The honor to serve as President of PCRID is one I have embraced and given my full attention. In fact, I have thoroughly enjoyed facing the challenges as I moved progressively through the different positions to the Presidency. Initially I volunteered working as the Membership Coordinator during a transition to a new website. The engagement with the website led me to take on the role of Webmaster, endeavoring to make PCRID’s website a dynamic and valuable asset to its members. Later, when stepping into the role of First Vice President to complete the second year of a term, I found new challenges being part of the Board in a leadership role. Now, as President, I see great value in stepping up incrementally and participating in the process of running a membership organization.
I am not alone in this journey. It is wonderful to see people stepping up as volunteers, actively engaged in our professional organization locally and beyond. This year alone we have seen volunteers pass the baton to new volunteers, providing relief for those who have dedicated time and energy over the past year or longer. It demonstrates the value that each of us brings to PCRID. Everyone has something to offer at some point in time. I would like to express my gratitude toward those who have served and those now beginning their service. You are the heart of PCRID. Since there are many variables that determine the extent to which any one of us can volunteer our time in the service of our organization, those who have not served deserve no less respect. Your dedication to our profession may be manifest in other ways, and I thank you for giving your best as an interpreter. Family, jobs, health, and many other factors influence our choices and set parameters that may limit what we do even when we want to do more.
One such variable now puts me in a position to make a necessary decision to move to California. We will be moving to support family as we deal with aging parents in need. I do not enter this decision lightly. I have discussed this openly with the Board and we have agreed that I will need a replacement for the second year of my term as President. We are committed to making this transition with the interests of the membership of PCRID in mind.
In my absence, our Bylaws shift my duties to VP1. I am happy to announce that Heather Mewshaw will complete my term on the Board as President. Heather took on the role of Webmaster when I left it last year. She stepped up this year and filled the role of First Vice President during the second year of the term while upgrading the website and our communications to the membership. Her willingness and effectiveness in both of these roles has been nothing short of phenomenal. She was already committed to running for VP1 again, but we on the Board all agree that she would be ideal to step into the second year of my term as President. We will work together to make the transition seamless. I will still be here in November at the Annual Conference, and Heather and I will co-chair the Business Meeting. I ask that you welcome her and give her your full support.
It has truly been an honor to serve as President. Working with this Board has been a joy. They are a truly remarkable group of leaders, worthy of praise. I look forward to the remainder of this year and hope to see many of you in November at Conference, perhaps even stepping up to positions of service within the organization.
Michael
To keep the membership informed and up-to-date with what the PCRID Board is doing, this blog has been created. Some posts will end up on the PCRID website, some will not. But your input into our thinking is valued, and you are invited to let us know what's on your mind- even if it has nothing to do with what has been posted. -PCRID President
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
ad hoc Committee on Licensure
Just 18 days into the new year, the DC Council held their Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting. One of the agenda items included introduction of new bills. There has been discussion among PCRID members about what is going on with licensure in DC, and there will be further news as we are made aware of the progression of events.
The bill introduced on Tuesday by Councilmember Cheh is not about licensure of interpreters. Instead, it is an amendment to other pieces of legislation that focus on access for deaf and hard-of-hearing people receiving services from DC Government funding sources, including interpreting services. While definitely applies to our profession, there is no mention of licensure. This doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns about this bill and its potential impact when and if it becomes law. Therefore, an ad hoc committee on licensure is now being established to look at this bill in preparation for the process of public participation at an as yet undisclosed meeting date. The committee will also look at any potential licensure bill being introduced.
Already, a number of people representing stakeholder groups have been engaged in discussion. Among those already involved are MDAD President Charm Smith, DCAD President David Nelson, PCRID Liaison to DCAD Bethany Melanson, PCRID Member at Large Erin Harrison, and numerous others including Andrea K. Smith and Jen Bell.
If you would like to be part of this ad hoc committee, please contact our point person on this new committee, Andrea K. Smith, at legislativeaffairs@pcrid.net. This invitation is primarily to PCRID members, but other stakeholders are invited to weigh in on the issue so we aren’t working in a vacuum. Collaboration with stakeholders is vital on the issue of providing ‘qualified’ interpreters.
As we move forward, lets all bear in mind our mission: PCRID is committed to advancing the quality, professionalism, and integrity of sign language interpreting in Maryland and the District of Columbia through education, information, and advocacy.
Thank you for participating in this process.
Michael
The bill introduced on Tuesday by Councilmember Cheh is not about licensure of interpreters. Instead, it is an amendment to other pieces of legislation that focus on access for deaf and hard-of-hearing people receiving services from DC Government funding sources, including interpreting services. While definitely applies to our profession, there is no mention of licensure. This doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns about this bill and its potential impact when and if it becomes law. Therefore, an ad hoc committee on licensure is now being established to look at this bill in preparation for the process of public participation at an as yet undisclosed meeting date. The committee will also look at any potential licensure bill being introduced.
Already, a number of people representing stakeholder groups have been engaged in discussion. Among those already involved are MDAD President Charm Smith, DCAD President David Nelson, PCRID Liaison to DCAD Bethany Melanson, PCRID Member at Large Erin Harrison, and numerous others including Andrea K. Smith and Jen Bell.
If you would like to be part of this ad hoc committee, please contact our point person on this new committee, Andrea K. Smith, at legislativeaffairs@pcrid.net. This invitation is primarily to PCRID members, but other stakeholders are invited to weigh in on the issue so we aren’t working in a vacuum. Collaboration with stakeholders is vital on the issue of providing ‘qualified’ interpreters.
As we move forward, lets all bear in mind our mission: PCRID is committed to advancing the quality, professionalism, and integrity of sign language interpreting in Maryland and the District of Columbia through education, information, and advocacy.
Thank you for participating in this process.
Michael
Monday, January 3, 2011
What's New in the New Year
Resolutions for the New Year are made by millions of us. Follow-through is the tough part, as we all know.
Not wanting to begin 2011 as the PCRID President with unachievable goals, I would like to suggest a few course markers in our journey together over the coming year. As an organization, we are "committed to advancing the quality, professionalism, and integrity" of our profession in DC and MD. What we may accomplish individually as professionals is significant. What we can do together as professionals to achieve our organization's mission depends greatly on our efforts to communicate with each other within the organization, and then beyond it.
Throughout the coming year, I will be actively engaged in fostering such communication within the organization. I would like to emphasize the need for certain parameters in this type of open dialogue among a large contingent of interpreters with diverse backgrounds and values. We won't always agree with one another, but we can listen* to what others have to say. It may call for us to suspend* our own beliefs and values to truly understand another person's point of view, but that can be accomplished if we listen with respect* when others share their truth. In turn, when we voice* our own thinking to others, we would like them to respond in kind.
I invite you to communicate with the Board and all its representatives, as well as with each other. And we will communicate with you, seeking your input and asking you to weigh in on issues at hand. As a result of our dialogue with each other, I believe we can effectively 'think together' in ways that impact how we fulfill the active part of our mission: "advancing the quality, professionalism, and integrity of sign language interpreting.. through education, information, and advocacy."
You have my personal commitment to foster this kind of dialogue within PCRID as we consider ways to move forward in working with consumers, clients, and colleagues.
Happy New Year!
Michael Labadie CI & CT, NIC Master
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