What is the A.D.A.?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) is a law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including deaf and Hard of Hearing people. There are four sections in the law: employment, government, public accommodations, and telecommunications.
Suggestions for maintaining ADA compliance as it relates to Deaf and Hard of Hearing people include:
-Allowing Deaf people to choose for themselves the kind of communication they need
-Realizing that Deaf people may not be charged for services required under the ADA.
-Obtaining a qualified interpreter at any point that communication is required (written or spoken).
-Using family members or staff with basic sign competency is NOT the same as qualified interpreters.
-Having TTYs and captioning decoders readily available to deaf people..
-Training staff to communicate with deaf people visually rather than audibly is helpful.
-Posting signs with accessibility information for deaf people.
For more information about the ADA, visit this website:
