VTRID E-Letter Archive:: August 2004

Vermont Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf *E-Letter
Issue 6, August 2004
In this issue:
*August Meeting date/time/location*
*Mentorship Program*
*New England Regional Mentorship Conference, September 10-12*
*Region I Conference, Committee Volunteers needed!*
*Deaf/Hard of Hearing Awareness Day, October 9th*
*ASL Festival, April 1 & 2*
*Request from Deaf Women United (DWU)*
*From Rachel Coppelli, new Region I Representative*
*Minutes from June's Membership meeting*
*Membership Form*
*Scholarship Application...$ available!!!*
*Library Holdings List*

Hello Everyone!

Pretty soon you will be receiving an updated membership directory and a membership reminder for VTRID. Our membership year runs from September 1st thru August 31st. As I said in the last E*Letter, we are currently at record membership numbers. Help us maintain this level of commitment to our profession by renewing your membership...and even getting a friend to become a member.

I also hope to see you all at the August 28th general membership meeting which is being held in conjunction with the Kickoff for the Vermont Mentorship Program. See later in this E*Letter for details on the meeting and the Kickoff.

Cheers,
Amy Williamson-Loga
President, Vermont Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf


Join us for the Fall General Membership meeting
Saturday, August 28th
1:00-3:00 @ Central Vermont Hospital, Berlin, VT

If you have items for the agenda, please send them to
Kristal Hier at kristalhaynes@hotmail.com

Items currently on the agenda: Vermont Mentorship Program, upcoming workshops/trainings, CEUs, VTRID Website, Bylaws, Scholarship Fund Guidelines, AND meeting dates/times/ places for the coming year.

Don't miss it!


VTRID Mentorship Program Kickoff!!!
Saturday, August 28, 2004
10 am-1 pm
Central Vermont Hospital, Berlin, VT

A potluck lunch is planned for the day, so please bring something to share

Come and join us for our program opening which will include informational presentations on:
What can mentoring do for me?
What do I want from a mentor?
What resources are available to me through a mentor?
What are some strategies that others have used to maximize their experience working with a mentor?
We will be presenting our 2004/05 Workshop agenda...don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to GROW!!!!

Anyone interested in working with a mentor, being a mentor or simply learning about what it means to be a mentor should please attend this program. The Vermont Mentorship Program has monies to dedicate to Mentor training, so please come and share with us what we can do for you!!!

For More Information:
Contact Lisa Bixler for more information.
By Phone 802.878.7738 or email: leesahbixler@yahoo.com


The New England Regional Mentorship Conference will be held September 10-12, 2004 in Bedford, MA.

Conference details and registration information can be found at http://www.asl.neu.edu/nuiep/nermc

Please plan to attend this exciting Regional event!


Region I Conference to happen in 2006. Rhode Island will host.

More information will be forthcoming as we receive it. For now, we are in need of volunteers for these committees. Might you be interested in serving your National Organization, your Region? If so, contact Amy Williamson-Loga at williamson_loga@hotmail.com

Registration
Student Representatives
Business Meeting
Accommodations
Program Book & Advertising
Child Care
Entertainment )
Exhibits
Finance Underwriting
Fundraising (pre-conference)
Silent Auction
Interpreting
Motions
Program/Workshops
Publicity
Tech/Media
Transportation
Recording Secretary
Awards


Vermont Association of the Deaf will be hosting a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Day Central Vermont October 9th. Hold the date and expect more information at the August meeting


Save the Date! Northeastern University's 8th Annual George W. Veditz ASL Festival April 1-2, 2005.

Marie J. Philip Deaf Poetry and Art Competition and ASL Festival festivites Friday, April 1 and workshops all day Saturday, April 2.

Please post and pass it along to your friends! Keep an eye out for more details and tickets for this exciting event!

Please direct your questions to the ASL office at:

aslworkstudy@yahoo.com
(617) 373-3067 (TTY)
(617) 373-3064 (V)
(617) 373-3065 (Fax)


Hello!
As I'm sure many of you are aware, the Deaf Women United Biannual Conference is being hosted this year, for the first time, right here in the Granite State. The conference will be held Oct 29-31 in Meredith, NH. We are requesting that you please post a notice in your newsletter as well as discuss it with your membership. We are respectfully requesting sponsorship from various organizations to help offset the travel costs of our presenters and entertainers.

