Note - not all sessions in this series will be recorded. Please note which sessions you must attend live to earn credit to ensure you are able to attend those sessions. Designed specifically for interpreters working in educational settings, this series focuses on equipping participants with the skills, tools, and strategies needed to excel in the field of educational interpreting. Interpreters will focus on building expertise, confidence, and adaptability in order to meet the diverse needs of all consumers. Each session addresses the unique challenges and opportunities in K-12 environments, combining practical techniques with theoretical foundations. Key topics include language development and pedagogy, ethics and professional standards, cultural competence and inclusion, role-space and boundaries, & self-care and professional resilience. Participants will engage in interactive activities, discussions, and hands-on practice to strengthen their skills and confidence. Whether you're new to educational interpreting or looking to refine your expertise, this series will provide invaluable tools and resources to enhance your professional practice.

*Note - Participants will need to have read the book Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity in advance in order to participate in this session. Please come ready with your questions and discussion points. This Professional Studies program is offered for 0.40 Professional Studies-Power, Privilege, and Oppression (PS-PPO) CEUs at the little/none Content Knowledge Level. RID HQ is an approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. In honor of Autism and Neurodiversity Awareness Month, please join us for a book study about Devon Price’s Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity (2022). Although the book is focused on the autistic experience, it provides valuable insight about the neurodivergent experience and how we can promote an accepting and inclusive neurodiverse community. During this interactive discussion, facilitated by Amanda Kennon, participants will take a closer look at neurodivergence, specifically the autistic experience of masking and its profound impact on their lives. Participants will also examine the intersectionality of identities and how public perception, stereotypes, and bias cause additional harm, particularly within marginalized communities. Finally, participants will consider abandoning the medical model of disability in favor of a social model as we move from awareness to acceptance and inclusion. As Price states, “All of us have internalized mental illness stigma and felt the shame of deviating from what’s considered “normal.” Almost every person with a mental illness or disability has been crushed under the weight of neurotypical expectations, and has repeatedly tried and failed to earn acceptance by playing the rules of a game that was designed to harm us. And so, for nearly every neurodiverse person, the journey toward self-acceptance involves learning to unmask.

This Professional Studies program is offered for 0.3 PS CEUs at the little/none Content Knowledge Level. RID HQ is an approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. The presentation focuses on several main threads that especially impact deaf children and adults including early brain development, the current landscape of health outcomes, research with cochlear implants and sign language, and the implications of mainstream and deaf school education placements.

*Note - this session will not be recorded for asynchronous viewing. Please register only if you plan to attend live on Thursday, May 29, 2025, 6:00pm-9:30pm ET. * This Professional Studies program is offered for 0.35 PS CEUs at the little/none Content Knowledge Level. RID HQ is an approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. This workshop is designed to support interpreters by using a trauma-informed approach to help recognize the impact of interpreting in stressful or traumatic situations. We’ll dive into some key psychological frameworks that shed light on physical, cognitive, and emotions stressors interpreters might face, and together we’ll explore ways to assess your own levels of burnout and compassion fatigue. You’ll also walk away with practical tools to boost your overall personal and professional wellness. Plus, in this special edition, we’ll create space to discuss the unique experiences of being an educational interpreter, providing space for discussion and peer support.

"Due to the nature of the content and active participation required, these sessions will not be recorded for asynchronous learning. For those who attend the live sessions, please use a laptop or desktop computer with a camera - other smart, handheld devices are not sufficient." This three-webinar series focuses on equipping interpreters with the skills and strategies necessary to navigate complex, emotionally charged environments in educational settings. The series emphasizes the importance of understanding mental health, trauma, and stress as key factors that affect both interpreters and students, offering practical tools for professional development, personal well-being, and ethical decision-making.

This Professional Studies program is offered for 0.3 PS CEUs at the little/none Content Knowledge Level. RID HQ is an approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. This workshop addresses the demands faced by educational interpreter's and deaf students' autonomy in mainstream classrooms. It explores deaf individuals' and interpreters' perspectives on the interpreters' role and responsibilities, student autonomy, and working together in the K-12 setting taken from individual and group interviews. This workshop highlights issues deaf students and interpreters face, such as positioning and role confusion. In addition, this workshop examines the educational team and their understanding and perspectives regarding role, shared values, responsibilities, and collaboration. Finally, by sharing deaf individuals' and interpreters' perspectives and experiences, group discussion, and case conferencing, this workshop aims to share strategies for enhancing interpersonal communication and collaboration between educational team members to better support deaf students in the mainstream.

*Note - this session will not be recorded for asynchronous viewing. Please register only if you plan to attend live on Thursday, May 15, 2025, 6:00pm-9:30pm ET. * This Professional Studies program is offered for 0.35 PS CEUs at the little/none Content Knowledge Level. RID HQ is an approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. Developing a trauma-informed approach enables interpreters to provide more compassionate and effective support within the learning environment. In this workshop, we'll discuss how to frame our interpreting work in educational settings with a trauma-informed lens. Using the theories of the Hierarchy of Needs and the Trauma-Recovery Model, we will identify signs of stress and trauma and how they might show up in our work. We'll identify tools to incorporate into our personal and professional practice that allow us to navigate stress with empathy during the interpreting process.