This month, Nicolyn Plummer, a social worker specializing in working with Deaf and hard of hearing survivors at BFL’s Non-Residential Domestic Violence program, Secret Garden, discusses the need for Certified Deaf Interpreters in certain domestic violence cases.
Background: Domestic Violence and “The Family Secret” amongst Deaf Individuals
Ninety percent of deaf people are born to hearing families. Ninety-Five percent of those families do not learn American Sign Language in order to communicate with their children. A deaf child raised in such an environment will have a vocabulary of 500 words by kindergarten, while a hearing child of hearing parents or a deaf child of deaf parents will have a vocabulary of 5,000 words.
Language deprivation at such an early age has a profound, long-term impact on an individual’s ability to communicate with others and to succeed in school. Many such individuals have no more than a second grade education. Because, in part, of their inability to communicate, they are often prime candidates for abuse.
The “family secret” is much more secure when the victim can’t communicate with the outside world for help. Some studies show that the rate of abuse among deaf individuals is significantly higher than the hearing population.
About CDI (Source: Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc.)
A Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) is an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing and has been certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf as an interpreter. A CDI will be needed when the communication mode of a deaf consumer is so unique that it cannot be adequately accessed by American Sign Language interpreters who are hearing. Individuals who use idiosyncratic signs or gestures unique to a family, commonly referred to as “home signs,” because they have never learned American Sign Language need a CDI. It is an essential resource in domestic violence cases both in counseling and when the person is going to court.
“It’s crucial that deaf individuals understand what’s going on in the courtroom, and domestic violence cases often involve going to court – custody, visitation, orders of protection,” says Molly Freyer, Assistant Director at BFL’s Secret Garden.
Survivor’s Story by Nicolyn Plummer (Above, communicating through ASL with BFL President/CEO Paul Feuerstein.)
Ms. S is a deaf woman who was referred to Secret Garden after her abusive husband was arrested, and the court issued an Order of Protection. She began counseling with me to address her difficulty leaving an abusive marriage. She was concerned about her children not having a father.
Counseling helped Miss S gain the self-confidence to initiate divorce proceedings. Through my advocacy, she secured a pro-bono divorce attorney.
There was a major challenge to Miss S. participating in her divorce case. Ms. S could not communicate using an ASL interpreter. Her manner of signing required a CDI, which most legal agencies are not accustomed to using. I had a number of conversations with the attorney and others from the legal agency, explaining what a CDI is and why one is needed.
Most agencies’ understanding of the Americans With Disabilities (ADA) laws lead them to consider an ASL interpreter to be a “reasonable accommodation.” I do a lot of education and advocacy to convince agencies to spend the extra money to have a CDI available. The CDI needs to have a hearing ASL interpreter to understand the proceedings and communicate to the CDI. The CDI then translates that into a language style accessible to the deaf individual. These extra steps are vital in allowing the individual to clearly understand and participate in the proceedings.
Ultimately, the agency involved in Miss S’ case agreed to provide a CDI, and Ms. S was able to participate fully in the divorce proceedings and negotiations. She is now divorced from her husband, has an Order of Protection, and she and her children are living safe and free from abuse.
Nicolyn Plummer is a founding member of The American Sign Language Court Interpretation Task Force. The Task Force’s mission is to ensure effective communication for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in legal proceedings through the provision of qualified sign language interpreters. Learn more about the Task Force on our website www.bflnyc.org on the programs page/Secret Garden.
Resources:
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf: www.rid.org
Justice for Deaf Victims National Coalition: www.justicedeafvictims.org
National Association of the Deaf
www.nad.org
|
