Please do not use the improper term - hearing impaired (or impairment). If I tell people that I am hearing impaired, they think something is wrong with me. However, if I tell people I am deaf, they say nothing is wrong with me except that I can't hear!
By law, no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity , or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.
There are no volunteers because interpreters spent money to obtain the proper trainings, to take examinations, and to pay for licenses, which may amount to several thousand dollars. Unqualified volunteers will not perform effectively, accurately and impartially both receptively and expressively, using any specialized vocabulary necessary for effective communication! In other words, would you accept the volunteer doctor without the proper licenses?
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