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Showing posts with label Interpreter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interpreter. Show all posts

Thursday, March 3, 2016

CPD Gets New VRS Equipment To Assist Deafies

VIDEO: Deaf News - Cleveland Police Department gets new video relay service equipment to assist Deaf community.







CLEVELAND, OH -- The Cleveland Police Department has invested in new equipment to help its officers better serve the Deaf community.



The department announced Wednesday that all officers have been trained to use video technology that gives them instant access to an American Sign Language interpreter.







Officials from the police department and local advocates for the hearing-impaired demonstrated the new equipment Thursday.



"The reality is there are barriers in place for some members of our community," Cleveland police Capt. James McPike said. "This grant was intended to try to remove those barriers for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community."



Each of the city's five police districts is stocked with an iPad equipped with the ZVRS video interpreter application. The application gives officers dealing with a Deaf crime victim, suspect or witness access to an interpreter within seconds.



The technology was purchased using a portion of a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women that was awarded to the department in 2011, Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.



The Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center and the Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center helped train the police force.



Deaf women in the U.S. experience domestic and sexual violence at rates twice those of hearing women, according to the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for fairness in the justice system. Yet they often encounter barriers when seeking help, from a phone-based 911 system to having their credibility as witnesses in court questioned.



The police department purchased the equipment after getting feedback from the Deaf community, said Maria O'Neil Ruddock, coordinator of training and outreach services for the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center.



"The reason it's here is because the Deaf community has told us, 'We want access to the police, we want to be able to communicate, but it's difficult,'" O'Neil Ruddock said.



Cleveland is only one of two large police departments in the country using this technology, she added.



The department is also updating its general police orders to include a policy about communicating with the Deaf, McPike said. A draft of that policy is still in the approval stage.



Ciaccia said the interpreting technology is not related to a binding agreement with the Justice Department that requires the Cleveland police to improve the way they interact with citizens. The addition of the technology is the latest in a string of efforts by the department to expand training.



Mayor Frank Jackson announced in December that officers received first aid training and emergency medical kits.



The Cleveland Police Academy class that graduated in October was the first to receive 40 hours of crisis intervention training.



SOURCE

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Deaf Woman Sues NYPD For Wrongly Arrested

Deaf News: Deaf woman denied interpreter by cops who arrested her after car accident sues city and NYPD.



NEW YORK CITY -- A Deaf woman was mocked and wrongly arrested by New York City Police Department cops after a minor car accident - all because they refused to get an interpreter to hear her side of the story, a new Manhattan federal lawsuit alleges.



Tanya Ingram's alleged ordeal began around 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2013, when she and another car collided at the intersection of Second Ave. and E. 120th Street.



The other driver got out of her car and rushed toward Ingram, apparently angry and shouting, the suit claims.



Ingram felt threatened by the other driver’s behavior so she "picked up a small metal pipe that she had in her car and exited the car, gesturing to (the other driver) to back away with her free hand. At no time did Ms. Ingram swing the pipe, nor did she ever attempt to strike (the other driver)," the suit states.



The cops who arrived on the scene some 45 minutes later spent considerable time speaking with the other driver in the accident, the suit says.



They refused to provide Ingram with the means to communicate, however - though she repeatedly pointed to her ear and shook her head to show her hearing impairment, she says.



One of the responding officers asked Ingram for her keys and opened the trunk. He then made several gestures to indicate a pipe, and she retrieved it from the car.



As the officers mulled about the scene of the accident, an EMT dispatched to the intersection approached Ingram. She explained that she was Deaf through gestures, and he gave her a piece of paper and pen so that she could speak with him. The officer who had opened her trunk was 10 feet away.



"You did not understand me. That's not right. I know she's lying to you. How can I tell you my story? I want my rights. Call interpreter," the note stated.



Ingram, 51, tried to show him the note, and while he glanced at it, the cops "expressed visible annoyance" and ignored her.



She then saw several officers speaking with each other and they "appeared to be mocking her use of gestures."



When the cops moved to arrest her, Ingram had no idea what was happening and became "extremely frightened and utterly bewildered as to the reason for her arrest began crying and repeatedly tried to audibly shout, 'Why?,'" her lawyers maintain.



Ingram was ultimately detained for 24 hours and never received an interpreter as required by law, she alleges.



She had been charged with four misdemeanors menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, harassment, and resisting arrest but all charges were dropped in July 2013, the suit contends.



Ingram is seeking unspecified damages.



Asked about the lawsuit, a city Law Department spokesman said that: "The complaint will be reviewed."



