LC Interpreting Services is now SignNexus!
SignNexus sets the standard for excellence and efficiency when accommodating the diverse communication and cultural needs of individuals who are Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing.
SignNexus is a distinguished interpreting agency that specializes in American Sign Language, International Sign, and other sign language modalities. On-site and Remote Sign Language Interpreting Services are available to help organizations fulfill their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
SignNexus offers Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services, also known as Realtime Captioning, for live events. Remote Captioning Services are also available to facilitate ADA compliant accessibility for virtual events on any platform.
SignNexus Interpreters and Captioners have extensive experience in a variety of specialized settings.
On July 26, 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. This landmark legislation was designed to recognize and protect the rights of disabled citizens to have the same access and opportunity in this country as anyone else. This includes opportunities in education and employment, as well as opportunities to participate in everyday life — such as healthcare, banking, recreation, entertainment, or travel — without facing additional barriers.
Of course, with the passing of the ADA the work toward social justice was really just getting started. The ADA was by no means an instant solution to systemic oppression and it did not end disability discrimination, but it has served as an essential toolkit for people to fight for their legally guaranteed rights when necessary.
To celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, people are using the hashtag #ThanksToTheADA to highlight the many ways the world opens up through accessibility. Be sure to follow the hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram throughout the month of July, and feel free to share your own #ThanksToTheADA moments. We also recommend the following the #ADA30 hashtag and the ADA Action Network (Twitter | Facebook ) for more updates.
Below you will find additional resources to learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act and how it has impacted the lives of US citizens for more than 30 years.
Since 1990, groups and individuals within the Disability Community have worked, advocated, litigated, protested, and lobbied to make incredible advancements toward equal access with the support of the ADA. As time goes on, we are beginning to see inclusive elements being built right into organizations and institutions – from Universal Design in architecture to captions and audio descriptions on web content – people are coming to understand the ways these features can actually benefit EVERYONE! Three cheers to 30 years of progress under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
July 26 marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act: a set of laws established to help people with disabilities gain access to society that was simply not designed for them. Since 1990, this landmark piece of legislation has improved the lives of millions of Americans by providing clarification regarding their rights to access— whether that means built-in wheelchair ramps, requesting ASL interpreters, or allowing service animals into buildings— and offering legal recourse for individuals whose rights are violated.
Make no mistake, the ADA has not miraculously leveled the playing field for those with disabilities. It helped lay the foundation for equal access, but the ADA does not guarantee that services will be available for those who need them when they need them.
Without the hard work of determined disability rights activists, the ADA would never have been passed; and without ongoing advocacy efforts, little real change might have come from the legislation. People who do not need to reference the ADA on a regular basis to get their basic needs met are frequently unaware of their obligation to ensure equal access to their establishment / service / business. In the years since the ADA became law, people with disabilities have had to consistently perform the labor of educating people about their disabilities and what it means to be disabled in a world that favors able-bodied individuals. They must also be willing to challenge organizations to go beyond bare minimum compliance, which can sometimes mean taking on large institutions in a public way.
Below you will find links to some recent video blogs by individuals who are d/Deaf/HoH:
These are only a few of the thousands of thoughtful explanations and analyses of the ADA and how these legal provisions actually apply to those who are deaf. There are countless hours of video containing firsthand accounts, experiences, successes and failures available on the Internet for those wishing to gain a deeper insight into the longterm impact of the 1990 Act. Overall we have seen quite a bit of progress yet discrimination remains a fact, due in large part to simple ignorance.
If you are a deaf or hard of hearing individual, it is your responsibility to ensure that your rights are not being violated. Until we live in a world where accessibility is built-in and widely understood, the burden will continue to fall on already disadvantaged minority groups to fight for basic accommodations.
Here you will find links to some ADA resources:
Each time a person takes it upon themselves to challenge the institution that oppresses them, they remove a barrier for the next person— no matter how big or small. This incremental progress adds up over time. If your rights are violated, pursue further action. If your needs are not adequately met, provide feedback and pursue further action. The advocacy and awareness that each person spreads works toward creating a more educated society with advanced views of disability. Pushing back is important work!
But what about allies? How can people who are not deaf or disabled help, without their position of able-bodied privilege resulting in further oppression? Where to get started?
On a day-to-day basis, allies can look for opportunities to help raise awareness about deaf perspectives and offer support for better access. Examples:
The ADA in action is more of a tool for people with disabilities than any kind of guarantee. This set of legislation only works when it is enforced, and it is up to each member of our society to help enforce it.
