Earlier this year, a British Deaf couple made headlines when they complained about the lack of an interpreter during their baby’s birth. Things aren’t any better across the Atlantic, as this story from America shows.
Extract from the Miami Herald:
Sometime this month or next, Cheylla Silva will be admitted to Baptist Hospital to give birth to her second child. The delivery will be high-risk: Silva suffers from high blood pressure and other complications.
Silva is hoping the delivery goes smoothly because if there are serious problems, she might be at a loss to communicate with her doctors and nurses. Silva is profoundly deaf, and, for months, Baptist administrators have refused to provide her with an American sign language interpreter, she says.
On Friday morning, Silva filed an emergency motion in federal court, asking U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams to order Baptist to provide the interpreter, arguing the hospital’s refusal to do so violates the federal Americans With Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights law signed by then-President George Bush in 1990.
Baptist’s obligation, the suit says, “is to ensure that deaf patients be provided an equal opportunity to participate in their care and treatment.”
Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:
The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf journalist, screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.
Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.
Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.
The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:
- BSL Zone: TV programmes in BSL for the Deaf community
- Deaf Umbrella: what support is available for deaf students?
- Bellman & Symfon: home alerting solutions, including the mobile phone transceiver!
- SignVideo: Instant BSL video interpreting online
- SignHealth: check out the BSL health library
- 999 BSL: call 999 in an emergency, in BSL
- Appa: Looking for RSLIs, TSLIs and CSWs, apply here!
- Signly: Adding BSL to websites
- Signworld: Learn BSL online!
- DCAL: world-class research into deafness, cognition and language
- Action Deafness: “A Deaf-Led Charity” – interpreting & community support services
- Sign Solutions: Instant access to Interpreters, training and BSL translation nationwide
- InterpretersLive: On demand BSL video interpretation
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- BID: Deaf services, including advice and support, interpreting, employment and letters
- Performance Interpreting: BSL interpreting at concerts
- National Deaf Children's Society: The leading charity for deaf children
Cathy Alexandeŕ
September 3, 2014
This is a surprising and shocking story. It is quite well known how Deaf Americans are streets ahead of Deaf people in the UK, not least because they are usually far more confident and blase than we are over here.
So to hear this story of an interpreter being refused to a deaf person is quite a revelation!
I know different laws fit different states but I doubt this one applies in this case.
Today’s generation are lucky in both America and the UK in so far as interpreters are concerned. No such support was available when I gave birth to my children, only mum was present. Although am not sure I would want an interpreter present as its too personal.
But, today is today and times have irrevocably changed. Moreover, that change should be for the better, not the worse.
How is it that we seem to be going backwards instead of forwards? How can deaf people be denied a basic right in 2014? Where is everyone’s compassion, empathy or common sense? How can so many people in powerful positions be devoid of these attributes? Why do deaf people have to spend their lives battling for basic access that “joe bloggs” in the street takes for granted?
Personally, I have recently won a battle of my own: I took one of the “power six” arrogant utility companies to court for denying me access to an interpreter, and subsequently won after a very stressful 2.5yrs!
I hope this couple have similar success, even though its the other side of the atlantic. We must all stand up and be counted, we are not invisible; not stupid; not second class citizens and deserve to be treated justly and fairly in this world.