Sheriff's Office settles dispute over treatment of deaf, hard of hearing

[Miss-Delectable]

Sheriff's Office settles dispute over treatment of deaf, hard of hearing - Inside Bay Area

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office has agreed to provide sign-language interpretation and other services to deaf, hard-of-hearing or deaf-blind suspects, arrestees, inmates, victims, witnesses and visitors at the county's jails, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

The agreement settles a Justice Department investigation of the sheriff's office, which followed a complaint filed by a deaf and blind man after the sheriff's office failed to provide him with a tactile interpreter when he was arrested and during his two-day incarceration. In tactile interpreting, persons who are deaf and blind place their hands over the hands of the interpreter, in order to read signs through touch and movement.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires public entities such as the sheriff's office to ensure effective communication with people with disabilities.

"Effective communication in law enforcement is critical to ensure all parties have equal access to the information regarding their rights," Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a news release. "This agreement requires Alameda County's law enforcement officers to take the steps necessary to effectively communicate with individuals who are deaf-blind in their community."

The agreement, which applies to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and the Glenn Dyer Jail in Oakland, requires the sheriff's office to:

 

[Miss-Delectable]

Justice Department Enters Agreement With Alameda County, California, Sheriff to Guara

Justice Department Enters Agreement With Alameda County, California, Sheriff to Guarantee Effective Communication for Persons Who... -- WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Alameda County, Calif., Sheriff's Office, under which it will provide sign language interpreters and other auxiliary aids and services to arrestees, detainees, suspects, victims, witnesses, complainants and visitors who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind at two jails. The agreement covers Santa Rita Jail and Glynn E. Dyer Jail in Dublin, Calif., and Oakland, Calif., respectively.

"Effective communication in law enforcement is critical to ensure all parties have equal access to the information regarding their rights," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "This agreement requires Alameda County's law enforcement officers to take the steps necessary to effectively communicate with individuals who are deaf-blind in their community."

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires "public entities," such as the sheriff's office, to ensure effective communication with qualified individuals with disabilities. Under this agreement, a person who is deaf or hard of hearing will be able to benefit from the same services as every other arrestee, detainee, suspect, victim, witness, complainant and visitor. In tactile interpreting (also known as deaf-blind interpreting) persons who are deaf-blind place their hands over the hands of the interpreter, in order to read signs through touch and movement.

The agreement requires the Alameda County Sheriff's Office to:

Establish nondiscriminatory policies for providing effective communication for people with communication disabilities, including the provision of sign language interpreters;
Post a notice of the policy in its waiting rooms;
Train staff on the policies; and
Ensure that appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including qualified interpreters, and specifically tactile interpreters, are made available to all individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind.


The Justice Department's investigation of the sheriff's office was in response to a complaint filed by a man who is deaf and blind, after the office failed to provide him with a tactile interpreter when the man was arrested and during his two-day incarceration. In his complaint, he alleged that a tactile interpreter was never provided to him during his incarceration when it was necessary to achieve effective communication with him.

More information about the ADA or this agreement is available at the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY) and at ADA Home Page - ada.gov - Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act

 

[Glenn]

That's a federal deal. Sheriff probably isn't too happy about it.

 

[rockin'robin]

Nothing has changed much in my city....and we had many deafies making complaints.....Last year, was a meeting in Tampa about all this, and our adocate, Legal Aid lawyer for the Deaf has done the deafies a tremendous service by fighting the injustice police officers have for the Deaf/HOH here in Jacksonville.

Not one Officer that I've seen has even tried to learn sign language to be able to communicate better.....(and the Sheriff of Duval County, made the statement/promise) that they would learn. As far as the phones in the jails and intrepretors, last I heard, the phones were working (before, they were broken), and the jailors had no idea how they worked.