A Deaf American woman who was detained by police for 24 hours without an interpreter or assistance with communication has won a legal settlement of $750,000, in a decision which sends out a clear message to public bodies in America.
The case was bought by Diana Williams, below, against the City of New York after her arrest by the NYPD.
Diana Williams
We have been told:
On September 11, 2011, Williams was detained overnight by the NYPD. At no time from the police officers’ initial on-the-street interaction with Williams, when they concluded that probable cause existed for her arrest, until her release from NYPD custody almost 24 hours later, did the NYPD provide Plaintiff with an American Sign Language (“ASL”) interpreter or any auxiliary communication aid.
A statement from Eisenberg & Baum, the firm representing Diana Williams, said:
“Our client is pleased that she can now move on with her life and put this horrific situation behind her. Due to the immense barriers they face when trying to communicate with the hearing world, Deaf individuals often find themselves without a voice to assert their rights. Deaf individuals have rights, and they do not have to tolerate discrimination and injustices of any kind. It is a sad reality that Deaf individuals continue to experience blatant discrimination on a routine basis. Ms. Williams hopes that the settlement will send a message to all law enforcement agencies across the country that they should adopt proper policies and procedures to ensure full communication access for Deaf individuals.”
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Linda Richards
October 28, 2015
Astonishing. Tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the police do this? Well done to her for suing them. Wish we had similar abilities here to shake up many public bodies.
Linda Richards
October 28, 2015
Typo! Should have read….. Fourteenth anniversary of 9/11.
Barbara
October 28, 2015
Well, I don’t get your link with 9/11 anniversary or otherwise, but yes good on her for seeing through the action to the end, achieving justice for herself as a result , and importantly having a positive impact on the rights of all deaf people caught up in the US criminal justice system.
donaldo of the wasatch
October 28, 2015
Here is a point that you need to understand politically in the western world. New York City is a very “liberal” city and yet this stuff happens. We associated liberals with being more “understanding.” Too often it is not. What matters to them is the regulations. As long as everyone follows the rules and regulations they are happy, even if they conflict with reasonable thinking, values and accessibility. Here is an example of that contradictory governance that exists. People need more training and education, not more rules. So the officers and officials are geared toward conforming, not anticipating needs or providing reasonable accommodations. That is a educational issue, not a compliance one. You would think that this would be a “self evident” common sense truth, absolutely not. The liberals can be as stupid as any others. The only people that can truly correct and educate on this – are the deaf. They have to get out of their monasteries of silence and lead the charge, not wait for this kind of nonsense to happen.
Cathy
October 28, 2015
This is no surprise to me when I have been discriminated against in various ways by different public bodies.
These bodies have no intention of accommodating deaf people. They are only interested in keeping everything as simple and as smooth running for themselves as they can.
Deaf people are usually considered a nuisance, an irritant and expensive!!! Whether the message gets through to such institutions is questionable in spite of such a massive payout!
Lessons are rarely going to be learnt unless Deaf Awareness is taught to all public bodies on a regular basis.