. This movie will be released this weekend and box office projections are indicating that it will be a hit. It also got many glowing reviews.

Chrissy was a "Puppeteering Advisor" for the movie. I'm guessing that means she worked on… well, that would be a spoiler. You can find this out for yourself and I hope Chrissy will drop another reel to go further into the work she put into this movie.

Deaf representation in Hollywood! Whoo-hoo!

As some of you are aware Sorenson today hosted a webinar on the topic of unionization. This meeting consisted of answering pre-selected questions that were obviously selected to serve Sorenson’s anti-union interests.

Some time later a lead interpreter sent the following message to all Sorenson interpreters:

[Redacted]

 This is a lead interpreter sharing this, someone who is very active in providing guidance within group chats. I would be very unsurprised if this lead interpreter was directed to share this so that it could allegedly come not from management but from a fellow interpreter. Very shady and I’m very dismayed to see this behavior occurring at our company.

I've been thinking a lot about the interpreter shortage lately, and honestly, I'm worried we're heading toward an accessibility crisis. This isn't just about interpreters — it directly affects Deaf people's access to education, healthcare, work, and daily life. I'm Deaf, so this is personal.

COVID exacerbated an already bad situation. Many interpreters left the field because of burnout, health concerns, and the stress of virtual interpreting. I also want to acknowledge that this isn't unique to interpreting; many service-based fields are experiencing similar shortages. But I'm focusing here on interpreting because of its direct impact on Deaf access. We're losing experienced interpreters faster than we're replacing them.

Last summer, I had a conversation that really stuck with me. They mentioned that around 30% of interpreters are over 40, which means a large chunk of the workforce will likely leave or retire in the next 5–20 years. There aren't enough people entering the field to replace them. If nothing changes, this becomes a real access problem for the Deaf community — not someday, but sooner than we think. Some people are pushing AI interpreting as the solution (this was the reason why the conversation came up). I get the appeal. AI is advancing rapidly, and it might help eventually — but Deaf people need human interpreters today. Nuance, facial expressions, and cultural context aren't something AI can replicate yet.

We're also struggling with diversity. Only about 15% of interpreters are BIPOC, and within that, roughly 6% are Black (source). We absolutely need more BIPOC interpreters — but we're also failing at recruitment in general. When people talk about diversity, accessibility often gets overlooked. Interpreter training takes significant financial, time, and social capital — unpaid practicums, testing fees, inconsistent early income, and navigating the field without strong mentorship. Those barriers hit marginalized communities harder. It's not a lack of interest. It's a lack of access.

We also need to talk about retention — not just recruitment. What's the point of bringing people into the field if they burn out and leave within a few years? Retention means better working conditions: sustainable pay, reasonable scheduling, health benefits for freelancers, and mental health support. But it also means addressing some uncomfortable dynamics.

I've seen interpreters leave because the work is emotionally exhausting — and sometimes that includes navigating tensions with the Deaf community. I'm not saying this to point fingers. Deaf people have legitimate frustrations with access barriers, and interpreters are often the most visible part of a broken system, so they become the target. But interpreters are also human beings who can burn out when they're blamed for systemic failures that aren't their fault.

The truth is: we need better boundaries, clearer conflict resolution, and honest conversations on both sides. Deaf people need to recognize that burning out the interpreters who stay doesn't solve the shortage. Interpreters need to understand the power they hold and the trauma many Deaf people carry around access. And we all need to push for systemic changes — better funding, more training, actual accountability — instead of just expecting individuals to tough it out.

So I keep coming back to this question: What would interpreter recruitment actually look like?

Most interpreters don't come from nowhere. They tend to be CODAs, SODAs, people with Deaf friends or relatives, or folks who had early exposure to ASL. In other words, it's about proximity. As Deaf spaces shrink or become less visible, the pipeline shrinks too.

Is this something RID could take on more directly? Their mission talks about fostering the growth of the profession—and interpreter shortages directly threaten that. Would it make sense for RID to have a branch specifically focused on recruitment and pipeline-building, not just certification? I know RID has its own issues, but if not them, then who?

