No one in Texas wants to hire an interpreter!

Mrs Bucket said:
This is not because she has to book for one, this is because her doctor, by ADA law, has to book it. It is called accessibility and accommodation.

Have some of you actually gotten to know Lucia personally by PMing her? I hope so. She is truly a sweet and sensitive person.

Peace everyone.
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Thank and thank you, Mrs. Bucket.

Mrs. Bucket is correct. If I want the doctor to pay for an certified and qualified ASL interpreter then I have to GET the DOCTOR to book/hire one. He or she has to actually do it. If I booked one myself I would be billed for it and the doctor can refuse to pay for it and I do not have that kind of money. So I have to fight the doctors to get them to book/hire one. I can't just call up one of the major interpreting agencies and tell them I want an ASL interpreter unless I expect a bill for it. Interpreters aren't free.
 
Legal aid?
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I don't know about Texas jillio but they are closing a lot of offices around here. I think they are referring people to the Cincinnati offices from here now.
I don't know how they expect some of them to get there, 50 ish miles
 
ASLGAL said:
It is the stupid ones in the medical profession who feel they are exempt from ADA.
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I agree. I've run out of suggestions and have no idea what else to recommend. I'll keep thinking, but it may take me awhile to come up with another possible solution.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
Oceanbreeze, guess what? You're a hearing person. You have NO idea what it is like to be Deaf and have to fight for a good interpreter.

None of you understand. If you have nothing nice to say about me then say nothing. I've always been on my own and I would for once like to get a qualified interpreter here in Texas. I never had this kind of problem back in Minnesota, in fact in Minnesota everyone is so scared of denying an interpreter that they practically insist on providing one to you no matter what. They are so scared of liability there. I don't know why. But here I have to FIGHT for an interpreter. Here no one cares about liability, they don't care if I sue them, I've threatened to sue them and take them to court and they laugh at me. I've been here since April of 2006 and I am tired of fighting. I am not planning on leaving San Antonio, because I love the Deaf community and I have many caring Deaf friends here for the first time in my whole damn life here so please do not tell me to leave and move back to Minnesota. I had no friends in Minnesota, all of they just used me. I won't deal with that shit ever again and here I have a lot of love and caring in the Deaf community while in Minnesota the Deaf community are all cold people who used me. They were so cold that I did not socialize with any Deaf people at all due to their attitudes, I ended up spending a lot of time with hearing friends but I would now like to be back in the Deaf community and I am finding I like it here very much so I refuse to move away. San Antonio needs to change and start providing interpreters for Deaf people without balking at the costs. We deserve the qualified interpreters.

I've been on my own since I entered foster care at 13 years old. I had to live in an orphanage-type place for 3 years where no one signed and where I was denied an interpreter during the day for school. I was alone. There was no communication at all. I fought for the whole 3 years to get an interpreter provided. I was even denied CC on TVs as well until near the end of my stay. Near the end of my stay there I was finally able to obtain an interpreter for during the day during school hours there - but I had to go to court and sue the shithole for an interpreter and I was finally granted one. These 3 years were the most loneliest years of my life and also the most hellish years of my life as well. I've been through hell and back.

So please don't act like I had it easy. I didn't have it easy. None of you have any idea what that place was like. It was worse than hell.
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You're right. I'm not deaf, but I'm permanently disabled and I know what it's like to have to fight for services I need and I know what it takes to get those services. One thing it takes is peserverance. Another thing it takes is a POSTIVE ATITUDE. It also helps to take what you're given and work with it instead of biting back at people who try to help you.

The hell of it is many people here are trying to help you by offering advice and, the majority of them are deaf or have worked with the deaf, so whats your excuse for not taking their advice?

I'm about to done with this thread but I want to leave with this... If you ever throw my hearing status back at me ever again, that will be the last time you do it because you'll never get another IM from me again. You're dangerously close to losing this friendship. I want you to know that.

I'm so over your atitude; so over it.
 
Hey ASLGAL! Heh I saw this link about tweaking the picture so I knew I needed some comic relief! *wink* BeFunky

Hubby went through this similar & unfortunate experience in Ohio, he was given this choice. Have his doctor phone & book for the interpreter and charge his insurance company for the service or Hubby use the pen and paper approach. At that time Hubby's insurance company couldn't afford the $120.00/hour interpreter fee so naturally Hubby chose the trusty pen & paper approach.

