Communicating Effectively with Police as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Person

Communicate Effectively with the Police

It was Christmas Eve 2014. I drove up to my parent’s house to spend the night, so the whole family could be together on Christmas morning. It was very late, and the freeways were virtually empty, so I didn’t think too much of going a couple of miles above the speed limit to reduce the travel time from my apartment to my parent’s house across the valley. However, a highway patrol car caught up to me, and so I was pulled over for speeding. When I explained to the officer that I am deaf, using paper and pen, he looked at me rather accusatory and asked me why “I am not wearing my hearing aids”? I then calmly explained that I am profoundly deaf and do not use hearing aids. After a brief interaction, I was given a citation and allowed to be on my way.

While I am grateful it did not escalate to anything, the officer’s comments didn’t sit well with me since that night. Yet, I chose to put it behind me and move on with my life. Recently, I read in the news about an elderly deaf woman at an airport in Texas waiting for a connecting flight. Due to a complete breakdown in communication over a missed flight, she found herself unjustly incarcerated. She had her arm broken when she spent three days in jail before receiving medical treatment. (Bingamon, 2023) I realized then that there is much room for improvement regarding deaf people interacting with police officers.  

According to the National Association of the Deaf, “State and local police and law enforcement agencies are required to take action to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.” (National Association of the Deaf, n.d.) This includes receiving training on proper interactions with deaf people, as well as providing reasonable accommodations and tools to facilitate effective communication. 

The responsibility also falls on us within the deaf community to show that effective and positive communication is not only possible but an important goal to accomplish. This can be done by being proactive in advocating and establishing better communication with law enforcement agencies within their communities, reaffirming their rights under the ADA and other disability laws, and avoiding escalating behavior. 

Examples of what you can do to avoid escalations include: 

• Being calm at all times
• Complying with police officers’ requests 
• Avoiding sudden movements
• Making your intentions clear

What makes Bridg’d so very important in this aspect is how it is a tool designed to break down communication barriers and make better communication even more possible. One of our many goals with the Bridg’d app is to build positive interactions between police officers and the Deaf community and to prevent breakdowns that may lead to misunderstanding and unnecessary escalations. By combining speech-to-text and text-to-speech technology into a single easy-to-use app, deaf users would have a direct line of communication with police officers and can converse back and forth in real-time. 

The Bridg’d app is not merely a tool to improve the quality of life for Deaf people when it comes to communication but to give them security and peace of mind when they interact with police officers. 

Bibliography

Bingamon, B. (2023, March 24). Austin Jailer Breaks Elderly Deaf Woman’s Arm After Misunderstanding at Airport. Retrieved from The Austin Chronicle: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2023-03-24/austin-jailer-breaks-elderly-deaf-womans-arm-after-misunderstanding-at-airport/?fbclid=IwAR25IGtX9bSNLoCJBJaJtDkkIzs4pjNeStb9GsW_Mr8gQTY1P5q_OzL_D0Y

National Association of the Deaf . (n.d.). Police and Law Enforcement. Retrieved from National Association of the Deaf : https://www.nad.org/resources/justice/police-and-law-enforcement/