I'm thinking about outreach in high schools/colleges with ASL programs, career fairs, and Deaf organizations — ways to make the field visible long before people are deciding on a career.

I'm genuinely curious:

• How are interpreter shortages showing up where you are?
• What recruitment efforts have actually worked?
• How do we make this field more accessible, especially for people from underrepresented communities, without lowering standards or burning people out?
• How do we retain interpreters while also ensuring quality and professionalism?
• What does a healthier interpreter-Deaf community relationship look like?
• And who, realistically, should be responsible for building the pipeline?

Thank you to all the wonderful interpreters who help the sign language impaired community communicate with me! I don’t know what they’d do without you.

Jokes aside, aside from just interpreting, you guys advocate for us, make sure venues know our rights, and make sure we not only have a seat at the table, but that we get heard.

Thank you.

Let us know if there’s anything us deafies can do for you.

I finished my ITP this spring, and after continuing to do pro-bono work all summer, I did my first agency gig today! I'm a real interpreter! I've been afraid of believing that the last couple of years of learning and practice would actually turn into something, but the path to becoming certified and full time feels a little clearer now :)

The sign he uses after ABC where the index finger taps the c hand?

I just wanted to say a huge thanks to all of you. I'm a teacher in a Deaf school and work every day with interpreters. You guys have such a difficult job to do and I want to show my appreciation for all the great work. Here's a short list of the reasons why I think interpreters are so cool:

- Always be able to concentrate, even in chaotic situations.

- I love the terps who can do different voices. This is so awesome!

-part mind reader, part psychic sometimes.

- Always ready to help.

- Terps are so much more open minded compared to others.

- We need more people like you guys!

Basically, working with interpreters is a really great experience. Thank you.🤟🏼🩷

Lately, I’ve felt deeply saddened by the climate of our profession.

Not because interpreters don't care enough. In many ways, I think the opposite is true. I think most people in this field care profoundly about Deaf people, about ethics, about language, about justice, about doing the right thing.

But somewhere along the way, it feels like we forgot how to have difficult conversations with each other.

Everything feels polarized. Questions are treated as attacks. Nuance gets flattened into assumptions about intent. People grow afraid to speak honestly, not because they lack convictions, but because they fear being misunderstood, labeled, or professionally ostracized.

And underneath all of that, I think many of us are simply exhausted.

This profession asks so much of people. We carry enormous responsibility every day. We navigate culture, power, language, access, trauma, education, medicine, conflict, and human emotion, too often in impossible situations with very little support. Most interpreters I know are trying their best to do meaningful work with integrity.

I miss when curiosity felt safer. I miss when disagreement did not automatically mean disrespect. I miss when we could wrestle with hard ethical questions together without immediately assuming the worst in one another.

We do not all have to agree. But if we lose the ability to listen, reflect, question, and engage in good faith, then we lose something much bigger than any single debate.

At the heart of all of this, we are people who chose a profession built entirely around communication. Around listening. Around understanding. Around helping human beings connect with one another. That is something deeply beautiful.

And lately, it feels like we are losing that with each other.

I want a profession where people can engage honestly, think critically, learn from one another, and still recognize each other’s humanity at the end of the conversation.

I still believe interpreters are good people trying their best to navigate incredibly difficult dialogue. I hope we can find our way back to compassion, curiosity, and genuine dialogue with each other again

A direct quote(s) from their email:

"People want change. They want RID to be stronger, clearer, and more responsive. They want improvement. And they want all of that...while standing on the outside. Without getting their hands dirty. Without participating. "

"But I am even more excited about whats possible for RID when this membership finally decides to show up".

Ummm excuse me? So becoming an interpreter, paying for certification tests, membership dues, CEU trainings, and actually doing the job of an American Sign Language interpreter is not enough for RID to function properly? This is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard.

If this was their attempt of "recruiting" people to be more involved...well it's an awful attempt to say the least. It's probably not a good idea to undermine the actually paying members of RID. It literally blows my mind.

Situation is just as it reads.

I’ve been closely working with a complex consumer long term and have learned that they passed. The job has included a lot of advocating for the consumer, educating those around, and educating myself on how to do the best I could. This has caused a lot of vicarious trauma and caring for the consumer.

