Deaf Association Demands ASL Interpreters at COVID-19 Briefings

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Aug 04, 2020 05:51 AM EDT

The deaf community is having a hard time understanding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) press briefings at the White House as it lacked American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters during the events.

On Monday, the National Association of the Deaf and five other deaf Americans formally asked a federal judge to order the White House to add live televised ASL interpretation during the public COVID-19 briefings.

The complaint was first reported by CNN, and it was filed in a district court in Washington, D.C. The deaf association said they are getting less information from the COVID-19 briefings of the White House because sign language interpreters are absent from them, something that raised concern for many, reported The Hill.

The Courthouse News reported that many states in the U.S. give the deaf community the basic access right to information by having the info signed to them. Some of the names specified in the lawsuit were White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The deaf association said these people provide essential information on the virus that is not accessible to deaf people.

COVID-19 Briefings Lack of Tone and Context

The group of deaf Americans argued that the captions carried on the video coverage of the events could lack details that would only be signed by an interpreter.

One of the things that can't be captured in written captions is the tone of which speakers said the information. But an interpreter can tell through signs about the tone and context of a message using facial expressions, sign choice, and demeanor, the lawsuit said.

Usually, live closed captioning can also contain errors and omit bits of data that make it hard or impossible for the deaf and hard of hearing people understand what is being said during the COVID-19 briefings. Closed captions are often hard for those who are not fluent in English.

The White House did not respond to CNN's questions about why a sign language interpreter is not used at the briefings. The Department of Justice was also asked to comment regarding a possible breach of the first amendment.

A request has been sent to the White House for ASL interpreters coming from the federal government's National Council on Disability and some Congress members.

What the Deaf want to Hear from COVID-19 Briefings

The people who asked for an ASL interpreter in the briefings ranged between ages 27 and 92.

They demanded "information on how to stay safe" and "how to take care of family, friends, and loved ones" during the pandemic. They also wanted to know the progress on the vaccine and the effects of virus on the U.S. economy.

Each of them said their first language is ASL, and most of them get their news from television.

The COVID-19 press briefings at the White House resumed in July after it ended early this year amid widespread criticism on how the government handled the crisis.