Call for Nominations - Executive Positions

In even-numbered years, the Executive Positions (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) of the NCRID Board of Directors are up for election. We are currently seeking nominations for folks interested in running for these positions. You may self-nominate. These positions will be voted on at the general membership meeting on June 22, 2024. In the event that there are multiple candidates for a given position, we will ask that candidates make a short video introducing themselves, giving their background, and explaining why they think they would be a good fit for the position.

Please see this page for information on position qualifications and duties, and for instructions on how to nominate someone (or yourself!).

Stipend Opportunity for MHIT in Montgomery, Alabama

NC DMH and RHA received a grant to support expansion of crisis mental health services for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind people in NC. The grant allows us to send a cohort of interpreters to the Mental Health Interpreter Training, MHIT, happening August 5 – 9, 2024 in Montgomery Alabama. We will cover the cost of registration as well as provide a stipend of $2,500 to cover travel, room and board expenses for the week.

To qualify for this opportunity, interpreters must have at least three years of interpreting work experience post RID certification and a commitment and interest to work in mental health settings after training.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete this short application https://forms.office.com/g/71ngYRi1FC. The names of qualified applicants will be sent to a review committee. Interest must be shown prior to 4/1/2024 for inclusion in this sponsored training.

Thank you for your interest in interpreting with Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind individuals in mental health settings.

Stacy Wilson Memorial Fund

Stacy Wilson was a beloved member and leader of the North Carolina Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. The NCRID Foothills regional committee has decided to honor Stacy by kickstarting a donation campaign to help raise funds for the North Carolina Deaf-Blind Associates. Visit this page to learn more and donate to this fund in Stacy’s memory.

Remembering Stacy Wilson

We are sharing some very sad news - a longtime member of the NCRID community, Stacy Wilson, passed away the evening of June 19, 2023.

Known to many in the Morganton community and beyond, if you've been to Conference in the past you've seen her friendly face welcoming you at the registration window.

For information on funeral arrangements, please visit
https://www.sossomanfh.com/obituaries/stacy-wilson/

Call for Regional Reps

NCRID elects Regional Representatives in each odd-numbered year. New or continuing representatives will be elected at the General Membership meeting at the 2023 NCRID Conference.

Are you interested in representing your region on the NCRID Board? Regional Representative positions serve in 2-year terms, and are elected in odd-numbered years. This is a great opportunity to give back to your profession and peers, as well as to help strengthen your professional network in NC!

Learn more and see how to submit your interest at this page.

Publicly-Accessible Membership List

In an effort to help strengthen the network of interpreters in our state, NCRID will make public its list of Members beginning with the 2023-2024 membership year.

We seek to be a resource to help folks know who the interpreters are in their area. This will be esepecially helpful for interpreters new to the state or to their region, as well as to new interpreters entering the field and seeking professional mentors and contacts.

There are also times when the public needs to verify who is a member of NCRID - such as for Awards nominations each year, or when seeking support to run for a Regional Representative positon.

This improvement also brings us in line with RID, which has a publicly-accessible, searchable directory of RID members.

This list will include the Member's name and Membership category, and will optionally include their NCRID region. No contact information or other personal information will be included.

NCRID call for representative on the Governor’s North Carolina Council for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NCCDHH)

NCRID is looking for individuals who would be interested in representing NCRID on the Governor’s North Carolina Council for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  The person we are looking for must be willing to advocate for NCRID and interpreters in general.  They must be willing to bring concerns or information that interpreters are privy to that would impact discussions and decisions made by NCCDHH.

The representative would be responsible for:

  1. Attending the NCCDHH board meetings

  2. Representing the NCRID and the interpreting community

  3. Reporting back to the NCRID board at the NCRID board meetings

If you are interested please submit a letter of interest to the NCRID board at ncridpresident@gmail.com by March 24, 2023.

DSDHH to Host ISVL Listening Sessions

Public comment is being sought on the Interpreter Services Vendor List (ISVL) used by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to secure American Sign Language interpreting and Cued Language Transliteration services.