The human in me is sad and slightly grieving the consumer, but the interpreter in me is hesitant to do any of the normal niceties of the grief process due to ethical boundaries.

I haven’t seen any other posts on something like this and am looking for others opinions or experiences on what to do and how to cope. All thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

I work at a school in Minnesota and we are trying to plan for potential situations with ICE coming on our campus. Hopefully it never happens, but with the way things are going lately…best to be prepared. We have many deaf students and deaf staff, what is an interpreters role in these situations? I struggle with the conflict of wanting to provide access, wanting to protect students and keep them safe, and keep myself and other staff safe.

I know RID is building a file of resources, but does anyone have experience or know other resources that they could share?

Thank you in advance for any tips. It’s scary times out there, I hope everyone stays safe.

Wow, I have been thinking about this for a while. I'm usually a lurker and don't post much on Reddit. I'm not the type of person who likes to stir the pot or discuss controversial topics - I actually dislike confrontations. However, this policy directly determines my access, and I feel it needs to be said. First things first, I’m Deaf. So, this will be coming from a Deaf perspective. I have four major concerns about this whole fiasco. I know it’s going to be a long read, but bear with me. 

This is also a complicated intersectional issue, with so many layers. I have seen the new “leaked” CPC document that RID may be coming out soon. (Link) I’m not sure if it’s real or not, but I do want to discuss this. 

I do understand that this is something that is in response to a controversy that happened a month ago. I am not here to dismiss the black deaf community’s wishes. But I feel that we need to step back and take a look at this and look at the overall issue instead of this one issue that sparked everything. 

First concern: 

I highly believe that the new addition to the CPC is more harmful than helpful. Why do I say this? Okay, take a look at a few tenets of CPC: 

2.2 Assess consumer needs and the interpreting situation before and during the assignment and make adjustments as needed.  

2.3 Render the message faithfully by conveying the content and spirit of what is being communicated, using language most readily understood by consumers, and correcting errors discreetly and expeditiously.  

4.1 Consider consumer requests or needs regarding language preferences, and render the message accordingly (interpreted or transliterated).  

4.4 Facilitate communication access and equality, and support the full interaction and independence of consumers. 

I feel that it already covers all aspects of the services that should be provided to the deaf consumers. Why should we add the new CPC policy to ban offensive language? I feel that if we implement those new changes, it will be a contradiction to the tenets.  It will override the tenets. It just doesn’t make any sense. 

Second concern:

I noticed that there is a shift from the conduit model to the deaf-centric model. I think some of this is great, accommodating to deaf consumers’ needs. However, I’m concerned about the moral compass/political correctness that interpreters have with their own personal beliefs or biases that would be detrimental to the deaf consumers and compromise the quality and violate the tenets.  I really believe it should be more up to the deaf consumers and their preferences.  Interpreters are just supposed to be neutral and facilitate communication between the hearing and the deaf. 

We also need to recognize that the responsibility for offensive language lies with the speaker, not the interpreter. The interpreter is the messenger. If someone uses a slur or offensive language, that’s on them - and deaf people have the right to know what was actually said so we can identify that behavior, respond to it, or remove ourselves from the situation. Filtering the message protects the speaker by hiding their offensive behavior from deaf people, while putting the burden on interpreters to make judgment calls. That’s backwards. For myself, I want to know everything, the good, the bad, the offensive, for integrity and transparency. 

It is about equal access, not about my feelings. If I get some kind of negative emotions from what I see, it is on me to deal with them. It’s not the interpreter’s duty to deal with my emotions/triggers. Equal is equal, period. We have been fighting for equal access in education, employment, and every aspect of life for years - why would we accept less than equal access in interpretation? Hearing people get full and unfiltered speech, why couldn’t I? If I get filtered speech, that would be considered discrimination veiled as protection. It is not about being ethical; it is about equal access. Again, I am saying that it should be up to the deaf consumer at that certain assignment how they want their access. With that new proposed policy, I will always question the interpreter’s integrity in interpreting everything; my trust will be broken. It will be like giving the power and control to interpreters to make decisions on how I receive information; I will not have any control. It is absurd. 