We must maintain our willingness to challenge comfortable but oppressive social norms in everyday situations. We need to keep pushing for what is right, even when it is the more difficult path. Working together, little by little we can help remove the structural roadblocks that limit individuals, thereby collectively creating a truly diverse America.
LCIS is thrilled to offer ADA Compliance Consulting for businesses and organizations. Our ADA Compliance Consulting program works in conjunction with relevant stakeholders and committee of Deaf advisors to assist organizations with reducing legal risk and ensuring that their business has all the tools for success when working with Deaf/ HoH customers, clients, or employees. Contact us Today for more information!
Applying for jobs can be a test of nerves. Each resume must be tailored and each cover letter is a carefully crafted sales pitch. We highlight our skills and professional experience while explaining why we’d be a great fit for the organization. On employment applications, we are asked to expose so much of ourselves, yet we are expected to keep the most important details private.
A recent study published in the New York Times revealed that employers were 34% less likely to hire an experienced job candidate with a disability, and 15% less likely to hire a novice candidate with a disability. This study suggests what deaf people already know: even in our modern era, when organizations claim to value diversity, hiring discrimination persists as a sad reality.
Often, employers do not understand how to accommodate people with different abilities, fearing (incorrectly) that it will be costly or complicated. More importantly, they do not understand the value that people who are deaf bring to the team. Below are just a few of the many, many excellent reasons to include people who are deaf/ hard of hearing in any organization.
People who are deaf spend much of their lives finding ways to adapt within hearing culture. Because of this, deaf employees may exhibit impressive patience and flexibility in the face of a challenge.
2) MediatorsPeople who are deaf become talented at bridging communication and cultural gaps in everyday situations. This can translate into strong problem solving and interpersonal skills.
Deaf employees bring a unique perspective to the team. Because their background and life experiences are inevitably different than their hearing colleagues’, an individual who is deaf/HoH might suggest services, features, or marketing ideas that other employees would never have even considered.
Studies have shown that workers with disabilities are viewed as dependable, loyal, and responsible. They also tend to have overall positive job performance ratings. One study found that deaf/ HoH employees rank among the highest safety ratings in the workforce!
5) Hard WorkersSince deaf job candidates often face discriminatory hiring practices, it can be a challenge just to get a foot in the door. Deaf employees tend to work hard to secure their position and seek opportunities for career advancement.
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workplace that employs deaf individuals can enrich the culture of their entire organization! Adding diversity provides all employees the opportunity to work on effective communication and cooperation skills, while challenging people to explore new perspectives. With proper cultural competency training, each individual in an organization can learn to become more compassionate, open minded, and willing to go the extra mile for the team.
Common fears about hiring people who are deaf are usually unfounded. Those worried about cost should know that most accommodations cost less than $500. The Job Accommodation Network provides some great examples of affordable accommodations that allow organizations to hire and retain valuable deaf/ HoH employees, and there are tax benefits available to help businesses ensure ADA compliance.
For employers who have questions about integrating a deaf individual into the workplace, there are plenty of resources available. Ultimately, the best way to figure out what accommodations a deaf person needs and prefers is to simply ask them! Employers should ensure that they treat deaf employees with respect, communicate with them as professional colleagues, and don’t leave them out of work-related social situations (such as lunches and parties). Managers will need a basic foundation of knowledge about deafness and deaf communication to help everyone develop a comfortable working dynamic.
As our society increasingly celebrates diversity, businesses that do not adapt inclusive hiring policies are sure to fall out of favor. By denying qualified deaf individuals job opportunities, employers are also refusing their current employees the opportunity to learn and grow in a multicultural work environment. Additionally, the employee profile of a business sends a subtle message to potential clients and customers about an organization’s fundamental values.
Before hiring managers start calculating the cost of accessibility, they ought to consider the priceless advantage of a diverse workforce. Deaf individuals deserve an equal chance to succeed in any field they choose. Creating a deaf-friendly workplace enhances many people’s lives, and brings us one step closer to a deaf-friendly world. It’s progressive, it’s equality, and it’s the right thing to do.
LC Interpreting Services is thrilled to offer Cultural Competency Training seminars for businesses and organizations on a national level. Learn how to effectively integrate Deaf/HoH employees in the workplace and provide them the support they need, while educating other staff members and management about deafness and Deaf culture. Our cultural competency training is comprehensive, informative, and a great team-building exercise!
