FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CR

FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2001

(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV

TDD (202) 514-1888

UTAH HOSPITAL AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REACH AGREEMENT
ON PROVISION OF SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A hospital in Layton, Utah, has agreed to provide sign language interpreters and other auxiliary aids and services to patients, their family members, and their companions who are deaf or hard of hearing under a settlement agreement finalized today by the Justice Department. The hospital also agreed to provide monetary compensation in the amount of $130,000 to the original complainant.

The settlement agreement resolves a complaint filed with the Department alleging that Davis Hospital and Medical Center (Davis), a general acute care hospital, discriminated against a deaf patient and his wife, who is also deaf, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Justice Department's investigation of Davis was triggered by a complaint filed with the Department in July of 1999. The complainant alleged that during two time periods in 1998 when her husband was a patient at Davis, the hospital refused to provide a sign language interpreter, despite the couple's repeated requests.

"Given the complex and serious nature of the medical setting, hospitals and individual doctors must understand that they have a duty to provide qualified sign language interpreters to those persons who need them," said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Bill Lann Lee. "This hospital's agreement to promptly resolve and fully compensate those who have been adversely affected reflects that understanding."

The agreement requires Davis to establish a program to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including sign language interpreters, to patients, their family members, and their companions who are deaf or hard of hearing. Additionally, Davis' personnel and affiliated physicians must attend annual training sessions concerning the communication needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The ADA requires that public accommodations, such as hospitals, provide equal opportunity to individuals with disabilities, including individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, to participate in and benefit from the goods and services that they offer. In particular, the ADA requires that public accommodations provide proper auxiliary aids and services, including qualified sign language interpreters, to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Those interested in finding out more about the ADA can call the Department's toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301, (800) 514-0383 (TDD) or access the ADA Home Page on the World Wide Web at [http:/www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahoml.htm].

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