When Do You Need to Provide a Sign Language Translator by Law?

Is your business required by law to make available a sign language translator, whenever an interpreter is requested by a member of the public? In short, the answer is maybe.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Affordable Care Act of 2010, all mandate that businesses that receive Federal funds are fully accessible to people with hearing impairments.

Thankfully, legislators are aware that not all businesses are able to retain full-time sign language interpreters. Here, we'll, therefore, look at how your business should interpret the likes of Americans with Disabilities Act.

When Do You Have to Hire a Sign Language Translator by Law?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, was created to ensure that no American with a hearing impairment suffers discrimination as a result of their disability.

It is, of course, accepted, that not every American business can afford to hire full-time sign language interpreters. However, in certain professions, making such provisions is a legal requirement.

 

l  All medical clinics and practitioners are bound under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide hard of hearing patients with access to sign language interpreters. 

l  In the case of hospitals, sign language interpreting services must be made available in all hospital areas, from gift shops to emergency rooms.

l  The ADA stipulates that a sign language translator must be provided (on request) when people with hearing impairments communicate in any way with law enforcement.

l  The ADA makes it clear that education providers and legal professionals, have a duty of care to make sign language interpreters available when asked by people with hearing impairments.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, hospitality business owners and all employers are also required to make provisions for those with hearing impairments. However, guidelines aren’t always as strict.

In the case of hotels and holiday accommodation providers, the only obligation establishments have under the ADA, is to make teletypewriters available to guests with hearing impairments.

What If You Can’t Afford to Hire a Full-Time Translator?

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 8.5%of the U.S. population has some form of hearing impairment.

While 8.5% of the population might not seem statistically significant, this does mean that almost 1 out of every 10 of your customers, work colleagues, and employees will suffer from hearing loss at some point. 

Thankfully, there are ways to make reasonable provisions for customers and employees with hearing impairments, without hiring full-time sign language interpreters.

l  Make your business deaf-friendly, by installing audio induction loops in your business premises. Doing so will greatly assist people who use hearing aids.

l  Train your staff to always speak clearly and make eye contact with members of the public. This will benefit hard of hearing people who rely on lip reading.

l  Include subtitles on all audio-visual ads and promotions that your business syndicates. Few businesses do this, but those that do are highly regarded by the deaf community.

l  Always invite ASL interpreters to company events, for the benefit of hard of hearing event attendees.

Always Hire a Sign Language Translator When Recruiting

While most businesses don't need to have a sign language translator available 24/7, all businesses are legally prohibited from discriminating against deaf people when recruiting new employees.

In the past, major businesses like Wal-Mart have been fined up to $135,500, for not providing access to sign language interpreters during interviews. The good news though. is that making sign language interpreters available when recruiting new employees is easier than you might think.

At Languagers, we can equip your business with an ASL sign language interpreter for anything from a few hours to a few weeks. Even better, we can even offer fully remote sign language interpreters.

Do you need to hire a sign language translator to ensure that your business is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act? If so, find out how Languagers can help by clicking here.