Knowing ADA Rules a Must for All Professionals

To The Editor:
When I hung up the phone with that local doctor’s office, I knew I would need some time to cool off. “Why can’t deaf people be responsible for themselves and bring their own interpreters? Spanish people bring their own,” the woman on the phone snapped at me.
Last time I checked, being a Spanish-speaking person is not a disability.
Deafness creates a language disability because our mainstream culture uses spoken language to communicate; language which is obviously impossible for a deaf person to hear. The situation could be as simple as not hearing the polite “excuse me” at the grocery store, or even as complex as not realizing exactly what the doctor’s “diagnosis of terminal cancer” means. Without hearing, Deaf people need to use visual cues and language (American Sign Language) as a primary mode of information gathering.
The federal government understands this- that is why they created the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
As a sign language interpreter, I cannot tell you how many times I have had to explain the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to people who call my office in search of interpreting services. Even upon learning about the ADA Law, many doctors’ offices and businesses choose to ignore it. I have had doctors speak to me on the phone and tell me “you’re just being difficult” when I try to educate and advocate about the ADA on behalf of the deaf.
If you serve the public, it would be wise to educate yourself about the ADA.
The law was established in 1990 to protect our fellow citizens who need very specific accommodations to access public services that we all enjoy, and perhaps, take for granted. An accommodation could be a wheelchair ramp for people who are wheelchair bound, a Braille sign for the blind, or a sign language interpreter for the deaf.
For a glimpse into the world of a deaf person, I invite you to make an appointment with a doctor who speaks a different language. See how comfortable you feel about the services you receive in regards to your body. Would you like not being able to understand what the doctor says to you? Perhaps if you can’t understand it, the good doctor would be kind enough to write it down. That should help, right?
Wrong.
I commend all the local doctors and businesses that comply with the ADA laws. Keep up the good work.
And for the rest of you, check out the US Department of Justice ADA homepage at www.ada.gov to read up on this law that has been on the books for 20 years. You may also find information at www.NAD.org, the homepage of the National Association of the Deaf. Compliance with the ADA will help you provide your patients and customers a level of service that you have come to expect for yourself.
GEORGIANA MURNAGHAN
Court House