The Use of Interpreters for the Deaf and the Legal Community\u27s Obligation to Comply with the A.D.A.

Title II of the ADA, which most closely resembles section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, requires that state and local government facilities, including courts, be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Title III of the Act requires that public accommodations be accessible to persons with disabilities. The Act specifically includes attorney\u27s offices in its definition of public accommodation. Title II and III of the Act require that reasonable accommodations be provided to qualified persons with disabilities, unless such provision would fundamentally alter the goods, services or programs provided. Reasonable accommodations can take the form of auxiliary aids and services, modifications of policies, practices and procedures, and removal of architectural barriers, to name a few. This article will focus on auxiliary aids and services appropriate to accommodating deaf and hard of hearing persons