The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was a landmark civil rights law created to protect those with disabilities from discrimination. This included employment, education, and any public and private facilities that are open to the public. The Americans with Disabilities Act was significant for the Deaf community since it would make discrimination based on disability illegal, similar to how discrimination based on an individual’s race, religion, sex, or nationality was made illegal by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Let’s talk about the Americans with Disabilities Act and discuss some vital insights about how it benefited the Deaf and hard of hearing.
Overview of ADA for the Deaf Community
The Americans with Disabilities Act was written with the intent to safeguard the rights of individuals with disabilities by ensuring that they would have equal access to goods, services, communication, employment, transportation, and other aspects of life. Before the ADA was signed, a person who was Deaf or hard of hearing could be refused service at a restaurant, refused employment, or even be paid less than their peers simply for belonging to the Deaf community.
The ADA has played a significant role in improving the quality of life for the Deaf community by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of an individual’s deafness. This means that as long as an individual can perform the duties required of the position, an employer cannot use their Deaf identity as a reason not to hire them. Employers were also required to provide reasonable adjustments or modifications to the hiring process such as providing a sign language interpreter, to prevent putting candidates who are Deaf or hard of hearing at a disadvantage.
This legislation also enhanced communication accessibility for the Deaf community by mandating the establishment of nationwide telecommunications relay services. The telecommunications relay services gave the Deaf and hard of hearing the ability to make and receive calls, bridging a significant communications gap.
Related: Top Mobile Apps for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in 2023
Rights and Accommodations Under the ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act provides specific accommodations and rights for members of the Deaf community. These rights and accommodations were written into the legislation to improve accessibility to employment and education.
One of the requirements of the ADA is that reasonable accommodations must be provided at the workplace.
An accommodation is considered to be reasonable by this legislation if they do not create an undue hardship to the employer. This meant that employers had to offer reasonable accommodation, which are changes to a job or workplace that will allow an individual to obtain and perform their job successfully.
Providing Deaf employees with a computer and webcam so that they can use video relay systems to communicate more comfortably, accurately, and quickly is a great example of a reasonable accommodation that can also improve work performance. Closed captioning is another cost-effective reasonable accommodation that will make sure that all of your employees benefit from any training or webinars that are recorded on video.
The goal of providing these rights and accommodations to members of the Deaf community is to make sure that they have the tools needed to effectively express themselves for the situation at hand. Different situations will require different amounts of service or aid such as a grocery store where providing a pen and paper for written communication and a visit to the courthouse requiring a sign language interpreter to explain a complicated legal proceeding.
Are you looking for a quick and convenient way to increase communication accessibility? Try the Bridg’d app, risk-free for 7 days.
Access to Public Services and Accommodations
The ADA also requires that government buildings, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and public transportation take measures to provide access to public services and accommodations for the Deaf and hard of hearing.
Government Buildings
Government buildings such as courthouses, city halls, and administrative service facilities such as Department of Motor Vehicles buildings are required to provide sign language interpreters during important events such as court proceedings or public hearings.
Related: Communicating Effectively with Police as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Person
Healthcare Facilities
Healthcare facilities such as hospitals also have to provide certain accommodations for Deaf and hard of hearing patients. If requested, a hospital is expected to be able to provide different assistive devices such as televisions with closed captioning and teletypewriters in patient rooms or a sign language interpreter when interacting with doctors, nurses, or other healthcare staff.
Educational Institutions
Educational institutions were expected to provide reasonable accommodations for their Deaf and hard of hearing students as well. This meant that schools had to provide the appropriate auxiliary aids and services necessary for Deaf or hard of hearing students to have equitable access to education.
Related: Discover the Latest Communication Devices for Deaf Individuals
Public Transportation
When taking public transportation, passengers who are Deaf or hard of hearing have the right to request aid and services to help them communicate such as sign language interpreters, written materials, or assistive listening devices.
Resources and Support for Understanding ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has empowered the Deaf community in the United States by providing protection from discrimination and improving communication accessibility in the workplace, in healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and public as well as private businesses.
The ADA also pushed advancements in technology such as telecommunication relay services to help the Deaf and hard of hearing communicate with others and it also raised awareness of the unique challenges and strengths that the Deaf community brings to the table.
Are you looking to learn more about the Deaf community? Grab the Bridg’d mobile app and start communicating to learn.
Looking to Learn More?
There are some great resources out there if you are looking to learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act. The U.S. Department of Justice website for the Americans with Disabilities Act is a wealth of information about the legislation and also a great resource to hear about any upcoming changes. If you want to learn more about any reasonable accommodations or what to do to file a complaint if your workplace is not following ADA guidelines, check out the National Association of the Deaf, where they have tons of resources for Deaf advocacy.