Last thing you remember, you were walking down the street— now you are lying in a hospital bed. The lights are so bright you can barely see, and your whole body is in pain. You try asking for assistance, but none of the medical staff can understand you because none of them communicate by using American Sign Language (ASL). They hand you some paperwork and ask you to write your questions on a note pad, but all you want is a conversation. What happened to you? How did you get here? What are you supposed to do now?
Frequently and all too easily, the rights of people who are deaf get stripped away. Every day, deaf individuals attempting to interact with hearing authorities, emergency responders, or organizations are denied basic access to communication and, in some instances, their lives are put into jeopardy. There have been a number of cases where deaf Americans are wrongfully arrested after calling 911 for help. There are cases where deaf people die after the hospital withholds a critical medical diagnosis. Or perhaps ambitious students are denied access to medical school because the institution doesn’t feel like fulfilling their legal obligation to provide an interpreter. Although we live in the Land of the Free, the deaf citizens of this country continue to be oppressed by a disturbing lack of equal access
As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is alarming to see the level of audism that still exists in in this country. Audism is the belief that those with the ability to hear are superior or “normal.” Because of audism, the rights of deaf individuals are regularly violated in places such as movie theaters, classrooms, and even online. Simple considerations such as captioning, transcription, or sign language interpreting services can help break through the language barrier to protect the rights of deaf Americans. The ADA is a set of laws which guarantee equal access, yet deaf people are refused these accommodations due to the ignorance that still exists.
Instead of building communication access in as a business expense, many organizations take an audist approach– meaning that they assume the people who wish to join their staff, patronize their business, or utilize their services are all able to hear. Based on the fact that 15% of American adults report some hearing loss, a number which increases to 25% for people over 65 years of age, businesses really ought to take a more inclusive approach right from the start. Institutions should be prepared from the onset to cater to our diverse population. Organizations which neglect to provide equal access as required by the ADA not only earn themselves a bad reputation within the Deaf community, they potentially open themselves up to a discrimination lawsuit.
Hospitals around the country are learning the hard way that equal access is no longer a choice. While the ADA requires equal accommodation in public settings, hospitals have been charged time and time again with neglecting the needs of deaf patients. Take the recent case of Cheylla Silva, a deaf woman with a high risk pregnancy who was asked to use a video interpreter for the birth of her child. Communicating with medical professionals through a remote interpreter on a pixelated screen and using unreliable equipment that is off to the side of the bed is not an appropriate solution while giving birth Without an on-site interpreter available, a deaf person who uses ASL to communicate simply cannot receive the same level of care as a hearing individual. This is not equality.
Businesses such as Apple, with a robust set of accessibility features, and rideshare startup Lyft, which proudly boasts a large number of deaf drivers, have included accessibility into their business models. Home Depot was listed among DeafFriendly.com’s top Deaf Friendly Businesses of 2014 for meeting deaf customer needs and hiring deaf employees. Sign language restaurants, such as Signs, Mozzeria, and DeaFined, are gaining popularity by offering patrons a “Deaf dining experience,” complete with deaf/HoH waitstaff. Staff and customers alike are thrilled to support businesses which assume responsibility for creating equal opportunities. These organizations recognize that the beauty of diversity far outweighs the expense of catering to a diverse population.
Discrimination occurs on an institutional level, starting with policies from the top down. Although many organizations tout the merits of multiculturalism, very few of them provide adequate cultural competency training for their staff or demonstrate diversity in hiring practices. Even in places where communication is critical, such as police stations and hospitals, deaf people are denied basic human rights. The ADA makes it clear that refusal to accommodate people who are disabled is discrimination. Therefore, every person in the workforce should be made aware of the ADA to protect themselves and their employer from liability. These laws have been in place for 25 years, it’s time we all take a little personal responsibility for preserving the rights of our fellow citizens.
Without equal access, quality of life suffers. Unemployment rates within the deaf community are nearly double the average rate in America, even for those who pursue higher education or specialty training. Without the ability to effectively communicate, deaf people are more likely to experience a medical misdiagnosis or wrongful arrest. Deaf people are denied cultural access in theaters and at concerts. Living in an audist society that assumes everyone can hear, the deaf community must fight just to participate in everyday life.
