Quote:
Originally Posted by DeafDeaf
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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I am hearing impaired - I have profound hearing loss in my left ear and wear a hearing aid. I can function fairly normally, but in noisy circumstances I struggle to make out any one voice or conversation. I say all this to say that I feel empathy for you but I, in no way, am as handicapped by my situation as you are in yours. What occurs to me is that, while I understand your frustration, and the real need for assistance, I wonder how many others are in your shoes? If there are a very few people who need this assistance, it may be financially or physically impractical to provide signers for the 100s or 1000s of courses offered. Like most people who don't face these problems, I haven't really thought through it and don't know what the solution could or should be.