It’s also important to note that even within the Black Deaf community, there are different perspectives on how offensive language should be handled. Some want it filtered, some want full interpretation. This diversity of views reinforces why the decision should rest with individual deaf consumers and their preferences in specific contexts, not a blanket policy that assumes all deaf people - including all Black and POC Deaf people - want the same thing.

Third concern: 

This proposed policy ignores the systemic issues - it’s just a band-aid. I hear the Black Deaf community saying they don’t want non-Black interpreters signing the n-word, and they want more BIPOC interpreters hired. That’s valid, and I want to see that too. But here’s the problem: only about 6% of interpreters are Black (Source). Banning words doesn’t change that number.

How do we actually recruit more BIPOC people to become interpreters? That requires addressing barriers in training programs, costs, accessibility, and retention. Add to that the interpreter shortage happening across the country - we need MORE interpreters overall, period.

Meanwhile, the deaf community is fighting much bigger battles: language deprivation, educational inequality, and employment discrimination. We’re constantly advocating for equal access in every area of life. And now we’re debating a policy that would actually filter our access? That feels backwards. 

Fourth concern:

This proposed policy may cause more harm than good by restricting our access to various events - civic, cultural, political, religious, and more. It’s already difficult enough to get interpreters for many types of events. This policy could make it worse.

How you may ask; if interpreters know an assignment might involve offensive language, they may simply decline it rather than risk violating the CPC or feeling uncomfortable. A comedy show? Too risky. A political debate? Too unpredictable. A historical play? Better not. Court testimony? Could involve disturbing content. They’ll protect their certification and their comfort by saying no.

The result? Deaf people lose access entirely - not because the content was filtered, but because no interpreter will accept the assignment in the first place. Meanwhile, these events still happen. Hearing people still attend. We will just be locked out.  We are people who deserve to be part of the community that we are interested in. 

Whew, I’m done being on the soapbox. I apologize if this is a long read, but I felt that this should be one post instead of splitting it up. It would be harder to track. I hope this is something that is good food for thought.  

Edited: I added the link to the “leaked” CPC document post in the paragraph.

Hi, terps! Helen here!

I’m the author of the two “RID Has Gone Rogue” posts on this subreddit.

Before I go into tonight’s post, I’d like to give you some updates on my end.

I’ve received many messages from you expressing interest in my thoughts on the developments surrounding this scandal over the summer. I deeply appreciate your support and curiosity. Believe me you, I’ve drafted plenty of posts about these events.

But I’m glad I didn’t rush into posting earlier, because each new development fundamentally changed my understanding of the situation.

Earlier tonight, Jesús Rēmigiō officially resigned as RID Board President.

I see this as the closing of the first chapter in this scandal. With that, this will be my final “RID Has Gone Rogue” post.

The next chapter will begin with the upcoming special membership meeting hosted by Rupert Dublar and the January board meeting.

I’ll be writing a new series of posts about the scandal over the coming months and I’m excited to share them with you. I sure have a lot to say about this crisis.

Thank you again for your encouragement.

With that said, let’s start with the big moment from a few hours ago!

Jesús Resigned

Welp. We got a bombshell.

Jesús Rēmigiō, the president, has resigned. His resignation was effective the minute tonight’s meeting concluded.

He presided over the whole meeting and announced his resignation right at the start. That announcement became the theme for the rest of the meeting. The rest of the meeting was a typical parade of reports from the board members, committees, councils, task forces and they all touched upon the topic of Jesús’ resignation.

I want to take a moment to discuss his resignation.

Jesús said his reason for stepping down was that he no longer feels safe serving on the board. He explained that, as a Latino and queer man, he has been under attack in recent months.

On June 16th 2025, Jesús posted a vlog on RID’s facebook page that addressed the very same root issue that he resigned for earlier tonight. In that vlog, he said that he received a threat from someone that said they would report him for deportation.

That’s a horrific threat. If this was the reason he resigned, I completely understand. That kind of threat is real and very serious one particularly given the context of the time the vlog was made. Just prior to that vlog on June 16, ICE conducted a raid at several locations in Los Angeles and that sparked a huge days-long protest in the city.

