VLOG |
9/22/2021
MRID Members, The 2021 MRID Annual Business Meeting is happening Saturday, October 23rd, at 10am - 1pm on Zoom. The MRID Board of Directors are seeking to make changes to our current bylaws during the business meeting. Listed below are those changes, along with the rationale behind them. If you have any questions, please email President@mrid.org. Read more...Motion A - ARTICLE V Section 7: COMMITTEES Motion to add Website to the current list of standing committees as follows: ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES SEC 7: Standing committees are: Website, Conference, Membership, Bylaws, Fundraising, Professional Development, and Scholarships. Rationale: The MRID Webmaster/Website Committee is an essential part of the everyday operations of the organization and therefore should be listed as a standing committee. (2021 MRID Board of Directors) Motion B - Organizational Membership Price Note: The membership prices are not listed in the bylaws. However, per Article II SEC. 4: “The membership fee for all categories shall be the amount recommended by the MRID Board and approved by the membership at the annual business meeting.” Be it moved that the MRID change the price of the Organizational Membership from $150 to $75. Anticipated Financial Impact: The MRID currently has only one organizational member. If no future members join, the impact will be $75. The board anticipates that by lowering the price, more organizations will join. Rationale: The average RID affiliate chapter organizational member price is roughly $75. Historically, MRID has had either zero or one organizational member. We believe the cost is a factor, and that by lowering it, aligning more with the average nationwide price, it will encourage other community organizations to join MRID. (2021 MRID Board of Directors) Motion C - MRID Membership Benefits Note: This motion will not impact the bylaws. Be it moved that the MRID Board use its discretion when determining membership benefits. The benefits will be outlined in the MRID Policy and Procedures Manual. Rationale: As our organization evolves, membership benefits must be flexible to fit current trends. By allowing the board to use its discretion when determining benefits, this motion will provide the flexibility to examine the MRID members’ needs, and offer meaningful and enticing benefits. (2021 MRID Board of Directors) |
8/27/2021
Sarah Houge, white woman with dark rimmed glasses, standing in front of a teal background. Hello! MRID is excited to host a free workshop! You know how it feels at a business meeting with the complicated procedures, feeling confused about how make a motion, amendment, second, all that, the parliamentary process, wondering what all is involved with RRO. Read more...It may not be easy or comfortable going through that during meetings. At the MRID business meeting in 2020, two members made a Motion for us to provide training on the RRO and parliamentary procedures and how to be involved during a business meeting so our members can feel more comfortable participating. We’re thrilled to provide a workshop on this topic on October 4th at 6:00-8:00pm. We will be showing the 90-minutes long video “Bummy’s Basic Parliamentary Workshop” where Bummy and people at the deaf club demonstrate different scenarios with mistakes and show the proper parliamentary and RRO process. After the video, we will have 30 minutes for questions and discussion for a total of 2 hours free workshop. Come join us, see you there! Video fades to a screen showing the flyer that reads: Join us for a Webinar! Parliamentary Procedures & Business Meetings: How to be involved and understand the process Monday October 4th, 2021 6-8pm CDT Zoom .2 CEUs GS Cost: FREE *100% of the donations will be donated to the Gerald "Bummy" Burstein '50 Gallaudet University Alumni Association Fund What happens at a business meeting? Not sure how to make a motion? What about an amendment? Want to participate in a meeting? Join us! MRID is an Approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. This general studies program is offered for .2 CEUs at the None Content Knowledge level. |
7/15/2021
Visual Description: White woman with dark hair in a pony tail, black shirt, black sweater, sitting in front of a dark green background. I'm Tarra Grammenos, MRID President. I'd like to talk about RID's Board Resignation this August 31st. Read more...Minnesota is known for its “Minnesota Nice” (also sometimes known as: passive aggressive) culture. Having honest, straightforward, uncomfortable conversations is not something we like doing. Last summer, we witnessed the murder of George Floyd. It impacted our state, our nation, and our field. You may remember the emails last summer, and the panel discussion we hosted on the topic of racism and how it impacts our interpreters of color here in Minnesota. This summer, we witnessed the most diverse RID Board in our national organization's history, being bullied, harassed, and racially attacked while pitting oppression against oppression. We lost the work, respect, and momentum that had been building these past two years, while still trying to recover from a world-wide pandemic. Racism, audism, ableism, and many other ‘isms have been deeply rooted in RID, MRID, and many other organizations like us for many years. However while these conversations are uncomfortable, they are necessary to be able to unpack all of our ‘isms and biases as interpreters, and as humans. MRID has compiled a list of books, vlogs, and articles to get you started on your journey. Join us. To: RID Board Members, Dr. Jonathan Webb, Marva Johnson, Yakata Nichols, LaTanya Jones, Jason Farr, Eli Sierra, Deborah Martinez, Krystal Sanders, Kelly Decker, Branton Stewart, and Paul Glaser, Thank you. |
6/14/2021 |
5/19/2021
