Need Help: Do Seminars require to provide Interpreters?

web730

web730

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I really need a help and hope one of you guys can help me find/point the source to prove that they (profit organization/business) are required to provide interpreter(s) for me at a seminar:

I paid for a ticket for the bootcamp seminar (Internet Marketing Tips) going on this coming weekend.

I asked them to provide me interpreter(s) for 2 full days for the seminar.

At first, they appearently avoid it, but I told them on the next email that I believe there is an ADA law for them to provide one. They will like to have the proof then they will do it. So am I right?

Give me the source or any link to point the proof with the ADA law about them business(es) providing the interpreter.

They don't have any access to find an interpreter. So I told them I will look and find one tomorrow .. hope I do. I don't want to miss the great opporuntunity to learn from these top internet marketing experts. I will ask a private interpreting agency tw and find out. They sure know the ropes.

But however, if you do know one source or more information on that stuff and ADA law. Let me know asap! It's time sensative. I know they usually need to arrange within 24-48 hours for the interpreters. Wish me luck finding one online tonight and let me know the answers if you do know ok.

In the past I attended to several other seminars and all of them did provide me interpreters. I really hope that they will provide me one at the seminar this weekend in Orlando. This is rather more important one for me. Help me .. Thanks!
 
get a hold of the florida RID headquaters u can also go to www.rid.org and get the information via there getting the interpeter's RID hq chapter office there then they can get the info and paper work for u PLUS when u do get a hld of the fl. RID hq give them the semiar's name and nbr and let them know to educate the hearies abt requests for interp. then u ll have settled all the headaches.
 
Isn't that a bit too early to look for the intepreter? Guess what...the seminar has their right to refuse to pay last minute notice fee since it may be cost more than you pay for the seminar cost....
 
nope mookie no deafies have the right to be denied interpeters !

so dont go getting ahead of yourself with that comment,. its under the ADA law my darling friend, and not only that its also under Several acts as well, we have the right to have interpeters and they don't have the right to turn anyone away. :) have a nice day now.
 
I don't believe you have the right to an interpreter in this case since the group is a for-profit organization that takes/ accepts no Federal money. I think you need to look for and pay for your interpreter yourself. Just call the interpreter agency and ask the question your'e asking here.
 
javapride said:
get a hold of the florida RID headquaters u can also go to www.rid.org and get the information via there getting the interpeter's RID hq chapter office there then they can get the info and paper work for u PLUS when u do get a hld of the fl. RID hq give them the semiar's name and nbr and let them know to educate the hearies abt requests for interp. then u ll have settled all the headaches.
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Thanks for the info. I will give RID a call and see about the seminar-interpreting situation today. Will also ask a local private interpreting agency and find out, too. Wish me luck!
 
You need to contact your local or state deaf advocacy organization for advice. They are the ones who deal with this all the time. The Florida "Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, Inc" contact info is here:

http://www.advocacycenter.org/TelephoneContacts.htm

You may have to ask them for information about the "Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of Florida, Inc." I can't seem to find their contact info.
 
Dennis said:
You need to contact your local or state deaf advocacy organization for advice. They are the ones who deal with this all the time. The Florida "Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, Inc" contact info is here:

http://www.advocacycenter.org/TelephoneContacts.htm

You may have to ask them for information about the "Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of Florida, Inc." I can't seem to find their contact info.
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Thank you, Dennis. I will try this one today, too.

I will let you know what happens and results of this all later today.
 
Well depends. If this organization only employs less than 15 people then ADA law is pointless. Yes it is a loophole! Also, if that the cost is excessive or undue burden to organization, therefore they are exempted from ADA law.
So, you gotta to find out how many people work for this organization and what their "profits" are. So you'd know the answer.

web730 said:
I really need a help and hope one of you guys can help me find/point the source to prove that they (profit organization/business) are required to provide interpreter(s) for me at a seminar:

I paid for a ticket for the bootcamp seminar (Internet Marketing Tips) going on this coming weekend.