Oceanbreeze and Lucia, you both have been friends for such a long time. Please keep your friendship intact. I suspect that there is a lot of emotional thinking/responding going on here whereas logical thinking/responding happens after the fact.

This is where both of you will always be there for each other. You both will always understand the ostracisation because you both go through it together. Talk it out & communicate. Friendships do go through rough patches and this makes the loyalty more stronger.

Hang in there.
 
$120 per hour that sound rip off interpreter.

no way:shock::shock::shock:

my interpreter at my college told me they never make that much mostly $15-$50.


I do use pen with paper if I can't get interpreter on short notice.
 
Milwaukee said:
$120 per hour that sound rip off interpreter.

no way:shock::shock::shock:

my interpreter at my college told me they never make that much mostly $15-$50.


I do use pen with paper if I can't get interpreter on short notice.
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This wasn't on short notice. If it was on short notice I usually don't bother with an ASL interpreter because the short notice ones I make are usually for small stuff like a sinus infection or something like that for which I can easily ask for an antibiotic RX for - those things can be quickly diagnosed - I don't expect them to retain an ASL interpreter the same day I call to make an appointment for - I know it requires prior notice up to several days and sometimes I just don't want to waste time. It's the bigger stuff, the neurological and ortho symptoms I have been having, is why I need an ASL interpreter for my doctor (neurologist and ortho doctor - in this case it was the neurologist). I knew that this would not be a easy diagnosis and that in order to make the proper diagnosis the doctor would need to ask me many questions and I also would need to ask HIM many questions - there would be a LOT of communication back and forth involved thus why I need the ASL interpreter - it would be so much more efficient. I made the appointment 3 MONTHS in advance, I informed the receptionist who took my call that I would be needing an ASL interpreter and I even gave her the phone numbers of all 3 ASL interpreting agencies in my city to make it easier for her to find and book one for me without much hassle. (I keep the phone numbers of all 3 agencies on the wall next to my computer). I even followed up with another phone call to confirm that they would definitely be getting me an ASL interpreter for sure halfway closer to the appointment date, emphasizing nicely how important it is to have an ASL interpreter for me, explaining very nicely about the ADA laws, and it was confirmed. Then all of a sudden I get a call TWO DAYS BEFORE my appointment that it has been cancelled WITHOUT MY PERMISSION because the doctor does not want to pay for an ASL interpreter. Seriously, WTF? I was quite pissed off. I waited 3 long months only to find out I do not get to see the doctor at all. I called my fiance's boss (who does ADA consulting) and told her what happened. She called my doctor and told the office that they have to get an ASL interpreter for me as is per the ADA laws. They relented and said they would hire one after all, and we made ANOTHER appointment but unfortunately the doctor was so booked up and the previous appointment that I had made that they cancelled was already booked by another patient by then therefore I would have to wait ANOTHER 3 months. (Appointments gets booked up very fast in this city!) *sighs* Fine. THEN two days later they called me back again and said that the doctor has changed his mind and does not want to hire any ASL interpreter after all and that he does not care about what the ADA laws say and therefore they have cancelled the appointment, WITHOUT MY PERMISSION, AGAIN! I told them they cannot cancel my appointment just because they don't want to hire any ASL interpreter, I told them that I could take legal action against them for refusing to provide an ASL interpreter but they just laughed at me and said they don't care about liability. That was a really gigantic waste of my time. If the doctor never wanted to hire an ASL interpreter in the first place they should have told me so in the very first place when I first called to make the appointment so I wouldn't have wasted my time with that doctor. It is very frustrating, and it seems that everybody on this forum feels that all of this is my fault. People sure like to blame me for everything. I still have not heard back on my new referral to another doctor.

Jillio, I will call legal aid but if they require a fee I won't be able to afford it. There's the court costs to boot as well and I can't afford that either (I don't know if I would have to pay the court costs as well - I've heard of people being charged the court costs). I know they are supposed to be pro-bono but nothing is ever free. There's really no such thing as free. Someone is paying for it, it just may be not you or me, it may be someone else. Otherwise how do pro-bono lawyers make money if they lose the case?

Oh, and I just read up a bit on ADA. I ACTUALLY DO have the right to an interpreter according to the ADA law Q and A I just read up on.

Q. What kinds of auxiliary aids and services are required by the ADA to ensure effective communication with individuals with hearing or vision impairments?

A. Appropriate auxiliary aids and services may include services and devices such as qualified interpreters, assistive listening devices, notetakers, and written materials for individuals with hearing impairments; and qualified readers, taped texts, and Brailled or large print materials for individuals with vision impairments.
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Source at: Americans with Disabilities Act Questions and Answers and scroll down to the "public accommodations" part of which includes doctor's offices.