Tarra: Congratulations to the 2021 graduating class! You did it! MRID welcomes you to the interpreting community! Read more...Kymberlee: Hello class of 2021, congratulations! You've come so far and worked so hard, we are proud of you and look forward to working with you! Nic: Congrats to the class of 2021! Time sure does go fast! All that homework and studying sure paid off because now you're done and into the real world! Remember, MRID is here to support you! I hope to team with you one day! Have a great journey! Sarah: Congrats! I look forward to working with you some day! Michelle: Hello Class of 2021, Congrats, you did it! You should be proud of yourselves! Welcome to the interpreting community! MRID is here to support you so we hope you join us! Krista: Hello Class of 2021! You did it! Congrats! Be proud of yourselves! Welcome to the interpreting field! "Congrats Class of 2021!" |
5/4/2021
Tarra Grammenos – MRID President, white woman, light brown hair pulled back sitting in front of a black backdrop. “Hello Interpreters! Thank you for your work. MRID appreciates YOU!” Read more...Video fades to a series of two videos of freelance interpreters interpreting at public events: Lauren Rigdon sitting in a conference style room; Valerie Shirley standing in front of a white van. Nic Zapko – MRID Programs Director, white woman, has shaved head, dark rimmed glasses, and thick hooped earrings is sitting in front of a painted grey wall, with tall green grass to her right and a dark blue curtain. “Thank you to all our of interpreters – sign language, foreign language, translators, DeafBlind tactile and protactile interpreters. Happy Interpreter Appreciation Day!” Michelle Remer- MRID Membership Director, white woman with dark rimmed glasses wearing a scarf and hat, sitting in front a dark blue background. “Happy Interpreter Appreciation Day!” Video fades to a series of two videos of freelance interpreters interpreting at public events: Melissa Lund standing outside in front of steps; Regina Daniels interpreting for Minnesota Governor Walz. Kari Brecht - MRID Professional Development Committee, white woman, short blonde hair with white rimmed glasses. “Happy Interpreter Appreciation Day.” Sarah Houge – MRID Community Relations Director, white woman, with dark rimmed glasses sitting in front of a blue backdrop. “Thank you! We appreciate you!” Video fades to a series of three videos of freelance interpreters interpreting at public events: Megan Bolduc interpreting at outside in a crowd; Breanna Boyce on screen during webinar. Nic Zapko interpreting for Minnesota Governor Walz. Krista Anderson – MRID Communications Director, white woman with long brown hair wearing a maroon three-quarter shirt. “Happy Interpreter Appreciation Day.” Thank you.” Carly Fischbeck – Membership Committee, white woman with her hair pulled back wearing dark purple glasses. “Happy Interpreter Appreciation Day. We, MRID, appreciate you. Thank you.” Video fades to a series of two videos of freelance interpreters interpreting at public events: Jenee Petri and Rachel Rothering standing outside interpreting; Hercules Goss-Kuehn on screen during webinar. Nic Zapko: “Thank you for your commitment and showing the importance of communication access.” Video fades to the final screen: Happy Interpreter Appreciation Day. To the right, multiple notes appear with the word “Thanks!” written on them. MRID logo is on the bottom left. |
4/24/2021
Visual Description: Nic Zapko, white Deaf woman with shaved head, orange sweatshirt, and happy birthday hat, holds up two candles that say "50" and then lights them up, and blows them out. Guess who's turning 50? MRID is! Happy Birthday MRID! Read more...Don't forget tonight at 4pm CST, we will have a virtual celebration for an hour and a half. Tonight will include four special guest speakers, and trivia games - you don't want to miss out! We want to celebrate and recognize MRID over the past 50 years! It's not too late to sign up, go ahead right now at http://www.MRID.org! Event is free! See you there! |
2/21/2021
Visual Description: Sydney Groven, white female with hair pulled back, wearing purple top and black cardigan, stands in front of a grey backdrop. We are excited to announce that MRID voted to establish an ad hoc 2021 Interpreter Census Committee last December with the goal of getting an accurate picture of the current MN interpreting community. Read more...As we are in the forming stage for this committee, if you have knowledge and experience with surveys, census, outreach, or data analysis/collection, and would like to be involved, email census@mrid.org. When expressing interest, please include your name, reason for interest in this work, and your previous related experience/skill. Throughout this process, we will be reaching out to various interpreting community stakeholders for input on what they would like to know about MN Interpreters. That information will be used to help develop our census questions. Keep an eye out for more information coming soon. Thank you! |
2/18/2021
Visual description: Tarra Grammenos, white female with dark brown hair pulled back, wearing a black shirt and black cardigan, is sitting in front of a dark green background. Hello! My name is Tarra Grammenos, president of MRID. Read more...I'd like to talk about the current Interpreter Licensure Bill, HF827 & SF1046 that was recently submitted to the 2021 Legislative Session. You may remember last spring of 2020, when Interpreter Licensure Bill HF3294 was submitted. As a member-driven organization, MRID sent out a survey to the interpreting community, to get their take on the bill. After gathering over 250 responses (*edit, survey had 244 responses), a high percentage said they were opposed to that bill. The language on the current Interpreter Licensure Bill is the same as it was last year. MRID also hasn't been involved in the drafting, creating, planning, or submitting of the current bill. For those reasons, MRID opposes the current Interpreter Licensure Bill. If you have any questions or comments, please email President@mrid.org. Thank you. |
