In Loving Memory
Maureen Longo Tuccelli

The board and chairpersons of FRID are saddened to hear of the passing of Maureen Longo Tuccelli on Sunday, November 20, 2022. Maureen had long been a pillar in the Florida interpreting community and served in FRID in various capacities. She was also a co-owner/chair of the famous and long-running Florida Silent Weekends which helped thousands of ASL and interpreting students as well as families of Deaf. She has done so much for interpreters and the Deaf Community that it would take hundreds of lines of text to pay fitting tribute.

We offer our sincere condolences to her family and friends. Her daughter Nichole posted that before her passing Maureen asked that no service be held; she preferred that those who knew her focus on their best memories of her. In lieu of flowers or gifts, she and her family asked that those wishing to honor Maureen's memory and life of service may do so by donating to their own favorite charity. Her family noted that Maureen favored Catholic Medical Missions Board, One Simple Wish, and Freedom Gathering Church in Bradenton.

If you would like to offer words of comfort and support to Maureen's family and friends, please use the comment section of the tribute post on the FRID Facebook page and we will pass your thoughts along.

Watch the statement in ASL

The FRID Board is aware of the current situation with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and the Florida Association of the Deaf (FAD). Neither the NAD nor the FAD contacted The Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (FRID) or their Board members regarding these topics, and FRID gave no input into any statements made. FRID strives to provide a safe space to all the communities we serve. We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops. Additionally, we invite all members of FRID to attend our next scheduled quarterly Board meeting on April 26, 2022 if they wish to make comments to the Board.  FRID continues to affirm our diversity statement located on our website as well as below:

The Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (FRID) understands the necessity of multicultural awareness and sensitivity. As an organization, we are committed to diversity both within the organization and within the profession of sign language interpreting.

Our commitment to diversity stems from and reflects our understanding of present and future needs of both our organization and the profession. We recognize that in order to provide the best service among signed and spoken language interpreters, we must draw from the widest variety of society with regards to diversity in order to provide support, equity of treatment, and respect among interpreters within the FRID organization.

Accordingly, FRID defines diversity as differences which are appreciated, sought, and shaped in the form of the following categories: gender identity or expression, racial identity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, cultural background, socioeconomic status, deaf or hard of hearing status, disability status, age, geographic locale (rural vs. urban), sign language interpreting experience, certification status and level, and language bases (e.g. those who are native to or have acquired signed and/or spoken languages, those who utilize a signed system, among those using spoken or signed languages) within both the profession of sign language interpreting and the FRID organization.

To that end, we strive for inclusion and support diversity in every area of FRID. We know that the differences that exist among people represent a 21st century population and provide for innumerable resources within the sign language interpreting field.

We would like to share the following statement from the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Board of Directors regarding the status of the Interpreter Training Program at University of South Florida.

Click here to see the statement in ASL

The Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf is a member-driven organization in the state of Florida. Our membership is made up of working and retired interpreters, student interpreters, Deaf stakeholders and consumers, and organizations serving the interpreting and Deaf communities. Through various channels it was disclosed that USF is currently evaluating the Interpreting Training Program associated with the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. FRID is aware of the rally that took place recently after a message was shared stating that the USF ITP is potentially closing. 

We recognize that ITPs play a crucial role in the preparation of qualified ASL interpreters. Several of our board members currently serving the organization are USF ITP alumni, so this does hit close to home. We look forward to more information coming from the Advisory Committee being formed. FRID would be happy to have a representative serve on this advisory council so that the interpreting profession here in the state of Florida can provide feedback and guidance in the decision making process. We are actively following this situation and do want to express our support for Interpreter Training Programs.

Hello Members!

Currently, many interpreters are concerned about events happening at the national level within our profession. No matter what occurs within RID, our Deaf consumers still continue to need interpreting services provided to them.

We here in FRID leadership recognize that interpreters continue to need support. Last weekend, the Board and Committee Chairs met for two days and developed a number of ways we plan to support you. Workshops, conference, and licensure/regulation are just some of the ideas we currently have.

We know our profession is going through a challenging time, but we want to assure you that FRID will continue to provide support to our membership and the communities we serve.

In recognition of Juneteenth as a day of celebration for our BIPOC colleagues, and coinciding with the month of June as the celebration of Pride for our LGBTQIA+ colleagues, the FRID Board has taken time to reflect and update our commitment to inclusion and diversity. Our updated diversity statement can be found on the About Us page of the FRID website.

[Image Description: Top Left-Juneteenth flag: Navy blue top, red bottom with a convex curved line between, a white star in the center surrounded by a white starburst, white text "June 19, 1865" up the right side. Top Right-Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag: Rainbow stripes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple on right, chevrons pointing right from left edge black, brown, light blue, pink, white with a yellow triangle surrounding a purple circle on the left edge. Bottom-FRID logo: Black text on white background "FRID" with teal line drawing of Florida behind a white "I", underneath: "Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf".]

The Board sends BIG WAIVING HANDS to Jessica Rushing, our own North Region Rep, and Kayla Ellison, the newest member of our Membership Committee, for achieving their NIC certifications from @RIDInc! You've both made us proud - ConFRIDulations!

Hello FRID Members!