Ingram’s lawsuit is one of several recent false arrest claims in which Deaf individuals allege they were denied an interpreter.



Also Thursday, Susan Herman, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Collaborative Policing, said the department is hosting an outreach event for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing this March at the former police academy building on E. 20th Street.



At the event, they hope to distribute visor plaques for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing so they can better communicate with police officers, she said.



These plaques would say that the driver is Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and the driver's preferred method of communication, as well as various symbols and words, to explain things such as why an officer has stopped the driver.



Deaf and hard-of-hearing drivers will also be able to indicate whether they're having a medical emergency, Herman says.



The NYPD will soon launch a pilot program in three precincts to increase access to in-person and tablet-based American Sign Language translation. The department also worked with the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community to create a roll call training video, she told The News. SOURCE



Related:

Deaf Woman Sues NYPD For Wrongly Arrested & Assault

Deaf Woman Sues NYPD For Denying Interpreter

Thursday, January 28, 2016

ASL Terp Shares About 'Hearing Privilege'

This video is a talk about how hearing people can truly make changes...



Amber Galloway Gallego shares educational video with closed captions - Video Description: Split screen; on the left screen is white woman interpreting in American Sign Language with grey shirt, slightly hanging earrings shaped as triangle with pearls inside, dark brown hair with bright neon pink hair across forehead, wearing glasses. On right screen, same woman speaking in English with red V-Neck shirt sitting down.



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Subscribe Amber Galloway Gallego Channel - https://youtube.com/1stopforasl



Related Amber Galloway Gallego - ASL Terp: Stop Calling Sign Language 'Cool'

Related Post - @Hearing People

Thursday, December 24, 2015

McDonald's Charged In Discrimination Deaf Job

Deaf News: McDonald's charged by EEOC after canceling interview for Deaf job-seeker in the state of Missouri.



KANSAS CITY -- McDonald’s Corporation has been charged with disability discrimination by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for refusing to provide a sign language interpreter for a Deaf employee candidate.



Ricky Washington, who is Deaf, applied online for a job at a McDonald’s restaurant in Belton, Missouri, in June 2012. When the Belton restaurant manager learned Mr. Washington needed a sign language interpreter for his job interview, she canceled the interview and never rescheduled it, despite Mr. Washington’s sister volunteering to act as the interpreter, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a statement issued Monday.



Mr. Washington indicated on his application that he attended Kansas School for the Deaf and that he also had previous job experience working as a cook and clean-up team member at a McDonald's restaurant in Louisiana in 2009.



Restaurant management continued to interview and hire new workers after Mr. Washington made several attempts to schedule an interview, according to the agency.



After first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement through its conciliation process, the EEOC charged Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s Corporation. and McDonald’s Restaurants of Missouri Inc. in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to accommodate and hire a Deaf applicant.



“Removing obstacles in the hiring process for people with disabilities is a national priority for EEOC,” said James R. Neely Jr., EEOC’s St. Louis district director. “All employers, but especially large ones, should join with the agency to make sure everyone has equal access to the employment process.”



The Belton restaurant where Mr. Washington applied for work is owned and operated by McDonald’s Corp., the statement said. Source



Related:

Sign Language On The McDonalds TV Ads

Drive-Thru McDonalds Discrimination Deaf Driver

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Deaf Woman Sues NYPD For Denying Interpreter

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf woman sues NYPD for denying sign language interpreter for nearly 24 hours after she was arrested, locked up.





NEW YORK CITY -- A Deaf woman who is also speech-impaired has sued the New York City Police Department for denying her a sign language interpreter for nearly 24 hours after she was arrested and locked up overnight, according to papers filed in Manhattan Federal Court.



Opal Gordon was arrested Sept. 21 as she left Manhattan Family Court for allegedly violating an order of protection. She was at court for a custody case about her daughter.



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Gordon, of Manhattan, who is “profoundly Deaf and speech-impaired,” said cops didn’t tell her why she had been arrested nor did they provide her with an interpreter. They also didn’t read her Miranda rights, she said.



Police brought Gordon, 53, to the 45th Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx and held her there for two hours, she said. “The boss who runs the precinct signed to me and asked if I am Deaf. I said ‘Yes,’” she told the Daily News. But none of the officers called for a sign language interpreter or gave her anything that would help her communicate with them, she said.



“Not even a piece of paper,” Gordon added.



The officers brought her to a holding cell in Bronx Central Booking and she was held overnight, according to her lawsuit. Gordon claims she repeatedly tried to communicate her need for a sign language interpreter but was ignored.