2/8/2021
Visual Description: Four MRID Board of Directors appear on screen in separate locations. Top left is Community Relations Director Sarah Houge, top right President Tarra Grammenos, bottom right is Finance Director Kymberlee Cook, and bottom left is Membership Director Michelle Remer. Everyone: Hello MRID Community! Read more...Tarra: MRID is always changing based on Community's needs. The board has noticed in the last few years, two common themes: the need for connection, support, and common understanding amongst people as well as greater MN specific needing sharing resources, community support, and networking. Which is why we're excited to announce two new groups: Affinity Councils and Regional Ambassadors. Kymberlee: Through the years, we’ve heard from members that they want space to network among people who share similar identities, interests, concerns, or goals. So we’ve created Affinity Councils. Some examples include: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Legal, Deaf, Healthcare, CODA/Deaf Parented, etc. These groups can host community discussions, provide resources or support to each other, or even plan events for the community. What is exciting is that these groups can create whatever space they need. Michelle: MRID a member-driven, statewide organization. We wanted to create RA to provide a connection for members and the community. RA will serve as a point of contact and provide resources. For example, if someone wants to move to Mankato but doesn’t know anything about the area- available work, Deaf community, interpreter community, etc, they can reach out to RA and ask these questions. Also, RA can connect with the board and share events or concerns from their community. In summary, RA will establish a networking system to ensure all members of the state feel connected and supported. Sarah: It's so exciting to be able to offer these new groups! They've been established because we've heard from the community through surveys, feedback, etc. that they're needed. Remember, they're new, so you can decide how you want these groups to look! MRID is a member driven and lead organization, so they belong to you! You get to decide what these groups do. Tarra: Our website (MRID.org) has the flyers, and application form. Go ahead and check them out! Join today! Everyone: Join today! Thank you! Bye! |
1/17/2021
Visual Description: Video starts with a dark grey background with MRID’s logo and the words below read: Welcome Our 2021 Board! Read more...Nic Zapko (white, bald woman) sits in front of a dark grey background, wearing a green long sleeve sweater with a skinny neck scarf, silver hoop earrings, black framed glasses, a grey smartwatch on her left wrist, and a silver bracelet on her right wrist begins to sign: Hi, I’m Nic Zapko the Programs Director. Her video disappears and transitions to a video of Kymberlee Cook (brown woman with dark, short, tight curly hair) standing in front of a purple background, wearing a green high collared long-sleeved shirt with black rimmed glasses. She beings to sign: Hello, my name is Kymberlee. I am the Finance Director. Her video disappears and transitions to a video of Sarah Houge (white, light medium length hair woman) standing in front of a black background, wearing a dark long-sleeved cardigan and blackunder shirt, with black rimmed glasses. She begins to sign: Hello, I’m Sarah Houge. I am the Community Relations Director. The video transitions to Michelle Remer (white woman, with dark, short pixie cut) sitting in front of a blue background, wearing black rimmed glasses, a short sleeved black shirt, and wears a hoop nose ring in her left nostril. She begins to sign: Hi! I am Michelle Remer the Membership Director. Her video disappears and transitions to a video of Krista Anderson (white woman with dark, long hair) sitting in a black office chair, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with a maroon open sweater vest. She beings signing: Hi! I’m Krista Anderson. I’m the Communications Director. The video transitions to Tarra Grammenos (white woman, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail) standing in front of a black background, wearing a black long-sleeved cardigan and dark blue shirt. She begins to sign: Hi! I’m Tarra Grammenos the MRID President. Her video disappears and transitions to an image of a grey silhouette with a black background. The words, “Operations Director” appear on the screen below the silhouette. The image disappears and Kymberlee Cook and Krista Anderson appear on a side by side video. Krista begins to sign: Krista: Did you notice the Operations Director position is vacant? Kymberlee: I did! I wonder what the positions requirements entail? Krista: Yeah. That position does have requirements. Some of the requirements include, MRID and RID dual membership, must be certified, have 5 or more years of interpreting experience, and finally that position is responsible for taking board meeting minutes. Of course, the board will support the Operations Director in their tasks. Kymberlee: That’s interesting. Who would be a good candidate for this position? [both Kymberlee and Krista begin to ponder with their hands on their chin and eyes gazing away from each other in deep thought. Their eyes widen and they turn towards one another with a hand gesturing as an idea springs to mind.] Simultaneously, Kymberlee and Krista begin to sign: Krista and Kymberlee: Are you interested in applying?! The fades and the words appear on the screen: Become MRID’s Operations Director for the Term 2021-2022! Email president@mrid.org |
12/17/2020
Megan & Sarah: Hello!
