Delaware Association of the Deaf (DAD)

August 13, 2020

‘It’s Unfathomable’ Trump’s COVID-19 Briefings Lack Sign Language Interpreters, Marlee Matlin Says

Since President Donald Trump began holding televised novel coronavirus (COVID-19) briefings in March, the White House has received requests from lawmakers, a federal disability agency and the nation’s oldest civil rights organization asking that sign language interpreters be provided on screen.

But the government has yet to agree and allow the nation’s approximately 11.5 million people with hearing disabilities to receive information about the pandemic via interpreters.

By contrast, many state and local leaders have been giving coronavirus updates with interpreters. The administration has not publicly responded to the requests to add interpreters to the president’s briefings.

Read the rest of the story at https://people.com/politics/marlee-matlin-donald-trump-covid-19-briefings-lack-sign-language-interpreters.

Note: This relates to NAD’s lawsuit found at https://www.nad.org/2020/08/03/nad-sues-white-house.

August 3, 2020

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Sues White House For Failing To Provide Sign Language Interpreters During Televised Coronavirus Briefings

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) filed a lawsuit today to compel U.S. President Donald J. Trump and the White House to immediately begin providing American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters during television broadcasts of their coronavirus press conferences and briefings to make them accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people.

Read the rest of the story at https://www.nad.org/2020/08/03/nad-sues-white-house.

July 17, 2020

Masks are a barrier against the coronavirus. They also pose a major hurdle for deaf people

I don’t remember the first time a hearing person got angry at me for not understanding them, but I remember the first time that anger scared me.

I was waiting on the subway platform on my way home from school one night when a hand clamped down hard on my shoulder, spinning me around. When I turned, there was a stranger too close to me, his eyes wide and his breath hot on my face as he shouted at me. I was terrified, and it took me a while to understand what he was saying — he had made a pass at me and was angry that I hadn’t responded.

“Deaf, I’m deaf!” I shouted back, pointing to my ears.

For a moment the man looked confused. Then he let go of my arm and walked back down the platform, as though we’d never interacted at all.

Read the rest of the story at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/16/masks-are-barrier-against-virus-they-also-pose-major-hurdle-deaf-people/?p9w22b2p=b2p22p9w00098&no_nav=true#click=https://t.co/RJFVRLIxGB.