Donations can be sent to:
DWU c/o NDHHS
125 Airport Road
Concord, NH 03301
Attn: Connie Clanton

Please let your members know that individual donations are welcome and those individuals who donate prior to September 25th will be given mention in our program book.

Respectfully yours,

Connie Clanton
Chair Person, DWU


From Region I's New Representative, Rachel Coppelli
"Just because everything is different doesn't mean that everything has changed." Irene Peter

Dear Region One:

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you on the RID Board of Directors as your new Region Representative. Thank you, as well, to Joanne Jackowski for her two years of dedication and many hours of work on our behalf. I'm looking forward working with each and every one of the Region One Presidents and meeting our membership!

Although I've known and worked with many of you in the past, for those who don't know me, I am a free-lance interpreter living in the NW corner of PA (near Erie and all of the lake effect snow!). I have a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field and never in my wildest dreams thought I'd make a living as an interpreter. (How much of a living is another story, for another time). I have been married for 22 years and have two boys (Pierce, 17 and Camden, 15); two horses, two cats, and a dog who seems, on the surface, to be un-trainable - but when I actually analyze her, I realize that she has `selective learning!' We live on 5 acres of woods in the middle of oodles of other acres and I drive approximately 500 miles a week to/from jobs! My husband is a swim coach and my kids are both competitive swimmers so when I'm not away for interpreting work, it's likely to be a swim meet! J Trying to combine the two has been a challenge.

I served on the PARID board for 9 years, three as president. I was one of those left in the front of the line when everyone else stepped back! (cruel trick) But, no regrets! I love PARID and learned much more than I ever could have imagined by serving on that board! I also have been serving on the RID Affiliate Chapter Relations Committee (ACRC) for . . .4 (could that be right) years. I will continue on that committee (being called the "handbook committee" in some parts of the country) as a co-liaison from the RID Board of Directors (BoD). Rebekah Barkowitz (from Massachusetts) has been appointed as my replacement and will, I know, do a fabulous job.

Having been an active member of the Region for many years, I feel as if I know the region well. But, I must be fooling myself. I do not know much about what goes on in your chapters and I'm hoping that over time, we can share both the good and the not-so-good. I guess if I had to sum it up in one word, UNITY would be what I'd like to see occur in the Region. We are vast. We are vastly different. And we have a vast array of issues that will have an impact on how / if we can achieve unity. I hear comments like "Region I is the toughest region" and "They don't have a true regional identity." But, thanks to Joanne's guidance and initiative, we are already talking to each other, meeting, & making conference plans again!

I will be talking to your Affiliate Chapter (AC) Presidents on August 19 (conference call) and again in October 15-16 (face to face at the site of the PARID conference). Much of our upcoming discussions will focus on the 2006 Region One Conference, but please, let them know the issues that you would like to see addressed at the regional and national levels. As we begin plans for our conference, contact your AC President and offer your time, talent, or services by joining a committee. It's been a while since we've been together in that capacity and I'm as excited and nervous as I was prior to my first RID NATIONAL conference.

My contact information is listed below. Please feel free to get in touch with me for any reason. I'd be happy to take your concerns, feedback (positive and otherwise), ideas and advice to the RID Board. In the mean time, I hope to be able to attend at least one of your membership or board meetings in the next two years. Keep the invitations coming and no - I don't mind a sleeper-sofa!

I'm SOOOO EXCITED to be working with this FANTASTIC Region! Maybe we are `tough' or `difficult' or `different' than the other 4 regions. That's not necessarily a BAD thing, is it?

Rachel B. Coppelli CI/CT
12888 Burchard Road
Guys Mills, PA 16327
814-789-4173 Home Office
814-789-4608 Fax
814-573-0250 Cell
rbcoppelli@earthlink.net


VTRID Meeting June 7, 2004

Attendees: Lianne Moccia, Nate Drown, Wendy Schneider, Amy Williamson-Loga, Stephanie Cramer, Lisa Bixler, Elizabeth Bjerke, Cory Bruner, Krystal Hier, Barb Walker, Karen Meuller- Harder

Start: 6:30 pm

REPORTS

Presidents` Report-Amy
All is well..
AHS and Deaf coalition meetings are coming up, Amy will be attending. Within AHS, a director position has been created at commissioner level to check into services for Deaf and hard of hearing people. VTRID needs to have a voice to that person. Position will be filled this summer, hopefully.