Megan: Hello, my name is Megan Fredin Bolduc, I am the 2020 MRID Community Relations Director and MRID Licensure board liaison.
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10/16/2020
Hello MRID Community! I’m Nic, the Programs Director on the MRID board. Read more...I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming MRID Fall Conference! It’s something that I know we all look forward to every year. It’s the chance for us to socialize with friends, co-workers, peers, and catch up over the entire weekend. Well, actually, no. Unfortunately we can’t have our normal fall conference, but that doesn’t mean we drop it and have nothing, we just adjust and adapt. On Saturday October 24, through Zoom, we will be hosting our business meeting from 10:00am-12:30pm. We will take the afternoon off, and then meet back again from 6:30pm-9:30pm for awards, celebrations, recognitions, and time to catch up and socialize. Please look to www.mrid.org for more information regarding registration. You are invited to register for just one meeting, or both. Please note that there is no cost for registration this year, there are no CEUs being offered, and both meetings will be held in ASL. It is also important to note that in order to be a voting member, or make a motion on the floor for the business meeting, you must be a member of both MRID and RID. We want you to have a voice, raise your concerns, and make motions, so please take the time to check before the meeting to make sure you have renewed your memberships. As far as motions go, go to www.mrid.org for the business meeting, (on the front page) you will see an opportunity to fill out a google form with your motion. From there, the operations director will create google slides with each motion information to show during the meeting, please be there to add any comments or additional information in person. Last minute motions are still possible following the same process; fill out the google form and our operations director will promptly get your information on the floor. At 6:30pm we will announce award winners, allow for stories and shared time to catch up with each other. I hope you can make it to at least one meeting if not both. See you there! Visual Description: Nic (white, bald woman) stands in front of a black background, wearing a black long sleeve sweater with a blue shirt showing underneath the neck, silver hoop earrings, black framed glasses, a yellow watch on her left wrist, silver ring on her left ring finger, and a silver bracelet on her right wrist. |
10/14/2020
Visual Description: Sydney Groven, a white woman, sits in front of a grey backdrop with a black button up top and hair pulled back. Read more...Hello MRID Members! Welcome to our first online vote for the MRID Elections! A motion was made in 2018 that removed the restriction saying that voting for elections must happen during the Annual Business Meeting. This opened up the possibility for online voting and this is our first year trying out this process. Call for nominations/applications was sent out originally on August 19, and a follow up email was sent on September 8. During this process, the board also reached out to community members asking for personal suggestions for these board positions. From this process, we received three applications which have now been added to our website for the membership to see. This means that the elections are uncontested and do not require a vote. Normally during the Business Meeting, these people would then be accepted by acclamation. Per the bylaws, if they were contested, only dual members of RID/MRID could vote. Because they are uncontested this year, we wanted to engage all our members in this process and try out our voting feature on our website! All members, whether dual members or not, are able to test this feature. Please go to your MRID.org profile and vote for each position! Voting is now live and will close on Thursday, October 22. |
9/1/2020
Visual Description: In 2 zoom boxes side by side are two women. Regina, sits on the left of the screen, wearing a black sleeveless high neck shirt, dark framed glasses, dangling earrings, her dark hair is pulled back into a tight bun behind her. She is against a white/tan background. On the right sits Jamers, wearing a black shirt with a black cardigan over top, she has long curly red hair that is worn down, she is sitting against a gray background. Read more...Regina: Hello!! What’s up with you? Jamers: Oh nothing, but you have something exciting to announce right? R: Well first- why don’t you introduce yourself? J: Okay good idea. I am Jamers Spier. And your name? R: I am Regina Daniels. Happy to be here with you today Jamers. J: Me too! R: I remember the first announcements awhile back announcing and introducing the first scholarships. We are thrilled to share the current, new and old, 6 scholarships that are offered through MRID. 1- Pioneer Education Scholarship - $500. 2- Pioneer Interpreter of Color Education Scholarship. J: That is a new scholarship. R: Yes correct! I am thrilled about that. It is also for $500. 3- Certification Scholarship, $300. 4- Interpreter of Color Certification Scholarship for $300. J: Another new one! R: Exactly! 5- Mary Burnes Mentorship Scholarship for $100. And last, 5- Stephen Medlicott Professional Development Scholarship for $200. J: And again, a new scholarship. R: It is really amazing to see 3 scholarships that have stood the test of time, and now the addition of these 3 new scholarships! So now, what can they do with all that information? J: You will be available to apply starting on September 1st. You can visit the website www.mrid.org/scholarships where you will find the google form to fill out with an essay and to attach a video. The application deadline is September 30th with the goal to announce those winners in October. R: This is such a great opportunity for everyone and I do with you the best luck! If you have any questions regarding this application process please reach out. J: Yes you can send an email to scholarships@mrid.org |
