NAD and Law Firm File Complaint <\/p>\n
Against St. Agnes Hospital <\/p>\n
——————————————————————————–<\/p>\n
A News Release from the National Association of the Deaf <\/p>\n
Release Date: May 22, 2008 <\/p>\n
Contact: <\/p>\n
Anita B. Farb <\/p>\n
Director, Communications and Operations <\/p>\n
National Association of the Deaf <\/p>\n
Email: http:\/\/www.nad.org\/contactus<\/p>\n
——————————————————————————–<\/p>\n
NAD and Law Firm File Complaint Against St. Agnes Hospital <\/p>\n
Silver Spring, MD – The National Association of the Deaf and Brown,
\nGoldstein & Levy, LLP, have filed a complaint in federal court against
\nSt. Agnes Hospital alleging its failure to provide qualified sign
\nlanguage interpreter services to ensure effective communication with
\nDaniel and Michelle Sorace, a deaf couple. The complaint was filed in
\nthe United States District Court in Baltimore, Maryland. <\/p>\n
The complaint alleges that after Mr. Sorace fell from the roof of his
\nhome, he was transported to St. Agnes Hospital by ambulance at
\napproximately 1:30 p.m., on May 26, 2007. On the way to and after
\ntheir arrival at the hospital, Mrs. Sorace repeatedly requested
\nqualified sign language interpreters to ensure effective communication
\nwith hospital staff, according to the complaint. <\/p>\n
The complaint alleges that, due to his injuries, Mr. Sorace could
\nonly move his right hand. Despite Mr. Sorace\u2019s condition, hospital
\nstaff attempted to use Deaf-Talk, a video remote interpreting service.
\nMrs. Sorace explained that this accommodation was not appropriate
\nbecause Mr. Sorace could not see the television monitor because he was
\non a stretcher facing the ceiling. Furthermore, the interpreter would
\nnot be able to see both his head and his right hand. <\/p>\n
The complaint alleges that Mrs. Sorace contacted a friend who
\ncontacted an interpreter. The interpreter arrived at the hospital at 7
\np.m. and stayed until 11 a.m., when the hospital began providing its
\nown interpreter services. <\/p>\n
ithin St. Agnes Hospital. The complaint alleges that when Mrs. Sorace
\ntried to schedule an appointment by telephone through a video relay
\nservice, St. Agnes Hospital refused to accept the call. The complaint
\nfurther alleges that the Soraces tried to make an appointment by
\ntelephone using an interpreter that the hospital provided. The clinic
\nrefused to schedule an appointment for Mr. Sorace because he is deaf.
\nThe Soraces then scheduled an appointment with a different orthopedic
\nclinic. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis case illustrates that video remote interpreting is not always
\nan appropriate accommodation for patients who are deaf,\u201d stated
\nRosaline Crawford, Director of the NAD Law and Advocacy Center.
\n\u201cPatients and interpreters need to see each other. When this is not
\npossible using video remote interpreting equipment, hospitals may need
\nto provide another accommodation that is effective, such as qualified
\nsign language interpreter services on site.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is inexcusable for hospitals or health care providers to refuse
\nto accept relay calls or schedule appointments for patients who are
\ndeaf,\u201d stated Bobbie Beth Scoggins, NAD President. <\/p>\n
The complaints request the United States District Court to declare
\nthat St. Agnes Hospital violated the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and
\nthe Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and award money damages to
\nMr. and Mrs. Sorace. <\/p>\n
——————————————————————————–<\/p>\n
About the NAD <\/p>\n
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was established in 1880 by
\ndeaf leaders on the belief in the right of the American deaf community
\nto use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and
\nto have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs
\nremain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value.
\nAs a nonprofit federation, the mission of the NAD is to promote,
\nprotect, and preserve the civil, human, and linguistic rights of deaf
\nAmericans. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering the
\nbreadth of a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of
\nearly intervention, education, employment, health care, technology,
\ntelecommunications, youth leadership, and more. For more information,
\nplease visit http:\/\/www.nad.org
\n. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
BETTER IP RELAY – EVERYWHERE! i711.com makes all your relay calls better.
\nBetter web calls. Better wireless calls. Better AIM calls. Why settle for
\nordinary IP relay? Go beyond! Try http:\/\/www.i711.com for free today!<\/p>\n
NEW! Try out our Deaf Network of Texas Calendar! Go to
\nhttp:\/\/calendar.deafnetwork.com <\/p>\n
NOTE: deafnetwork.com does not endorse any of the products, vendors,
\nconsultants, or documentation referenced in this message or. Any mention of
\nvendors, products, or services is for informational purposes only.<\/p>\n
Powered by http:\/\/www.CrazyWebHosting.com<\/p>\n
If you do not want to receive any more newsletters,
\nhttp:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/list\/?p=unsubscribe&uid=23e6b0ac27edebd2b6f52f1354859234<\/p>\n
To update your preferences and to unsubscribe visit
\nhttp:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/list\/?p=preferences&uid=23e6b0ac27edebd2b6f52f1354859234
\nForward a Message to Someone
\nhttp:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/list\/?p=forward&uid=23e6b0ac27edebd2b6f52f1354859234&mid=1759<\/p>\n
—
\nPowered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com —<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAD and Law Firm File Complaint Against St. Agnes Hospital ——————————————————————————– A News Release from the National Association of the Deaf Release Date: May 22, 2008 Contact: Anita B. Farb Director, Communications and Operations National Association of the Deaf Email:…<\/p>\n