Stick Up for Your Right to Communication Access
Many companies, medical offices, and agencies are not aware of the rights of Deaf and hard of hearing people. They do not know that it is their responsibility to provide interpreters or captioning services for their Deaf patients/clients/students. Often they believe it’s the Deaf/HH person’s responsibility to “BYOI” (Bring Your Own Interpreter), which may be a friend or family member.  

It is important for you as a Deaf or hard of hearing person to request a professional interpreter, or other accommodation, if you need it. The better you can inform hearing people about why an interpreter (or other accommodation) is necessary, the more empowered you will become. You can become familiar with your rights through such resources as www.ada.gov and www.eeoc.gov. You may even wish to share these resources with hearing persons.  

If you believe you are a victim of discrimination (by a business/company/person) because of your disability, you have the right to file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission http://www.phrc.state.pa.us/. They will then file your complaint with the appropriate federal agency. You complaint must be filed within 180 days of the alleged act of discrimination. 

All of this can seem overwhelming, so if you have any questions or would like assistance in registering a complaint, you may contact either of the following people:

Robbie Graves:
610-770-9781, Ext. 29 (voice/relay) 
Email: robgraves@lvcil.org 

Michele Marks:
610-770-9781, Ext. 21 (voice/relay) or 610-770-9789 (TTY).  
Email: michelemarks@lvcil.org
We are here to help!