A recent settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and a family lawyer has garnered much national attention with reference to the obligation of an attorney to furnish interpreters and other aids for deaf or hearing-impaired clients. The DOJ action against the attorney was for discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act for his failure to hire a sign language interpreter. As this settlement demonstrates, a lawyer’s failure to comply with the ADA can lead to significant penalties. This settlement has caused concern among attorneys throughout the country in all practice areas. The purpose of this course is to alleviate that concern and convince you that complying with your obligations is not burdensome but is necessary. This program will let you know what your legal obligations are and will address many practical issues on how to handle these issues to avoid getting yourself into trouble. Thousands of persons in Pennsylvania are deaf or have significant hearing loss. You cannot refuse to represent a client based on the fact they are deaf or hard of hearing. With that in mind, you must be informed of your legal responsibility with reference to these individuals as clients or potential clients and you must know how to handle that representation. Topics Includ:e • When are you obligated to provide an interpreter? • What is a qualified interpreter? • Resources that are available to assist you • How must the costs for such services be handled? • What auxiliary aids are required? • What is the PA Relay Service and do you know how to use it? • Does you office have a TDD/TTY and a staff trained to use it? Recorded October 2004 at Public Interest Law Day.