The NCDHHS Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH), as the contract administrator, is inviting sister agencies, individual interpreters/transliterators, and interpreting agencies, whether active on the ISVL or not, to attend upcoming listening sessions.

The purpose of these sessions is to gather feedback on possible changes to the contract from current and potential contractors or NCDHHS divisions who use the ISVL. This feedback could include but is not limited to changes to travel and portal calculations, changes to hourly rates, cancellation policies, and invoicing. Two sessions will be held virtually and one in-person with more sessions may be added if needed to gather the feedback necessary. Additionally, the sessions provide an opportunity for detailed explanation of changes to the contract, as well as to answer questions about contract terms.

NCRID Adopts a New Communication Policy for Board Meetings

As NCRID has members and stakeholders who are Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, and hearing, we seek to foster a welcoming, accessible, and equitable environment at our Board meetings. As such, the official assumed language for Board meetings and functions will be ASL. The Board reserves the right to adjust the primary language used at any specific meeting, for reasons including the preferred language of participants at that meeting. When needed, based on these language preferences, interpretation will be provided. The Board also reserves the right to make specific alternate arrangements at our state Conference and at workshops (for example, to best meet the educational and linguistic considerations of workshop presenters and requirements).

The above policy was drafted between the August and November 2022 Board meetings, and approved at the November 19, 2022 Board meeting.

2023 Conference Message

We wanted to send out an update to folks about the 2023 NCRID Conference. Please read this message, as there is important information you need to know!

Save the date! The 2023 NCRID Conference will be in-person again! Mark your calendars for June 15-17, 2023. We will be at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, the same location we have used in recent years.

As we have done for the last two years with our virtual conference, when you register you will be able to review the agenda and pre-select the workshops you wish to attend. This will be our first time implementing virtual logistics in a physical space, but are confident it will streamline things for us and you. No more worrying that the workshop you want will fill up before you can get to the room; you'll be able to guarantee that you have a seat!

There is also an enhanced membership perk that is new this year. Early Bird Registration will only be accessible to those with a valid membership as of September 30, 2022. We appreciate your involvement throughout the membership year, and offering a valuable discount to the NCRID Conference is our way of saying thanks! Once the Early Bird Registration window ends, general registration will be open to the public, including a slightly smaller discount to members. If you haven't yet renewed your membership for the 2022-2023 year, make sure you do so soon!

We cannot wait to welcome you again to in-person conference, and are working hard to plan an exciting, engaging agenda of speakers and events. We are taking all that we've missed about in-person conference for the last 3 years, and combining it with all we've learned from virtual conferences to make sure 2023 is the best year yet! Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for more!

NCRID ByLaws Revisions Adopted

Over 2021 and 2022, the NCRID Board has worked hard to update our organizational ByLaws to match current practices, be in line with RID’s ByLaws, and to clarify some terminology and phrasing.

Starting with the work of a ByLaws committee, then continued with the full NCRID board, this work was competed in early 2022. The proposed revisions were put to a vote of the general voting membership of NCRID, and as of June 24, 2022 these revisions passed (with greater than ⅔ of voting members voting in support).

The updated revised ByLaws can be found on this page.

2020 NCRID Special Recognition Certificate - Glenda Torres!

Please join us in celebrating Glenda Torres, recipient of the NCRID Special Recognition Certificate in honor of her many years of service instructing the teachers and interpreters of today!

Congratulations, Glenda!

Picture forthcoming

Message from NCRID President Re: 2020 Conference Cancellation

Hello members,

Today, March 26, 2020, the NCRID Board met to discuss the feasibility of having the annual NCRID conference in June. Due to the rising and ever changing conditions of the Coronavirus many members in the interpreting and deaf communities are being affected in various ways. Many across the state are not working or have lost work due to the "lockdown" happening across the country.  As your outgoing President it is with mixed emotions that I announce that today the board has decided to CANCEL the NCRID Conference for this year. 

While we have cancelled conference the current board will be working on another option as this is an election year and a business meeting with voting members MUST be had as the current term for the present executive board positions will end June 30th. Please continue to check your social media platforms, emails, and the NCRID website for more information. Thank you and please continue to remain safe during these troubled times!

M. Antwan Campbell
NCRID President