“No one would listen to me,” she said.



It took the NYPD 21 hours to get a sign language interpreter to help Gordon, her lawsuit said.



The city’s Administration for Children’s Services visited Gordon’s home in October as part of its Manhattan Family Court case. Even though ACS knew Gordon was Deaf, the agency didn’t bring an interpreter upsetting Gordon because the visit, part of a court-ordered investigation, could affect her custody case.



“This is nothing new for the city,” said Gordon’s lawyers Eric Baum and Andrew Rozynski, who represent many Deaf clients.



Deaf Woman Sues NYPD For Wrongly Arrested



Their law firm said the NYPD has a 2009 consent decree with the Justice Department to improve its treatment of the Deaf community. But the city and the NYPD continue to violate the civil rights of Deaf people, according to the lawyers.



The city Law Department didn’t comment on the pending litigation. “We will review the suit and respond accordingly once we are served,” a spokesman said. Source



Related: @Lawsuit

Friday, December 11, 2015

NAD and Deaf Parents Sues Tennessee Hospital

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Lawsuit - The National Association of the Deaf suing Tennessee hospital didn't meet Deaf parents' needs.





JOHNSON CITY, TN -- ABC NEWS: A Deaf couple says a Tennessee hospital discriminated against them by failing to provide a qualified sign language interpreter while their 21-year-old daughter was dying of cancer.



Chris and Donna Cantrell's federal lawsuit against Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City was filed Wednesday by Disability Rights Tennessee and the National Association of the Deaf.



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The organizations say the Johnson City Medical Center refused to provide qualified sign language interpreters to allow the couple from Wise, Virginia, to participate in their daughter's care during the six months before Sydnei Cantrell died on May 19.



"(The couple) watched their daughter suffer from serious health conditions ... without ever receiving a full explanation of what was happening to their daughter," the lawsuit said. "(Donna) Cantrell saw her daughter burst into tears but had no idea why she was crying. Because her daughter was too upset to explain, (she) did not learn that her daughter was dying until much later."



The hospital provided a person to facilitate communications on fewer than five occasions, but the person was not qualified to act as an interpreter and didn't sign clearly enough, the lawsuit said.



The lawsuit asks a judge to order Mountain States to develop a nondiscrimination policy requiring the provision of qualified sign language interpreters, and to train medical staff on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit also asks for unspecified compensatory damages and attorneys' fees.



Mountain States spokeswoman Teresa Hicks declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality requirements. Source

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Deaf Wrestler Sues Over Interpreter Rules

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: A high school wrestler who is Deaf is suing MHSAA to have an interpreter with him on the mat.



DETROIT -- WXYZ - A Royal Oak High School wrestler who is Deaf has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan High School Athletic Association.



The senior at Royal Oak High School says he is Deaf, and that shouldn’t be a problem. It has become one during meets because the MHSAA is restricting his use of sign language interpreters.



“It is not fair,” said Ellis Kempf, of the rule.



Kemp says at meets sponsored by his school his sign language interpreter is allowed to move around the outside of the wrestling mat. At MHSAA sponsored meets that is not allowed. The MHSAA says the interpreter must be in Kempf’s coach’s designated corner. “That’s not going to work. I can’t see,” said Kempf.



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“They are saying Ellis can have an interpreter he can’t see. He can have an interpreter if the interpreter stands behind his back. That does Ellis no good,” said Attorney Jason Turkish.



So why does the MHSAA have this rule?



The MHSAA says it is for the safety of interpreters. At tournaments there are often several wrestling mats lined up next to each other. While it is rare for wrestlers to go outside the boundaries and collide with each other as an official can stop the action, the MHSAA says an interpreter circling the mat likely would not see competitors from another mat coming toward her or him.



"The MHSAA allows and always has allowed interpreters for the Deaf in wrestling,” said Geoff Kimmerly, an MHSAA spokesperson. "This student has been competing in high school wrestling with the aid of an interpreter for three seasons. There are some limitations on where interpreters can move during competition, especially at large tournaments with multiple mats in close proximity, so the interpreter does not get in the way of coaches, officials and competitors. This is a safety concern. These accommodations have been used for other Deaf wrestlers without problems in the past."



Ellis says the only person getting hurt is him. He points to the fact his record shows he is more likely to win wrestling tournaments that allow sign language interpreters.



“There have been times I lost first place because I didn’t know what was going on,” said Ellis. Source
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