We are already one month in to the year 2021 and the recently seated Board Members, as well as returning Board members have been quite busy through this transitional time. We look forward to meeting in our first open Board meeting for this quarter on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 7pm EST/6pm CST. We encourage any member who is able, to attend the meeting being held virtually through Zoom. Be sure to check the website for how to attend.

Along with that, we still have a number of positions needing volunteers for appointment. On the Board of Directors we still have open positions for Treasurer, Region Representaive Central-West and a Student Representative. Please check the Website under BOARD OF DIRECTORS to see the qualifications for these roles.

In addition to the Board of directors, currently the Organization is without a Membership Chairperson. This role is vital to the Organization and our membership. We also are always happy to have our members volunteer on the other various committees that help FRID to function and accomplish assigned tasks. Another open position is that of our Communication Chairperson who is responsible for maintaining our website, Facebook page and sending out email blasts to members.

Anyone interested in applying for any of these various openings should email the Board of Directors to start the appointment process. 

I wish to express my thanks and gratitude to our current Board and Committee members working hard for each of us, as well as to our Membership for their continued support. 

Good evening FRID members, friends, and guests, 

The FRID Board of Directors would like to announce their meeting schedule for the 2021 calendar year. 

Regularly scheduled board meetings are open to the public and we encourage members and visitors to attend any regularly scheduled meetings. Board meetings are conducted in American Sign Language (ASL) to provide a fully inclusive experience for all FRID members, guests, and visitors attending. Attendees can join regularly scheduled board meetings by video conference using our Zoom video conference link. 

First time users will be asked to download the Zoom Launcher (one-time software installation). There is a prompt to enter your name and then you will automatically join the video conference. Members shall always introduce themselves upon joining any video conference.

The calendar of regularly scheduled board meeting for 2021 is as follows.

• Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 7pm EST

• Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at 7pm EST

• Tuesday, July 6th at 7pm EST

The 2021 Annual Business Meeting will also serve as the board's fourth quarter regularly scheduled meeting. The Annual Business Meeting will be held the weekend of October 22-24, 2021. Exact dates and times will be announced as they are determined. 

In addition, FRID members are welcome to submit motions at anytime throughout the year. Motions received at least 48-hours in advance of a regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting will be heard at that meeting. Otherwise, the motion will be heard at the subsequent Board of Directors meeting. Visit our website to submit a motion.

We look forward to introducing the new Board of Directors at the first regularly scheduled meeting of the year on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 7pm EST. See you there!

Best regards,

Good evening everyone, 

The FRID Board of Directors would like to take a moment to express our appreciation for everyone who took time out of their Saturday morning to attend the 2020 Annual Business Meeting. We appreciate your interest and involvement in supporting our professional organization. Congratulations to our newly elected board members beginning their term in 2021, our scholarship recipients, President's Award and Distinguished Service Award recipients, and all the raffle winners! 

The FRID Board of Directors would like to express our appreciation to Jeremy Quiroga for presenting his workshop on Deaf Space and the Deaf perspective this afternoon. Our thanks also go out to everyone who attended; we appreciate your commitment to continuing growth and development in the field. Be on the lookout for a follow-up email with the attendance and evaluation forms. Fill out and returns the forms as soon as possible to claim your CEUs!

The results are in!

The Nominations & Elections committee has completed the validation process for the results of the 2020 FRID Board of Directors election. The newly elected members of the Board of Directors are listed below. They will be sworn in at the Annual Business Meeting on October 17, 2020, and will begin preparing to transition into their new positions. Their terms of service will begin January 1, 2021. Congratulations to the winning candidates!

2020 Board of Directors Election Winners

President - Kenneth Houghtaling

Vice-President of External Affairs - Laura Jackson

Secretary - Holli Tempe

Deaf Member-at-Large - James Smith

Region Representative North - Jessica Rushing

Some positions did not receive candidate nominations before the August 31, 2020 deadline but did receive write-in nominations during the voting period. Eligible write-in candidates were given the opportunity to decide whether they would be willing and able to serve in the position for which they were nominated. Eligible write-in candidates who indicated they were willing and able to serve and who also received a majority of the votes were elected to those positions. 

Where eligible write-in candidates decided to remain on the ballot but no one candidate received a majority of the votes, a runoff election will be held to determine the winner of the election for that position. Where all eligible write-in candidates have withdrawn themselves from consideration, leaving the position vacant at the completion of the election cycle, the sitting board members will solicit applications for qualified members to be appointed to those positions until  the next election cycle, when a special election will be held. The board positions that will be decided by runoff election or filled by board appointment are listed below. 

Runoff Elections

Vice-President of Internal Affairs (Jan. 1, 2021 - Dec. 31, 2021)

Region Representative South (Jan. 1, 2021 - Dec. 31, 2022)

Positions to be Filled by Board Appointment

Treasurer (Current - Dec. 31, 2021)

Member-at-Large^* (Jan. 1, 2021 - Dec. 31, 2021)

Region Representative West^* (Jan. 1, 2021 - Dec. 31, 2021)

The Nominations & Elections Committee is working diligently to begin the runoff election process. Keep an eye on your email and the 2020 Elections page for more information as soon as it becomes available. 

For more information on Nominations and Elections, including the nomination and election timeline, please visit our Elections page. 

^*These positions will be left vacant when the new officers take up their positions on January 1, 2021.