We would like to address some of the recent resignations in the RID Board leadership and express our support of those who have resigned. It saddens us to see such discord within our national community. We would like to thank the RID Board leadership and our Region V rep—Krystal Sanders—for their efforts within the RID organization. They worked diligently to develop an opportunity for us to learn about the diverse body of our organization through the workshops offered in the RID national convention. We stand in support of their decisions to withdraw themselves from continued service. We would also like to acknowledge and express our thanks to the HQ staff for their continued support during this time of transition.
These are historic times for our profession and RID as an organization. We invite you to keep abreast of the discussions happening within our professional community. We also urge you to actively participate in elections, town halls, and other activities as RID recovers and grows.
We will continue to serve our members (you) and follow our mission which is to initiate, sponsor, promote and execute policies and activities that will further the profession of interpretation of American Sign Language and English and the transliteration of English. We will continue providing learning opportunities and networking for our membership. We are particularly interested in providing workshops related to the issues affecting RID at this moment, namely: audism, racism, equity, and oppression, especially how they pertain to interpreting.
As testified by those suffering from it, oppression persists today. Audism and racism—among various forms of oppression—are present forces within our society and the lives of not only our colleagues but also those to whom we provide our services. To those in the margins, we see you and we invite your input on strengthening our community of practice here in Utah. UTRID commits to effectively listen to, collaborate with, and empower those among the minorities in our ASL community as we combat oppression and to create a better space that is safe and accessible for everyone.
Lastly, thank you for your dedication to the field, our consumers, and our network practitioners. We look forward to the future of both UTRID and RID.
Graciously,
UTRID’s 2021 Board of Directors
#InterpreterUnity