8/29/2020
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8/17/2020
Visual Description: Sydney, wearing a purple shirt with purple cardigan over top, tortoise color framed glasses, small gold hoop earrings, and her red/blonde hair half pulled back behind her, sitting in a chair against a gray washed background. Read more...Hello MRID Community! I am thrilled to tell you that the process to apply, and nominate for board positions is now open. I’m sure you’re wondering about how this works with the business meeting, but this year we will have a different approach than in the past; it will be prior to the meeting, and online. You will see a google form to fill out yourself if you are interested in a board position, along with a 5 minute video explaining why you are interested. You will also see a place to nominate someone that you think would be a good fit and we will get in touch with them to see if they are interested in serving. Now is the time to be thinking of those that you believe would be a good fit and nominate them. Prior to September 12th we will be working through the MRID website, and once all is set to go we will send it out to all voting members of MRID. In order to be a voting member you need to have membership at a national level of RID as well as a local level of MRID. Your membership can be certified, student, associate or community. Once we have let you know that our voting is live, you will need to log into your MRID profile where you will be able to watch each applicant's video, and select who you want to serve in that position for MRID. This voting will all take place and come to an end before our annual business meeting, and we will announce the newly appointed position on October 24th. There are 4 board positions open this year: Operations Director- in charge of the daily operations or the organization itself, taking notes, and make sure everything is running as smooth as possible. Financial Director- in charge of the finances of the organization itself to make sure it is healthy and sustainable. Community Relations Director- working to see how MRID can better support and collaborate with other local organizations. Community Director- making sure that information is shared to the public on what is happening within the community, events, MRID etc. Each of these positions I just mentioned are all served as 2 year terms, they will start term January 1, 2021 and come to an end December 21, 2022. What is unique about this is that the newly appointed board person will have an opportunity through November and December to work with the current board member, and receive some mentoring, to make sure come January 1, they are ready to go! Also in December the board will come together for a retreat weekend and share ideas and goals moving forward as an organization. Being a part of the board calls for many opportunities such as meeting many of our community members, networking, building relationships, and learning what the interpreting field itself looks like in the state of Minnesota, and at the same time developing your skill as a leader. If you are interested in applying for any one of these board positions, or want to nominate someone that you believe is a good fit, please go ahead and do so now. We are looking forward to receiving your applications! |
8/1/2020
Visual Description: on a zoom recording meeting there are 3 people: Tara wearing a blue shirt with black sweater over, hair pulled back in a pony and a dark blue background, Carlos with a light orange polo shirt in a black chair and a gray background, Regina in a light blue short sleeved shirt, black rimmed glasses on, hair pulled back and silver earrings with a gray background. Read more...Hello MRID Community, Tarra: Hi, I'm Tarra Grammenos, president of MRID. Carlos: Hi, I'm Carlos Grant, an interpreter here in Minnesota. Regina: Hi, I'm Regina Daniels, a Deaf interpreter here in Minnesota. Tarra: We're here to announce a new webinar happening on August 29th from 1-4pm titled: "A Conversation with Minnesota's Interpreters of Color." The webinar is free but we're collecting donations for.. Carlos: Two brand new scholarships to support interpreters of color here in Minnesota. We invite you to watch the webinar and donate to this great cause. All the money will go to support them, so we can see the field of BIPOC interpreters grow. Regina: Exactly! This webinar will consist of a panel discussion. Carlos and I will be there, along with many other interpreters with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We'll be having a rich dialogue about various topics. This is all going to support BIPOC interpreters - join us! Tarra: Registration and donation information is at MRID.org. Sign up today, see you there! |
6/26/2020
Visual Description: Nicki Mosbeck-Barrett sits in front of a purple backdrop with hair pulled back in a pink scrunchie, wearing a black dress.
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6/26/2020
Visual Description: Sydney Groven stands in front of a grey backdrop with her hair pulled back wearing a black button up top.
