Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc.

Attn: Ethics Committee
333 Commerce Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Subject: Formal Complaint – Breach of Professional Conduct by Dave Soelberg, Certified Interpreter

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Jason “JT” Tozier, and I am writing to file a formal complaint against Mr. Dave Soelberg, a certified interpreter who, on July 11, 2025, at a Deaf community event in Vancouver, Washington, publicly violated the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf’s Code of Professional Conduct (CPC) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protections.

His actions have caused me deep emotional distress and represent a breach of professional and ethical trust that must not be ignored.

Mr. Soelberg—while using American Sign Language in front of a small group of Deaf individuals—chose to resurrect a case from over 30 years ago and used it to publicly shame me in Deaf space.

This deeply personal, decades-old information was never meant for public consumption, especially not in a community setting where the assumption of confidentiality, respect, and cultural safety should be upheld by professionals like him.

Let me be clear: this was not accountability—it was retaliation disguised as righteousness. It was humiliation under the guise of information-sharing. It was a violation of both my privacy and the core ethics that interpreters are sworn to uphold. According to RID’s own CPC preamble:

“A code of professional conduct is a necessary component to any profession to maintain standards for the individuals within the profession to adhere. It brings about accountability, responsibility, and trust to the individuals that the profession serves.”

Where was the trust here? Where was the accountability for the interpreter—not just the consumer? Where was the professionalism when Mr. Soelberg used his platform to reawaken shame instead of affirm humanity?

This situation is even more painful because Mr. Soelberg once served as my high school interpreter. The last time I saw him was in 1994.

And yet, after over 30 years, he approached me not with understanding or compassion, but with unresolved resentment and a deliberate intention to demean me in front of others.

His actions were not accidental—they were calculated. The words he signed were loaded with judgment and shaming intent. He weaponized his interpreting role, violating not only my right to privacy but the very sanctity of Deaf space, which should be protected from such abuses of power.

This incident goes beyond personal pain. It reflects a larger, systemic issue within the interpreting profession: the failure to address how interpreters sometimes carry bias, grudges, or internalized prejudice into spaces where they are supposed to be neutral bridges.

I ask you—how can Deaf people trust a system that allows interpreters to exploit their professional identity for personal agendas? How can we feel safe when certified interpreters use their position to fuel community shame rather than dismantle it?
This is not just a complaint about one man’s actions.

It is a call to RID to live up to its stated values. To ensure that interpreters who violate confidentiality, who misuse their roles to publicly shame others, are held accountable not only to the profession but to the Deaf community they claim to serve.

I respectfully request that RID initiate a formal ethics investigation into Mr. Soelberg’s behavior and take appropriate disciplinary action.

Additionally, I urge RID to publicly reaffirm its commitment to trauma-informed interpreting practices, cultural humility, and restorative justice—especially in spaces where Deaf individuals are already navigating stigma, exclusion, and past wounds.

The interpreting profession is founded on trust, language, and human dignity. When that trust is broken, especially so publicly, the damage is not just personal—it’s communal. Enough with the hypocrisy.

If we are to believe that interpreters are allies, not enforcers of silence or shame, then RID must act—not with delay or denial, but with clarity, compassion, and justice.

Thank you for your attention to this deeply personal and serious matter.

Sincerely,

Jason “JT” Tozier

Contact:

mailto:thelasthiccup@gmail.com

July 11, 2025

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