So don't tell me I do not have the right to an interpreter. Don't bullshit with me please.
 
Mrs Bucket said:
Hubby went through this similar & unfortunate experience in Ohio, he was given this choice. Have his doctor phone & book for the interpreter and charge his insurance company for the service or Hubby use the pen and paper approach. At that time Hubby's insurance company couldn't afford the $120.00/hour interpreter fee so naturally Hubby chose the trusty pen & paper approach.

Oceanbreeze and Lucia, you both have been friends for such a long time. Please keep your friendship intact. I suspect that there is a lot of emotional thinking/responding going on here whereas logical thinking/responding happens after the fact.
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I originally thought Medicaid and Medicare would cover ASL interpreters but I was informed that this wasn't so, so I was mistaken there. I am on a fixed income so I cannot afford the ASL interpreters at all, even for just one visit. Basically most of my checks goes to rent and the bill and what I have left goes to public transit and after that I am left with coins. If only I could get my hip and back fixed then maybe I would be able to finish my degree and get a productive job or set up my own business doing Graphic Design and then I would be living way better than I am now. I am tired of the monthly pittance I get from the government even though I am grateful for it. I am just tired of being judged for living on taxpayers' money and would like a job of my own so that I can tell others to fuck off. Right now I feel real unproductive, and you know what that does to your sanity. This upcoming October my lease is up and the rent goes up $100. I don't know what I am going to do then. My summer will be spent looking for an apartment complex that is offering specials such as a "$99 or $199 to move in" as that is my only option to be able to move.

I am getting tired and need to get to bed, so good night to y'all.
 
Oh, and I just read up a bit on ADA. I ACTUALLY DO have the right to an interpreter according to the ADA law Q and A I just read up on.


Quote:
Q. What kinds of auxiliary aids and services are required by the ADA to ensure effective communication with individuals with hearing or vision impairments?

A. Appropriate auxiliary aids and services may include services and devices such as qualified interpreters, assistive listening devices, notetakers, and written materials for individuals with hearing impairments; and qualified readers, taped texts, and Brailled or large print materials for individuals with vision impairments.

Source at: Americans with Disabilities Act Questions and Answers and scroll down to the "public accommodations" part of which includes doctor's offices.
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Actually, where they weasel out of providing service is in the language.
The word "may" in these documents is a very powful word that oft times places actual responsibility on a precarious area.
 
Hey ASLGAL! Heh I saw this link about tweaking the picture so I knew I needed some comic relief! *wink* BeFunky
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It was funny but strange when it suddenly popped up with your post :)

Hubby went through this similar & unfortunate experience in Ohio, he was given this choice. Have his doctor phone & book for the interpreter and charge his insurance company for the service or Hubby use the pen and paper approach. At that time Hubby's insurance company couldn't afford the $120.00/hour interpreter fee so naturally Hubby chose the trusty pen & paper approach.
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Yes. Ohio certainly isn't perfect. Was he in the northern part of the state. I do know many D/deaf and Deafblind that protested and marched in northern Ohio because of a similarly arrogant doctor (as Lucia is describing) and many life threatening and altering medical mistakes as result of no or poor interpreters.
 
:hug: ASLGAL!

Heh heh, I wanted to liven up the air here this AM. I saw the website BeFunky and knew I had to share it. Had fun making myself fugly! :giggle:

Yes, Hubby tells me that in Ohio the interpreting agencies are so different than the one we have here. He was shocked to learn that the doctors here phone & book the agency themselves.

The only exemption is that I have my own intervenor so I always make the appointment myself on the days when I have my intervenors. The office is more flexible with patients that have intervenors and give time slots.

I'm very grateful for this.

This whole situation is a catch-22 with why the ADA law can be enabling and disabling for the disabled community.
 
Reading this thread makes me so thankful for the experiences I've had with tactile interpreters.

I've never had a problem obtaining a tactile terp ever since I started using them in 1995.

Then again, I've been seeing my GP for the past 15 years, so that may play a factor in her willingness to provide one. I've never run across any difficulty with my CI audi, CI surgeon, neurologist, opthalmologist, therapist or psychiatrist either.

I was even given a tactile terp when I was hospitalized in 2006 after a manic/psychotic episode due to my bipolar. (I only mention this because I was IP for a little over a month yet the hospital staff still provided a tactile terp for each meal and every appointment I had with the attending psychiatrist as well as art therapy and exercise class.)