I asked them to provide me interpreter(s) for 2 full days for the seminar.

At first, they appearently avoid it, but I told them on the next email that I believe there is an ADA law for them to provide one. They will like to have the proof then they will do it. So am I right?

Give me the source or any link to point the proof with the ADA law about them business(es) providing the interpreter.

They don't have any access to find an interpreter. So I told them I will look and find one tomorrow .. hope I do. I don't want to miss the great opporuntunity to learn from these top internet marketing experts. I will ask a private interpreting agency tw and find out. They sure know the ropes.

But however, if you do know one source or more information on that stuff and ADA law. Let me know asap! It's time sensative. I know they usually need to arrange within 24-48 hours for the interpreters. Wish me luck finding one online tonight and let me know the answers if you do know ok.

In the past I attended to several other seminars and all of them did provide me interpreters. I really hope that they will provide me one at the seminar this weekend in Orlando. This is rather more important one for me. Help me .. Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
diehardbiker65 said:
Well depends. If this organization only employs less than 15 people then ADA law is pointless. Yes it is a loophole! Also, if that the cost is excessive or undue burden to organization, therefore they are exempted from ADA law.
So, you gotta to find out how many people work for this organization and what their "profits" are. So you'd know the answer.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's right.

Nobody is perfect. The Seminar for federal government contacted me that the interpreting service cancelled due to the lack of interprters. They gave me a full refund. What can I do? Whom do I blame to Seminar or Interpreting service? There is no way to get an interprter next morning. (I almost got into big trouble with my boss that I myself contacted the office manager without the training official's aware)...

Who cares about ADA. Anybody can reschedule next seminar with right interpreters. There is plenty of time...

Next time to fax or email to request the interpreting service with seminar contract since it is much easier to show the evidence in court...
 
I called Advocacy Center (FL) recently. She asked me to email her with details and the situation and sent it out recently.

By the way, I know the IMC has lot, lot of money by profits over last 9 or 10 years. But I don't know how many staffs they have now yet. In fact, they're considered very rich than those other companies whom seminars I have attended to. They were providing me interpreters without a problem. So this one is my first time to face an interpreter issue to fight for the seminar. They will have 2 full days of seminar on this weekend that would cost lot of money for them to provide the interpreting service, I assume. I told them it's 100% tax deductionable for them to provide terps, I believe.

So all I can do is wait for the response by the advocacy center and will also make another call to ask questions as well in a moment. Will be back later.
 
Advocacy, IMC (Seminar), and I have been busy making calls and emails all day. Crazy!

It was clear that I was right that IMC has to provide the interpreters at the seminar. But IMC was still hesistating till the Advocate cleared their ADA & interpreting questions .. and it was sent copies to me what were happening. We are almost done and make IMC admitting and calling interpreter agency to arrange. It's almost like a "war". Thought that it's rather so shame on IMC being greedy and no respect for us deafies. All I want is go to the seminar and take advantage of learning the great tips from them and go home lol.

By now they realize that they must provide. They do the seminars all the times in the U.S. and appearently they didn't realize of that ADA law. It was good that I voiced and stand up. Deaf Power! :thumb:

It should be an hour or so to find out for sure. Later after the results, I wil post more of what all happened today. Stay posted. "R"
 
Give me a break

web730 said:
Advocacy, IMC (Seminar), and I have been busy making calls and emails all day. Crazy!

It was clear that I was right that IMC has to provide the interpreters at the seminar. But IMC was still hesistating till the Advocate cleared their ADA & interpreting questions .. and it was sent copies to me what were happening. We are almost done and make IMC admitting and calling interpreter agency to arrange. It's almost like a "war". Thought that it's rather so shame on IMC being greedy and no respect for us deafies. All I want is go to the seminar and take advantage of learning the great tips from them and go home lol.