The ADA establishes the rights of deaf Americans to protect them from discrimination, yet it is a constant battle to have these rights recognized. Deaf individuals aren’t asking for special treatment, they only want access to the same rights and opportunities that all Americans should have.
When does the oppression stop? When will our society accept that deaf people are capable of everything hearing people can do except hear? It is 2015 and there are more than half a million people in the United States who rely on American Sign Language to communicate. Deaf children in schools, deaf patients in hospitals, and deaf citizens of the world deserve equal opportunity. As civil rights advocacy permeates the mainstream, our society is opening up to the importance of cultural competency. In the fight for social justice, let’s make sure we don’t leave the Deaf community behind.
1. What’s the ADA?ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act. This civil rights law was passed on July 26, 1990 to help secure the rights and freedoms that disabled citizens are entitled to. It was expanded in 2008 by the ADA Amendments Act.
America is known “as the land of opportunity,” but discrimination prevents many disabled people from participating in everyday life. People who are disabled are regularly denied access to businesses, hospitals, schools, workplaces, and many other locations. Unfortunately, a lack of cultural understanding about disabilities results in a prejudiced population.
From deafness to mobility issues to intellectual disabilities, the ADA protects the rights of ALL Americans who have mental and/or physical medical conditions. The list of disabilities also includes autism, cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, epilepsy, HIV, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and other physical or mental health conditions.
The ADA requires public and private entities to consider the needs of people who are deaf. Living in a large multicultural country, entities must take responsibility to be accepting and competent of other lifestyles. Instead of just assuming every person who enters a business or uses the services of an organization is able to hear, the ADA requires these entities to plan for deaf consumers.
Title I: Employment is a critical piece of the ADA which helps deaf individuals access employment opportunities. It prohibits employers from inquiring about the existence, nature, or severity of a disability or medical condition until after a job offer has been made. Title I makes it clear that organizations may not reject qualified job candidates on the basis of their disability, and requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” for deaf employees.
Reasonable accommodation often calls for a minor alteration to the typical communication strategy, which will vary on a case-by-case basis. For deaf individuals who use ASL as their primary form of communication, a qualified sign language interpreter is generally the best accommodation for things like meetings, where important information will be exchanged. Other deaf or hard of hearing employees will prefer a text version of the meeting provided by computer aided transcription services (CART).
For brief interactions, say the boss just needs a little more information on a report, an email exchange might be sufficient, or a Video Relay Service might be utilized. The best way to figure out what a reasonable accommodation might be for a certain situation is to simply ask the deaf individual.
Under Title II, agencies which operate at a local or state level are required to provide equal access to all services offered by the organization. This includes public hospitals, municipal government buildings, public schools, police stations, and public transportation. A public entity must ensure that its communications with deaf citizens are as effective as communications with others.
Title III expands the ADA to privately owned places of public accommodation and commercial facilities, such as business offices, social service centers, entertainment events, airports and so on. With the exception of private clubs and religious organizations, almost any place open to the public is required to provide some form of auxiliary aid, interpreter, or CART service for deaf/HoH patrons upon request. Deaf individuals aren’t asking for special treatment, they simply expect the same quality of access as everyone else.
People who are deaf need to be aware of their rights and ask, preferably in writing, for the accommodations they are entitled to receive under the ADA. I suggest going beyond the gatekeepers, who are often secretaries and administration professionals, to contact management or the HR department. Take the request up the chain of command.
If they are still denied these accommodations, deaf people can contact a local advocacy organization or a licensed civil rights lawyer. While a lawsuit is not the ideal course of action, discrimination based on disability is an act of oppression. Liability lawsuits are often far more costly than providing equal access in the first place.
Awareness about these issues usually begins from the top level down. All employees, but especially those who work in administration and management positions, should receive thorough cultural competency training. Additionally, we need to see more disabled employees and consultants in the workforce. The more the general population is exposed to disability, the better they will be able to understand the needs of disabled individuals.
At the end of the day, most deaf or otherwise disabled people just want the opportunity to participate in society. Diversity is a great asset, and providing reasonable accommodation for our diverse population should be an expected cost of doing business. Welcoming deaf individuals into all spaces is the law, yes. But it is also the right thing to do.
Imagine you are hosting an event and a deaf individual approaches you, inquiring about deaf/ hard of hearing accommodations. This happens every day, in a variety of venues, in both the public and private sector. What do you do? How do you communicate? Had you even considered this situation? One of the biggest barriers between… Continue Reading