I wonder if part of this has to do with the city or state one lives in? I live in a large metropolitan area (Milwaukee), so perhaps this might have some bearing on how knowledgeable medical professionals are regarding the ADA.

I think it's unfortunate that Lucia is encountering so much difficulty being provided a qualified ASL terp and I sincerely hope she is able to find a workable solution soon.
 
This whole situation is a catch-22 with why the ADA law can be enabling and disabling for the disabled community.
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Yes. agreed absolutely. The language needs to be changed but getting legislators to do it is a frustration.

The only exemption is that I have my own intervenor so I always make the appointment myself on the days when I have my intervenors.
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I've heard the term intervenor before but do not really know what it means. Are they interpreters? Are they trained? or are they like me with some training but not an interpreter, just an SSP.
 
ASLGAL said:
I don't know about Texas jillio but they are closing a lot of offices around here. I think they are referring people to the Cincinnati offices from here now.
I don't know how they expect some of them to get there, 50 ish miles
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Agreed. But one can also consult through email or VP with an attorney at one of their offices. They can refer to an attorney in the client's area that is willing to do pro bono in the case of an actual litigatable infraction of the ADA.

Since nothing else appears to be working for Lucia, it would appear that the only thing left is legal action against the physicians in her area.:shrug:
 
ASLGAL said:
Actually, where they weasel out of providing service is in the language.
The word "may" in these documents is a very powful word that oft times places actual responsibility on a precarious area.
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Exactly. It leaves the legislation open to interpretation. That is why I said earlier that only reasonable accommodations are guaranteed. What accommodations are reasonable is open to interpretation, and will vary in case to case decisions. Not to say it's right, but just to say that is the reality of the situation. In order to correct it, we have to start with where we are realistically, not where we think we should be.
 
I was being since. I have NEVER EVER had a terp for a doctors apointment. Their was a recent meeting about me that had me in attendance and I didn't have a terp for that either. Dad was expected to do it but he never interprets word for word so I missed a lot of it. Very disapointing but I hope I get a terp eventually.

The reason I mention doing without a terp is not because I don't think Lucia needs one. It's because It sounds like she really needs to see a doctor more.

Yes, ideally terps are great but we don't live in an ideal world. It seems to me a bit silly not to see the doctor until the ideal terp is found. She should go as soon as possible with or without one.

It has NOTHING to do with a CI. I would give her exactly the same advice if she didn't have one.
 
dreama said:
I was being since. I have NEVER EVER had a terp for a doctors apointment. Their was a recent meeting about me that had me in attendance and I didn't have a terp for that either. Dad was expected to do it but he never interprets word for word so I missed a lot of it. Very disapointing but I hope I get a terp eventually.

The reason I mention doing without a terp is not because I don't think Lucia needs one. It's because It sounds like she really needs to see a doctor more.

Yes, ideally terps are great but we don't live in an ideal world. It seems to me a bit silly not to see the doctor until the ideal terp is found. She should go as soon as possible with or without one.

It has NOTHING to do with a CI. I would give her exactly the same advice if she didn't have one.
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dreama, I am speaking directly to you now as a disability rights advocate.

Lucia, please accept my apologies for going offtopic in your thread.

This does apply to your topic as well so once again, I am sorry for going OT.

dreama, back to you.

As an advocate, I encourage everyone especially the DB community to rally for their own basic human rights to communication AND accessibility.

When I read your post, dreama, I recoiled in shock when you allowed your own father to interpret for you. No way should you ever allow your own parents to interpret, intervene or tactile for you in any appointment, meetings or anything else.

You are supposed to have a neutral person that has no vested interest in your well-being - mental, physical, emotional and psychological. This neutral person acts as a conduct between you and the hearing world, both sound and visual.

This neutral person is supposed to be giving you all kinds of information and answer your questions, no matter how stupid you think it is. If you ask what colour the sky is, the neutral person {SSPs, intervenor, interpreter} will reply "Blue, sometimes azure and has clouds the shape of ________" The neutral person will not reply "Red" or "Never mind!"

The fact that your father does not give you full information leaves you out of the loop and this bothers me because you are not in full control of yourself. Physically, emotionally, mentally and psychologically.


I urge you to take control of the communication issues & feel free to PM me.

Do take care dreama.

Tactile smile to one DB sister from another.
Patty [Mrs Bucket]
 
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