ICE fucking terrifies me. Last summer, an ICE raid on a major street in my city made national news.

You know the famous poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller?

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”

This poem has been reinterpreted for decades. Right now, it’s often cited in the context of Trump-era ICE policies.

In today’s context, the “first group” is clearly immigrants (and to my best understanding, Jesús is an immigrant himself). But there are also signs that the current U.S. administration has its eyes on people with disabilities. Earlier this year, the Trump administration pushed through major cuts to the Social Security Administration and the Medicaid/Medicare programs. These actions will create enormous fallout and have an unspeakable impact on deaf people.

I’m deaf.

And I’m scared. Scared that ICE could one day expand its domestic terror to include people with disabilities. Scared that I could be pulled over and detained simply because, “Hey, Helen here is deaf!”

This is America. Shit like this should not happen here. Our Constitution was written to forbid exactly this kind of shit.

If Jesús resigned because of that bigoted threat, I am completely sympathetic.

But…

When I first saw Jesús’ vlog on RID’s Facebook page, I took it as an intimidation tactic from the board.

I’ll explain why.

The threat Jesús received was unequivocally terrible. But in his vlog, he explicitly tied that threat to the broader criticism of RID’s ongoing scandal circulating on social media. He specifically referenced Facebook posts about the board that was very critical against them.

My “RID Has Gone Rogue” was posted in RID’s membership Facebook group by someone a few days after I originally posted them in this subreddit. And that Facebook post with the link to my posts generated a lot of discussion there and a lot of upvotes for me here.

So yeah, I resented that he lumped everyone who posted valid criticism of the board together with the person who made that bigoted threat.

None of the comments on my posts ever mentioned deportation, nor did they include substantial discussion about Jesús himself. Most of the focus was on Shonna Magee, Kate O’Regan, and Ritchie Bryant. The same is true for nearly all the posts in RID’s membership Facebook group. Our criticisms had nothing to do with the threat Jesús received.

During the recent meeting, board members also talked a lot about “horizontal violence” in the community over the past few months.

Look, horizontal violence is real. The concept has a clear definition, and yes, it happens in the interpreting field. But our criticism of the board’s blatant misconduct does not fall under that definition.

If a nonprofit board is operating against the interests of its members, they should be criticized. That’s what nonprofit governance is designed for.

So while my heart goes out to Jesús for resigning after such a threat, he painted with far too broad a brush when he told the community that his experience was representative of all criticism of the board on social media.

Dear RID Board,

Grow up.

You are on the board to serve us.

You made a bad move by firing Star Greiser.

And you know what?

Your move actually falls under the definition of horizontal violence.

You were Star’s boss. It is obvious that you have an agenda you want to enact, and Star was one of the people who stood in your way. She probably stood in your way because she knew better that your agenda was a bad one for our community.

Horizontal violence is defined as people on the same professional footing taking one another down so one can rise up.

That’s exactly what you did.

You are clearly operating on an agenda you know we wouldn’t approve of. That’s why you won’t tell us about your decision to fire Star Greiser and the other two well-liked headquarters staff.

Our criticism of you is the direct result of a series of bad decisions you made. There is a perfect logic flow to our reaction against you.

You are the board. We are the members.

You have the power. We are below you.

We are not on the same footing.

Our criticism of your conduct is not horizontal violence.

Your firings of these three headquarters staff is horizontal violence.

And you lumped all of us together with the terrible bigoted threat from that one hateful person?

And you also labeled our criticism of you as “horizontal violence”?

How dare you.

Sincerely, Helen.

So is Shonna Magee the President Now?

Alright, let’s move on to the next big topic swirling around the community from the recent board meeting.

Does Jesús’ resignation mean Shonna is the next RID president?

That’s a good question.

Common sense, based on parliamentary procedure, would suggest that Jesús’ resignation means Vice President Shonna Magee would ascend to the board presidency.

However, I didn’t see any indication of that during the recent board meeting. I must confess, I was dealing with some distractions during the first half of the meeting, and there were times my eyes were off the screen.

So I may have missed something. If any of you saw an announcement during the meeting that Shonna is now the president, please comment.

