About Us

About the Founder

Russell F. Moore, SR was a teacher at the Tennessee School for the Deaf. He also served with Deaf people on their committees and boards, was the President of the Ohio Home for Aged and Infirmed (now Columbus Colony), and was active in the Ohio Association of the Deaf. Additionally, he was a coach for the Goodyear Silents, a Deaf semi-pro football team in Akron.

Goodyear Silent football team in 1920.
Newspaper clipping from Silent Worker about the Goodyear Silents.

Mr. Moore's brother Fred, who was also Deaf, influenced Russell's early interest the Deaf community and the value of quality interpreting services.

Previously called "Ohio Chapter of Interpreters for the Deaf"

Mr. Moore founded the Ohio Chapter of Interpreters for the Deaf in 1968. At that time, OCID boasted approximately 50 members!

Mr. Moore passed on a legacy to OCID and its members that can be summed up in six lessons:

  1. Deaf can do anything but hear
  2. Work with deaf people and never for them
  3. Never "arrive" - Keep learning!
  4. Learn from elders and pass on
  5. Grow within the organization, but never forget your roots
  6. Cultivate interests that have nothing to do with deafness and interpreting

In honor of Mr. Moore's memory and example to OCRID, we have established the Russell Moore Award.

Becoming an Affiliate Chapter of RID

We have grown steadily over the years to a membership of approximately 300. OCID became an affiliate chapter of RID in 1975, at which time our name was changed to the Ohio Chapter of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. We are proud to have a reputation for providing excellent workshops and conferences as well as to have been home to leaders in the field serving at the state, regional, and national levels, including several members who have served on the RID Board of Directors.

The Ohio Chapter of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (OCRID) is an affiliate chapter of the profession’s national organization, the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). RID’s affiliate chapters are organized into five geographical regions, with OCRID belonging to Region III. We hope that OCRID and RID will be sources of information for you and that membership in both organizations will benefit you.

If you have any questions about becoming an interpreter, continuing your education as an interpreter, or hiring an interpreter, please contact us at president@ocrid.org.