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Daily Herald | News
A deaf Riverwoods man is seeking $50,000 in damages from the College of Lake County, saying the school failed to provide him with adequate sign language interpreters.
Abraham Untermyer, 41, filed a complaint in Lake County circuit court Sept. 5 and has requested a jury trial.
Untermyer alleges the college’s failure to provide him with a reliable interpreter compromised his school work and caused him stress.
Under the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, schools have a legal obligation to provide deaf people with quality interpreters.
Evelyn Schiele, a college spokeswoman, said because the case is ongoing school officials would not comment on specifics.
Schiele did say the college has filed two motions, the first to have the case dismissed and the second to move the case to federal court.
“The bottom line is we feel the case is without merit so it should be dismissed,” Schiele said. “If not, we question the jurisdiction.”
Schiele said the next court date is Nov. 15.
Untermyer did not want to be interviewed.
His Chicago attorney, Gregory Adamski, could not be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Untermyer had problems with interpreters not showing up for class, so before beginning a level 3 calculus class in the fall of 2001, he requested two interpreters.
That request was granted, but Untermyer learned before the start of the semester one of the two interpreters was not available.
The college hired a different interpreter, who Untermyer said had been unreliable in the past, according to the lawsuit.
Untermyer claims the college also circumvented its legal obligations by giving him an unacceptably high number of interpreters — 10 in 16 weeks —forcing them to interpret technical mathematics courses without adequate familiarity, therefore communicating material inaccurately.
Untermyer says he repeatedly complained to the college, but officials failed to take any action.
Untermyer maintained a straight-A average until the level 3 calculus class, where he received a B, the lawsuit says.
“The B grade adversely impacts Mr. Untermyer’s otherwise stellar academic career and holds him out to the public in a false and unflattering light,” the complaint alleges.
Untermyer’s mother, Ethel, said the treatment Untermyer describes in the complaint is not unusual.
“You could talk to the family of any handicapped person and they would tell you they have dealt with similar problems their whole life,” she said. “It is always something. That is the reality of it.”
Untermyer’s mother said her son was born deaf, a result of her contracting German measles during her pregnancy.
She said while he was attending CLC, Abraham rarely talked to her about the problems he was having with the interpreters.
“Most deaf people are offended, ignored, mistreated all of their lives,” she said. “The hurt is great, but there is usually no recourse. They are human beings like us. They are sensitive and feel humiliated and don’t want to talk. That is why I am so respectful of the fact that he (filed the lawsuit) on his own.”
A deaf Riverwoods man is seeking $50,000 in damages from the College of Lake County, saying the school failed to provide him with adequate sign language interpreters.
Abraham Untermyer, 41, filed a complaint in Lake County circuit court Sept. 5 and has requested a jury trial.
Untermyer alleges the college’s failure to provide him with a reliable interpreter compromised his school work and caused him stress.
Under the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, schools have a legal obligation to provide deaf people with quality interpreters.
Evelyn Schiele, a college spokeswoman, said because the case is ongoing school officials would not comment on specifics.
Schiele did say the college has filed two motions, the first to have the case dismissed and the second to move the case to federal court.
“The bottom line is we feel the case is without merit so it should be dismissed,” Schiele said. “If not, we question the jurisdiction.”
Schiele said the next court date is Nov. 15.
Untermyer did not want to be interviewed.
His Chicago attorney, Gregory Adamski, could not be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Untermyer had problems with interpreters not showing up for class, so before beginning a level 3 calculus class in the fall of 2001, he requested two interpreters.
That request was granted, but Untermyer learned before the start of the semester one of the two interpreters was not available.
The college hired a different interpreter, who Untermyer said had been unreliable in the past, according to the lawsuit.
Untermyer claims the college also circumvented its legal obligations by giving him an unacceptably high number of interpreters — 10 in 16 weeks —forcing them to interpret technical mathematics courses without adequate familiarity, therefore communicating material inaccurately.
Untermyer says he repeatedly complained to the college, but officials failed to take any action.
Untermyer maintained a straight-A average until the level 3 calculus class, where he received a B, the lawsuit says.
“The B grade adversely impacts Mr. Untermyer’s otherwise stellar academic career and holds him out to the public in a false and unflattering light,” the complaint alleges.
Untermyer’s mother, Ethel, said the treatment Untermyer describes in the complaint is not unusual.
“You could talk to the family of any handicapped person and they would tell you they have dealt with similar problems their whole life,” she said. “It is always something. That is the reality of it.”
Untermyer’s mother said her son was born deaf, a result of her contracting German measles during her pregnancy.
She said while he was attending CLC, Abraham rarely talked to her about the problems he was having with the interpreters.
“Most deaf people are offended, ignored, mistreated all of their lives,” she said. “The hurt is great, but there is usually no recourse. They are human beings like us. They are sensitive and feel humiliated and don’t want to talk. That is why I am so respectful of the fact that he (filed the lawsuit) on his own.”