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6/6/2020
Hi, I'm Tarra Grammenos, president of MRID. I'd like to talk about the emails in the MRID-News group the last several days. Read more...People have reached out asking "what's MRID's view?" and "why has MRID allowed all these emails to go through?" Well, I would like to remind everyone; MRID's organization is not just the 7 board members, the organization is you. You also have to remember MRID's mission statement includes "provide space for continued growth and development of interpreters" - that's exactly what's been happening. Now I get it, this type of learning is uncomfortable for some people. At the same time, it's even more uncomfortable for those who have been willing to share their grief, pain, and heart. That right there, is a gift, and we need to honor and recognize that. Thank you to those people. The MRID board has intentionally remained silent. We've been watching, reading, listening, and learning. We've also intentionally allowed this dialogue to continue; in fact, we welcome it. So going forward, I hope we can continue to work together.Please, take care of each other; because that's what this community is really about. Thank you. |
4/22/2020
Visual Description: Sydney Groven, female in dark pink shirt with grey backdrop.
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3/30/2020
Visual Description: Sydney Groven, female with curly hair half up in pony with blue shirt, in front of grey backdrop.
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3/20/2020
Hello everyone! I am thrilled to announce that MRID’s Camp ASL will be here sooner than we know it. It is planned for the weekend of May 29-31, after Memorial Day weekend. Read more...This year Camp ASL might look different than you are used to. There will be two of us running the show for the weekend, myself and Patty Gordon. We are planning to provide you with a multitude of activities, dialogues, discussions and more with the emphasis on opportunities to try, learn and stretch your abilities in ASL. If you remember in the past we have had phenomenal presenters and workshops, followed with some group discussions, and those have been great! This year we are mixing it up! It will be a weekend to dive head first into ASL. We will have 15 Deaf mentors and 60 attendees. The thoughts on limiting that number to 60 this year is to allow for more time with each other and Deaf mentors to really see your language grow, and be truly involved in every activity. There will be no sitting in the back and watching it happen. Visit mrid.org to register and you will find 2 prices listed; if you are a member of MRID $185, non- MRID members $210. If you are ready to sign up as a member, you can also find that information at mrid.org where prices range from $15-35 depending on your category. Registration is now live, but remember we only have limited space so get your place at camp ASAP! Can’t wait to see you there. |
2/10/2020
Hi! I’m Tarra Grammenos, President of MRID. I’m here with some updates for the community. Remember the business meeting last October? There was a motion that passed to establish an ad-hoc committee focused on researching licensure for Minnesota. Read more...We collected 21 applications and picked 10: 5 deaf interpreters and 5 hearing interpreters. We are confident this committee will represent our state and community well. Look out for more information from them soon. We also just appointed Megan Bolduc, our new Communications Director. We’re thrilled she joined our team! Megan is a former MRID Vice President. Congrats Megan! Lastly, we just finished our 3 day MRID board retreat where we examined our history, legacy, present, and future. Did you know that next year, MRID turns 50? That’s a long time! That really got us thinking - we know MRID is important to this community and to us, but we wanted to ask you the community- MRID For-For? Why is MRID important to you? Let us know! Use #MRIDForFor and tell us! Looking forward to seeing your response! |
2/10/2020
Gina: Hi I’m Gina Alvarado and I represent MinneCODA. Tarra: Hi I’m Tarra Grammenos, president of MRID. Read more...Gina: Remember our fundraiser with Abababa last November? He gave a performance about his life as a coda (and a workshop about interpreter ethics). Combined, MinneCODA and MRID raised $2,525 to donate to Metro Deaf School! Tarra: We have Susan Lane-Outlaw here to accept the check. Susan: Wow, thank you so much! This is going to benefit MDS so much, we really appreciate it! Everyone: thank you so much! |
11/19/2019
MinneCODA and MRID are partnering up to host an exciting event coming soon. On Friday November 22 and Saturday November 23, Abababa, (actor Alan Abarbanell) will be performing and sharing on stage about his life as a CODA. Read more...His stories are very well known and quite heartfelt. The event will be held at Metro Deaf School (MDS) at 7pm. Doors will open at 6:30pm. Tickets are $25- you can purchase them online at mrid.org, or at the door. If you are planning to purchase at the door, please make sure to arrive early. Note that one Saturday morning, Alan will be providing a workshop geared towards interpreters, and how to navigate certain situations that arrive during interpreting assignments. Cost for the workshop is $40 and there are .3 CEUs available. Again, this workshop can be purchased at the door or online at mrid.org. Please come out to support this fundraiser as the proceeds will be donated to MDS itself- what a great way to support our local organizations and Deaf school! See you there. |
10/18/2019 Click on video and then CC for English captions |
10/18/2019 Click on the video and then CC for captions |
10/15/2019 |
10/5/2019
MADC and MRIDs fall conference is quickly approaching. If you have not registered yet you should act swiftly- registration ends on October 13th. Read more...