Treasurers' Report-David
Amy tried to explain David's sent report The big difference is that mentorship $$ is another account for mentorship control. Savings $5205.61 checking $2587.36

Mentorship Report-Lisa
? Total in the mentorship fund: $8254.50

? Sent planning meeting invites for June 20 meeting to plan. We would like to get into writing grants for funding as NU funding will be less depending on NUIEP goals for their grant cycle.

? Lianne is very willing to lend her expertise to mentoring program. Any others who are interested contact Kristal or Lisa. Mentorship Program 2004
27 total participants-including dropouts
19-20 people every month
12 with one on one mentors
1 dropped out
? Lianne reminded Lisa about keeping stats for grant writing
? Ideas for next year:
-full year or 2 separate programs fall and spring.
-More people means better program.
-Workshop presenters...local talent is best and easiest for all. contact deaf community for resource. Rene did storytelling workshop.
-Lianne suggested mixer for meeting protege and mentors to begin with so names and faces are known.
-Amy suggested that kick off should be part of Aug 28 meeting with other stuff and "awards" time.
? Discussion of what we offer for the mentors to clarify their role and entice more people to participate as mentors. previously there were support people for both hearing mentors and deaf mentors. Lots to discuss at June meeting. Great ideas.

Scholarship Report-Elizabeth
? one request that didn't happen
? still 300 left. Free avail monies for workshops

VIRS Report
? Mary just had surgery, and is doing well.
? VIRS is looking for someone for the fall as two workers are leaving the VIRS.

Library Report
? still there and is being used some.
? Check with Janet re: CD rom issue

OLD BUSINESS

Workshops:
? MJ is now back in negotiation
? SS workshop: 6 attendees went well very informative.
? No other workshops planned as of now.
? Aug 28th meeting will be kick off mixer as well as general meeting. Aug meeting will not be voicing skills for members. we will put off that and the legal interpreter discussion till a later date maybe in the fall, depending on babies.

? Workshop ideas contact Nora Kennedy because we would like to have SOMETHING this year.

? CEU's seem to be a problem so we need someone to coordinate that for us. Cory volunteered for that. Cory will look into VT being a place where we could offer the written test as an incentive to our mentorship participants.

Evidentiary Bill-Barb
? It passed.
? Not privilege Deaf cant waive it
? means that terp cant disclose what happens in a interpreted situation. No enforcement and no punishment. It means that disclosing info about an interpreted job is against the law, not just against the code of ethics. ? Bill does include anyone who acts as an interpreter in a situation.

? VT Supreme Court in VT has a committee looking in to interpreting in VT both spoken and signed languages. Report is being edited and will be published soon. Press conference will be held in Montpelier, Barb will attend, to release the report. Report suggests a database, that courts can access, to certify who is qualified to interpret, not certification(due to difficulties with certifying spoken language terps). All terps will have to have court training. also recommends some changes in laws.

NEW BUSINESS

? Mentor money to NU for fall mentorship Conference. Lisa will send 250.

Region 1 conf. RI 2006
? summer or fall date TBD. VTRID volunteered for Awards. All committees are meant to be region wide so if any person has an interest please think about joining one.
? Amy asked if VTRID will support Lisa and Kristal to attend the face to face planning meeting in PA. VTRID will pay for hotel, meals and travel. Membership agreed.

Bylaws Update
? Amy and Barb are on the committee and have done nothing thus far. any others who are interested contact Amy.

VTRID Website
? Cory will look into doing a website. Barb volunteered to help her out with decisions about colors and such.

Membershio Directory Update
? Amy would like to make an updated directory. Amy and Kristal will work on this in July in conjunction with sending out a reminder for people to renew memberships.

Awards at Aug meeting
? Amy will be presenting a Presidents Award at the Aug meeting. Any other ideas for awards you think should be given please let us know.
? Leadership Award, Pres Award, and Ally Award. Nominations should be sent to Amy or Barb. Award Committee: Barb and Amy.
? Given every 2 years.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

? Certifications
Eric passed written test
Elizabeth passed CT
Jen Raney passed CI

? August 28th meeting info will be out in the next e letter with plan for mixer/meeting/awards ceremony

? Dartmouth has hired a full time interpreter to work with Janice, Kate Eifler, certified, and lots of experience, will start in Sept.

? NETAC is having a hot discussion about setting a standard about colleges paying for prep time. Discussion of prep time rules at local colleges.

End: 8:13pm


Vermont RID Membership


Vermont RID Scholarship Guidelines & Application


VTRID Library holdings