By now they realize that they must provide. They do the seminars all the times in the U.S. and appearently they didn't realize of that ADA law. It was good that I voiced and stand up. Deaf Power! :thumb:

It should be an hour or so to find out for sure. Later after the results, I wil post more of what all happened today. Stay posted. "R"
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ADA goes back to 1990 and this company isn't a mom and pop organization, so why is it so difficult for them to comply? I can't believe that you're the first Deaf person they've had to deal with. :dunno:
 
ITPjohn, yes it's so ridicious.

We were almost there but time ran out for the day yesterday. IMC still try to avoid and look for a loophole!

Last time IMC said that it's possible that the hotel will cover it .. but they say they wait for the answer. But it should be IMC's responsbility since they are the Host of teh Seminar, not the hotel where they (IMC) host the seminar at.

Advocacy Center lady told them so the same that it's their obligation, not the hotel's. I told them both that I don't sleep at the hotel for the weekend. I do have friends in Orlando to spend the weekend at while attending the seminar, if that all works out.

By the way, IMC had/has been hosting seminars many times in the past and present. They said that they didn't learnt of that ADA law before. So this is their fist time to learn about that as they said. I was kind of surprised but true? Who knows but at least to send them the message to honor the deaf or other disabilities and thus the ADA laws. Say in case in their future seminars they may still face the request from any deaf attendee once in a while.

So they will resume later this morning and should all be done by noontime, I assume. They better be.
Once all done I will post the summary and tips that we all learnt of.
 
web730,

Good News! Title III applies.

Make your written request for interpreter and mail or fax it to them with a list of interpreters for them to contact.

The Bad News.

Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on their part. If youre going to go to a seminar or similar event, make sure you give them at least 7 days notice for them to make arrangements for interpreters. And these seminars usually are announced months in advance which is more than enough time for you to get them to find an interpreter. The ADA dont seem to apply too well with impulse decisionmakers. If there is not enough time for this seminar, then go to the next one.

Richard
 
Yes, I did fax them with the request for the interpreters for the seminar LAST WEEK. That's already past 7 days. Yet no response from them.

At first I also made a call last week with a voice ph number I was given on my invoice for the seminar ticket I bought 2 weeks ago .. but since it was the international ph # and that the relay service refuse to serve with. They only can serve calls within U.S. So I was all stuck then.

Then I looked for other way to contact so I went onto the IMC website and found the fax # so I did fax them successfully last week .. YET still no response back from them for 3-4 days.

Then last Tuesday I got an new email with a different ph # (800#) and finally got to them on the phone via relay and there was the point where all this started real-time on their part avoiding to obligate and provide the terps. Even after the advocate pointed them clear with the ADA law articles and Title III.

Still await for the word from the IMC regarding to the interpreters .. they are waiting on from the hotel management as they said. I think they just avoid by exhorting the obligation onto the hotel and just kill time. We haven't heard from them (hotel) since yesterday. Obviously they're just avoiding.

Yes, it applies to the law as I was shown articles from the advocacy as well other links they posted here above. I asked the advocate as if the case is good and solid to bring it to the justice .. she said, "Yes".

I never did sue anybody before, and it may be my first one .. real good possibilty but I will ask around before I do to ensure that it's still a strong case, ofc.

The advocate even suggested me to show up there at the seminar for 2 full days even without the terps and that would make my case stronger.

Oh man, I would hate to sit all day at the seminar virtually no understanding what is going on for TWO full days. I would have to do that as long it helps boost my case.

Just think how I feel. That's so ridicious, Grrr!

The advocate just told me recently that I have 36 hours left to go. So little chance.

I told her I really doubt that they will make it working as far we can tell by emails and calls. The way they talked (that's more than I could tell) was quite obviously that they avoid and not respecting the ADA law. By the way It's lot of price for them to provide the terps for 2 full days, no question.

I just got a new email copy recently from Advocate and IMC that IMC just asked her how much it costs for the terps. The advocate told her (IMC) that she isn’t responsible but for them to call the interpreter agency and ask. It must be the sign that IMC just realized that they must provide them. “R”

Will let you know with the result soon.
 