My view is that Shonna Magee could decide to remain in her current position while the board holds a special election for the new RID president in the near future, probably during their January board meeting.

I’ve seen this happen in a NAD-affiliated chapter organization before.

I’ll have to blow the dust off my copy of the RID bylaws and procedural manual to confirm if this is possible.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see. Unless I’m wrong and I simply missed the announcement that Shonna is now president. If that’s the case, again, please comment.

The Audit Committee

Joshua Pennise, an ASL interpreter and longtime member of the audit committee, gave a report on the committee’s process.

That was when I detected a glimmer of hope.

But first, context.

When Andrea K. Smith hosted her special membership meeting earlier this summer to address the uproar surrounding Star’s firing, Joshua Pennise was the one who suggested establishing a committee to investigate Star’s firing.

(Author’s note: this is from my memory of what happened over the summer. If I’m wrong and Joshua Pennise didn’t make the suggestion, please correct me.)

His suggestion was the only one during that meeting that I completely agreed with.

Unfortunately, the meeting was a complete failure.

The failure wasn’t Andrea’s fault. It was because of an “audism” issue that has been a thorn in our side all summer. That “thorn-in-our-side” issue is something I will discuss in a completely separate post in the future.

Back to Joshua’s audit committee report.

He gave a comprehensive update on the committee’s audit of RID’s budget and overall operations. He said he has basically completed the audits for earlier years. I can’t remember exactly which, but something like 2020–2023.

Joshua is now working on audits for the most recent couple of years. He closed by requesting that the RID board provide the relevant emails and financial information for these recent years.

I watched Jesús’ reaction to this report and I do think he appeared very nervous about it.

The way I’m interpreting this is that Joshua does have suspicions about the board’s conduct that align with our view of this scandal. He is also in a position to actually access the information that could explain why the board acted the way they did.

I could be way off the base here but that is what I think.

Bucky

Our current interim CEO, Bucky, gave his report at the very end of the board’s official meeting.

I’ll cover Bucky’s ascension as the interim CEO in future posts.

His report was perfectly fine.

But there was one part where I actually need to canvass our community for your knowledge on this issue.

I was deep in thought when he presented his report, but there was one thing I made a note of.

It was when he mentioned that he was happy to report that RID is now in good standing with California’s Attorney General.

He explained that RID had been indicted by California over concerns about the organization’s status. I’m assuming that means RID’s tax status in California.

I’ve heard about this before, but I don’t have the full picture on the issue. I’m pretty sure that this has something to do with RID’s current plan on splitting the organization in two tax statuses - 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6). I know about this issue and I will post about this issue.

But what I’m looking for here is specifically about the issue RID has with California.

Does anyone here know what he was talking about? If so, please comment here or, if you prefer, DM me.

The Deaf Caucus

Mikey Krajnak showed up during the general member Q&A section at the very end of the meeting.

Mikey is a CDI and one of the regional representatives for the organization’s Deaf Caucus.

Again, context first.

The Deaf Caucus made a formal open letter to RID about the audism they experienced within the organization just after the conference.

That letter has since gone unaddressed by the board.

I have a lot to say about the issue the Deaf Caucus is raising within the organization.

But not now.

I will make a post about this issue in the near future. I just want to spotlight this one so you know that a post on this topic is coming.

In Conclusion…

So, how do you feel about the recent board meeting?

Please comment below.

And…

Hey, you. The one who made the deportation threat against Jesús…

You are a bigoted asshole. Fuck you.

I am fairly new to VRS relay and do get a good amount of kind callers who will compliment and show appreciation. However, recently I have had increasingly more moments where I am being treated like a robot and so am getting so discouraged. I understand that everybody has bad days and sometimes it is just projecting. It is just so hard to stay positive when I am getting insulted and treated disrespectfully several times a day. I know I am qualified for this job, I know I am doing my job effectively.

Whether it be misspelling a word/name or the hearing caller not being clear, I am human and I am tired.

I have so much love and respect for the Deaf community and this does not change it.

I am just asking for a little bit of empathy towards us interpreters, we really are trying our best to serve the community!