You can register online at |
9/28/2019 |
9/17/2019 |
9/17/20219
Visual Description: Sabrina Hubmer and Lisa Walsowaski standing next to one another in Noyes Hall as MSAD. Sabrina is wearing a short sleeved black v-neck shirt and glasses, Lisa is wearing a red lanyard tucked under her black jacket and black rimmed glasses. Sabrina: Hello! I'm Sabrina Hubmer. Lisa: Hi! I'm Lisa Wasilowski, and we're on the local planning committee for the upcoming MADC MRID Fall Conference. Read more...Sabrina: It's happening on October 18th and 19th. Lisa: Hey Sabrina, where is it hosted this year? Sabrina & Lisa: Here at MSAD in Faribault! Lisa: Registration is located at http://www.MRID.org Lisa: There are different categories of prices for the conference: Professionals - Those who are eligible for CEUs/ASL hours, such as teachers, interpreters, therapists, etc. Those with license/certification. Their cost is $120 for the full two days, and includes lunch both days and the banquet dinner Friday night. The second category is Community and Students - and their cost is $100 and includes the same as the professionals, just no CEUs. If you'd prefer to attend just one day, Friday's price is $70 which includes the workshops, lunch, and dinner, and then Saturday's price is $60 which includes the workshops and lunch. Sabrina: The conference is open to everyone! Community members, interpreters, students, teachers, therapists, counselors, parents, etc. The workshops offered will benefit everyone! Lisa: Hope to see you there! |
9/16/20219
Visual Description: Nic, wearing a blue shirt with a dark gray long sleeve over top, dark rimmed glasses and small thick hooped earrings, sits in a wooden chair with a painted light green wall in the background. Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out our MRID update. Read more...I am Nic Zapko, one of the current board members for MRID. You might be wondering what we the board have been up to throughout this summer, June- August. We have been diligently working, hosting our regular monthly board meetings, as well as other meetings live in person, through zoom and other platforms to stay current on our work. We are diving into our organization as an entity, as well as each individual board member's position description and responsibilities within. We quickly noticed the overlap in some directors positions which is great news to know we will not be working alone, but instead together to move forward in different projects and tasks. RID has 56 affiliate chapters (AC) across the nation, some states have more than one AC, some have none. Of those 56, we split the work between board members, and researched the following: mission and vision statements, term of board positions (1 year or 2 years), how the overlap of positions work, workshops and how often they are provided, as well as different features within each AC. Do they write out transcripts in English? Or only Vlog in ASL? We gathered all of this information and brought it together for a retreat weekend in July with the main goal of focusing on MRID itself. How can we set up this organization for success and longevity? Our answer was in part, to analyze the past and events that have happened, experienced board members, to make clear expectations so that those who join in the future, know what their role and responsibilities are. We want this work to be enjoyable and fun. We also have discussed the changeover of board positions. For example: we will never have a year where the President and Director of Finance are both new positions. Same with the Communication Director and Membership Director- because of the valued and shared work that they do, it is important to stagger the change in those positions. Again- our goal is to keep MRID running for the long term. Of course we cannot forget our favorite topic, bylaws. We took information from other states and their ACs, with the goal of simplicity and maintaining. That is what this summer has looked like for us board members. Also I should note that we have something exciting approaching. MRID and MADC will be hosting a Town Hall together. We are welcoming all members, community members, interpreters, Deaf from across Minnesota to join us and share your thoughts and perspectives on state licencing. Some things to look out for- both organizations MRID and MADC will be running a two day, fall conference together in Faribault, MN. In November MRID and MinnCODA will be hosting Abababa comedy show, and a workshop an event at Metro Deaf School (MDS) Some big things are coming our way! Hope to see you all there. |
9/12/2019
Visual Description: Sydney Groven sits in a chair wearing a blue shirt, black cardigan, and glasses. Hello MRID Community! We have a couple side projects going that we could use your help with. Did you know that the MRID is almost 50 years old? In less than two years, we will be celebrating our 50th birthday! (Cake and ice cream anyone?!) Read more...One side project that we've been working on is collecting the names of all past MRID Boards of Directors from 1971 - current, and we would love to get community input on this document to ensure its accuracy. Names may have accidentally misspelled or there could be incorrect information about who has been on the board. There are also a few missing pieces of this history that we are hoping to fill in. Go to mrid.org/History to check it out! We are also trying to collect all known copies of the MRID Update Newsletter in hopes that we can get them archived online in the next year and a half. The document attached has a record of all of the Update editions in our possession. If you have any of the missing MRID Updates, please get in touch, we would love to be able to archive them! Thank you so much for your help with this project! |
9/7/2019
Hello! I’m John Fechter, MADC board president. |
9/5/2019
Gina: Hello! My name is Gina Alvarado and I’m from MinneCODA. |
5/29/2019
Hello, I’m Tarra Grammenos, Director of MRID.
Hello, I’m Regina Daniels.
Hi, I’m Nella Titus and I’m an interpreter.
