Do I have to hire an Interpreter?
We often get calls from companies and organizations that want an answer to this question. It is not possible for us to make that determination for you. Each situation is unique and we strongly recommend you seek legal counsel to confirm your obligations at a legal level.
Our goal is to help companies and individuals that want to facilitate quality communications between Deaf and Hearing individuals and groups by matching our highly skilled freelance team of Interpreters to your service needs.
It is our hope that the following articles will help you to determine how the ADA laws apply to your situation.
From the ADA Title III—Public accommodations (and commercial facilities):
“No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation.”
Additionally, discrimination includes:
“…a failure to take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that no individual with a disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services…”
The ADA definition of “auxiliary aids and services” includes “qualified interpreters or other effective methods of making aurally delivered materials available to individuals with hearing impairments.”
This page of the NAD.org (National Association of the Deaf) gives a more complete overview of the ADA law that may apply in this situation: http://nad.org/issues/civil-rights/ada/public-accommodations
[blog_in_blog category_slug=’legal-considerations’ num=5 template=’cob-bib-custom’]