So here is the summary results from the seminar weekend. I will try to summarize.

In the last 3 days before the seminar weekend, the IMC still questioned and questioned and was hoping for the hotel to obligate and cover for the interpreter on the last late second day. Didn't heard from them till last Friday (the last day) they couldn't find any interpreters (ofc).

The IMC finally realized that it was THEIR obligation, not the hotel or whatever to find and cover the terps on late Friday afternoon after avoiding for the last 3 full days. The advocate even gave them the terp agencies' phone #s for Orlando and Tampa area. No luck.

So I drove to Orlando and went to the seminar in the Sat am and discovered no interpreter avialable.
told by the event coordinator there .. and that she at first was told that I requested IMC for the headphones ... NO-NO, I didn't even said that at all. Geez!

So they called the hotel translator in desperate and had to wake her up begging her to help translating for me so she did come.

Guess what? She is still learning sign language and she was definitely not an qualified interpreter!

She has a deaf mom and want to attend to the sl classes locally someday. She was nice woman but was extremely slow at catching up with the IMC C.E.O. guy speaking at the seminar. So I recommended her to notekeep and did real good job .. but ofc, I did lose about half of them for 2 days. We notekept on the main important notes from them .. which helped at least.

Not only that ... I was one of several people who was emailed that I'm invited to the network dinner on Sat. eve, but the translator was only avialable and paid for the day seminars, not for the dinner and social evening. This is another ridicious thing of IMC. Another loss for me ... Because I really need to meet the network marketers to build at least a few serious marketers and business owners (many of them real good and nice people there) so I can keep up and learn (and also as a moviation and other reasons if you understand what I meant). But as long there was no qualified interpeter it would be much less of use, ofc.

I did buy 2 IMC softwares and got a discount (applied all for the seminar attendees). I need those ones and wish I could afford few other softwares but will get them later on. They're expensive. I paid $200 for these softwares .. actual price was $300 ($97 off rebate and just what I pre-paid for the seminar).

Oh one last thing ... guess what? On Sunday am I returned to the seminar and didn't see him there but a different speaker. The translator just told me that the IMC CEO guy was food poisioned on the night before (after the first day of seminar). He was flown to the hospital. ewww! Hope that he recovers ok. That other guy replacing as the speaker blah-blah later that day (yesterday) that a forth of the attendees left after lunch .. so did translator and me, too. So that time I went on to buy the softwares.

So I know that I really do have (and built) a strong case against IMC. ADA Title in fact is applied after all.

We did review them while waiting on these calls/emails. from IMC before the weekend. The advocate an I stay on the same page so I'm going to email and tell her all this that like I told you here. I have to send IMC a big message .. since they do seminars all the times. I do think they now realized that by now (sort of). Then we will fill out the ADA complicant file and send it to the US Dept of Justice later today.

Soon I will post one last comment about the ADA complicanta nd what the advocate say once after she learns of this later today. Then maybe in months after what I learn of the case and let ya know ok .. thank you guys for helping out. So by now these kind of seminars if you plan to attend to in the future, plan to call them to provide terps early and prove the ADA laws. It does apply after all.

Shame on IMC! So it's way too ridicious to let it pass. It's my first time to expeience this kind of a mess. Yea, it angered me but I did control my cool the whole time there because it weren't the event coordinator and staffs' fault, BUT it was the IMC customer relations supervisor's fault. He was at the IMC headquarters out in the far west, not at the event. He was the real reason that advoided and questioned the terp issues the whole time. BTW, teh IMC staff at the seminar was so friendly and nice .. smooth, too except the terp thing.

Rememeber that I did call and fax IMC for the request way in advance (more than 7 days) before the seminar weekend. They didn't respond me back at all. It's these last 3 days struggling with the IMC to comply and obligate for the terps to cover and provide and that they killed time by advoiding and questioning while not respecting the ADA Title law.

I'm fortunely enough that I do have the evidences to keep and use translator and advocate as proof for the case so wish us luck.
 
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