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Cuts to deaf services is discrimination | newsleader.com | The News Leader
The Virginia Association of the Deaf is aghast to learn that the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services' Central Office budget reduction plan has eliminated funding for interpreters, cut the state coordinator of services to the deaf and hard-of-hearing position funds in half and eliminated funds for interpreters and CART services for meetings of its advisory council. Whatever happened to the department's claim to be "available to citizens statewide"? Without access to interpreters, mental health services to deaf and hard of hearing citizens will be effectively curtailed and unavailable to us. This is blatant discrimination.
Individuals who are deaf (including hard of hearing, late deafened, deaf-blind) are entitled to accessible mental health services in their language, preferably provided by personnel (counselors, therapists) who understand and are sensitive to their culture and disability. This is pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Indeed, DMHMRSAS has an office on "Cultural and Linguistic Competence," so how does this office plan to assure "culturally affirmative and linguistically accessible mental health services for deaf people whose primary language is American Sign Language (ASL)" when funding to interpreters has been eliminated?
Furthermore, how is DMHMRSAS planning to be "responsive" to deaf members on the advisory council and communicate openly with them without services of CART and interpreters? Again, this is discrimination.
While the deaf community acknowledges the need for state agencies to cut their budgets during this time of economic uncertainty and instability, we strongly protest singling out access to services by the deaf for such cuts. We are asking DMHMRSAS to reinstate funding for interpreters, the state coordinator's position and to make interpreter and CART services available for meetings of its advisory council, so all people may have access.
The Virginia Association of the Deaf is aghast to learn that the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services' Central Office budget reduction plan has eliminated funding for interpreters, cut the state coordinator of services to the deaf and hard-of-hearing position funds in half and eliminated funds for interpreters and CART services for meetings of its advisory council. Whatever happened to the department's claim to be "available to citizens statewide"? Without access to interpreters, mental health services to deaf and hard of hearing citizens will be effectively curtailed and unavailable to us. This is blatant discrimination.
Individuals who are deaf (including hard of hearing, late deafened, deaf-blind) are entitled to accessible mental health services in their language, preferably provided by personnel (counselors, therapists) who understand and are sensitive to their culture and disability. This is pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Indeed, DMHMRSAS has an office on "Cultural and Linguistic Competence," so how does this office plan to assure "culturally affirmative and linguistically accessible mental health services for deaf people whose primary language is American Sign Language (ASL)" when funding to interpreters has been eliminated?
Furthermore, how is DMHMRSAS planning to be "responsive" to deaf members on the advisory council and communicate openly with them without services of CART and interpreters? Again, this is discrimination.
While the deaf community acknowledges the need for state agencies to cut their budgets during this time of economic uncertainty and instability, we strongly protest singling out access to services by the deaf for such cuts. We are asking DMHMRSAS to reinstate funding for interpreters, the state coordinator's position and to make interpreter and CART services available for meetings of its advisory council, so all people may have access.
