Site Coordinator's Guide Talking about ISRR: The Work of Your Site

What Is RegDay (FAQ)   RegDay 2009     2009 Site Listing     Add Your Site     Promotional Materials   Handouts & Pamphlets   Volunteer For RegDay   Site Coordinator's Guide     Overview     Securing A Location     Recruiting Volunteers     Promoting Your Site     Obtaining Materials     Talking About ISRR     The Day Of RegDay   RegDay Home   RegDay On MySpace

Contents: What is ISRR? How does ISRR make matches? Why should an adoptee or birthrelative register with ISRR? What if I move? What if I find my birthrelative/adoptee after registering with ISRR? What if I change my mind after registering with ISRR? But adoption records in my state/province/country are open by law. Why would I need ISRR? 1. What is ISRR? ISRR is the International Soundex Reunion Registry founded in 1975 by Emma May Vilardi with the intention of providing a centralized registry open to adopted people, birthparents, and any adoption related search and support groups. ISRR provides a mutual consent reunion registry for adults 18 and over who desire contact or reunion with their next of kin by birth from whom they have become separated, for whatever reason. They do not provide search assistance. There is no charge for registration but donations are accepted if sent directly to ISRR. 2. How does ISRR make matches? ISRR uses the Soundex Coding System. When registration forms are received, the information is translated into a single code line. "This code line," according to ISRR, "is capable of seven points of match and enables the registrar to check over 1000 entries in about five minutes." 3. Why should a birthrelative or adoptee register with ISRR? ISRR is the longest running, most successful mutual consent registry there is. By registering with ISRR, a birthrelative or adoptee has a greater chance of being reunited because of the size of their ever growing database. Potential matches are confirmed by human registrars, capable of comparing fine details on the applications which a computer would be hard pressed to determine. As an example: The birthmother's registration form states that she gave birth at Cedars of Lebanon hospital in Los Angeles, California on September 18, 1969. The adoptee's registration form states that he was born at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California on September 18, 1969. A computer database query would most likely conclude that this is not a match. However, a human would be able to see the similarity, and would follow that hunch through with a little investigation, finding out that the Cedars of Lebanon hospital in Los Angeles was later taken over by a large hospital and renamed Cedar-Sinai Medial Center, thus verifying the match even further. 4. What if I move? Like registering to vote, you should send a new registration form to ISRR with an explanation that you are already registered and are just updating your address information. 5. What if I find my birthrelative/adoptee after registering with ISRR? If you are reunited by a different means than ISRR, you should contact them to inform them that you have reunited and wish to be removed from their files. This actually helps them quite a bit, keeping their database as streamlined as possible. 6. What if I change my mind after registering with ISRR? ISRR is a mutual consent registry. If you later decide you do not wish to be reunited with or contacted by the person you registered to find, simply contact ISRR in writing and ask to be removed from their registry. By withdrawing your consent, you make it impossible for ISRR to match anyone to your record. Keep in mind that people may contact you regardless of whether you register with ISRR or not, as there are alternate ways to search and laws governing freedom of association. 7. But adoption records in my state/province/country are open by law. Why would I need ISRR? Having access to one's original birth certificate or other pertinent information about their birth and adoption may be a step towards reconnecting. However, people do move around, government agencies do lose files or misreport information. One can still be stuck searching for years even with all this information. Registering with a mutual consent registry is still helpful in these situations. Copyright 1997 by S. Cameron Byrd, updated 1998-2000 by Damsel Plum. All Rights Reserved Next >>> The Day Of (An Operations Guide) RegDay home page www.adopteerights.org