Regina: We want to have an open discussion today related to the workshop I presented at Camp ASL. |
5/7/2019
Hello, I'm Nic Zapko, one of the MRID Board members and serving as the Communications Director. Read more...We've got an exciting announcement for membership! Now we finally have the ability to do auto-renewal for your membership. For so long we've had to manually renew every year, and with our lives nowadays, it's easy to forget among all the busyness. Now you can go to MRID.org (under your profile) and click on the "Change" button next to your membership level. At that point, you should be given the option to switch to the auto-renew membership level. If you select the auto-renew option, it means that it will automatically take your payment yearly (2020, 2021, etc). Keep in mind that with this cool feature, you can change your mind at any time and go back to manually paying yearly. This is also completely optional for you. If you feel like you want one less thing to worry about, but want to make sure you stay an MRID member make the change today. At this time, Student and Supporting membership renewal will still be done manually, but Certified and Associate members can take advantage of this great perk and have peace of mind. If you have any questions or need clarification about the process, email webmaster@mrid.org. Enjoy your Spring! |
4/26/2019
Visual Description: Nic, wearing a blue zipped hoodie, dark rimmed glasses and thick hooped earrings, sitting near a burning fire pit, the trees in the background are bare with the sun shining through them. Read more...Hello! We are nearing Camp ASL. What do you have planned for the weekend of May 17-19? Sign up and join us for camp ASL. (Nic turns towards the fire pit, then begins to sign:) Take in the campfire smell and the clear skies! You might be asking yourself, “What is Camp ASL?” All are welcome to attend! There is only one rule: No Voicing. This is an entire weekend of immersing yourself in ASL. We have Deaf mentors, Deaf presenters, interpreting students, seasoned interpreters, Deaf interpreters, parents of Deaf children, and DHH teachers. These are just a few examples. Come join us for an entire weekend of socializing in ASL! You will get the full camping and outdoor experience; camp fires, cabins, activities, games, food, conversations, competitions, and more! Take a look at your calendar. If you are available, sign up! There’s two and a half weeks left until April 30th. For any questions, contact MRID. Hope to see you there! |
3/29/2019
Dear Communities,
The Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (MADC) and the The Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (MRID) would like to make a joint statement about discussions around HF 2634 and SF 2702. |
3/10/20219
Visual Description: Nic Zapko, wearing a dark navy blue long sleeved button up shirt, dark rimmed glasses and thick hooped earrings, standing in front of a light colored wall.
Hello! MRID is thrilled to host the upcoming Spring Conference, Saturday and Sunday, April 6th and 7th at Metro Deaf School's brand new building! The conference is 9am - 4pm both days, includes lunch, and is worth 1.0 RID CEUs. |
3/10/2019
Hi welcome to the MRID Update. I am Nic Zapko, a director on the board of MRID. I am sure many of you are wondering how things are progressing with the new changes of position on the board over the last two months, January and February. Read more...We are grateful for your support during this change. Previously we had 11 board members and have just recently made the change to 7 Directors. So what have we been up to? In December all board members participated in a two day retreat where we had great conversation regarding our organization, how it will be run looking forward, what members want from us and more. We looked into the history of MRID itself, as well as the history of the field of interpreting and Deaf history and know that our work in doing this will help us moving forward, and will help us keep you updated as we go. During our monthly board meetings, we have discussed what are traditions to MRID, such as Deaf Awareness Day and having both a spring conference, camp ASL, and fall conference. We have also looked at each 7 Directors positions, clarified each role and tasks and how to work together moving forward with those events and traditions. This organization has seen a tremendous change that will have long lasting effects- we are thrilled with the changes and what it will allow us to do individually as directors and as an organization. We know many of you are looking forward to being involved in different committees with MRID, and we will be announcing those soon. If you have any questions or ideas, please stay in touch and let us know. Thank you! |
9/27/2019
MRID Fall Conference is coming up fast! It's happening October 26th - 28th at Breezy Point Resort. This conference is the perfect time to come together to catch up with old friends, and make new ones.
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9/15/2018
Visual Description: Two woman are sitting outside. Sydney Groven is on the left wearing a black blouse and Nic Zapko is on the right wearing a black shirt and jacket. |
9/3/2018
Visual Description: Two woman are sitting outside. Nic Zapko is on the left wearing a purple shirt and Megan Bolduc is on the right wearing a black shirt.
Nic: Hello, I’m Nic Zapko
Megan: Hello, I’m Megan Bolduc
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8/26/2018
Visual Description: Two woman are standing outside with grass and trees behind them. Melissa Mittelstaedt is on the left wearing a navy shirt and Nic Zapko is on the right wearing a black shirt. Both: Hello!!!
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8/7/2018
Tarra: Hello, I’m Tarra Grammenos, President of MRID
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4/15/2018
HEY! Camp ASL is coming up quick, I’m so excited! Let me tell you about what it’s is going to look like.
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