Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Nevilledog

(50,438 posts)
Tue Aug 4, 2020, 01:36 AM Aug 2020

White House sued over lack of sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/510385-white-house-sued-over-lack-of-sign-language-interpreters-at

A major organization representing deaf Americans and a group of deaf individuals are suing the White House over the lack of a sign language interpreter at the administration's COVID-19 briefings.

CNN first reported the lawsuit, which was filed in district court in Washington, D.C., and accuses the Trump administration of a First Amendment violation. Plaintiffs argue that the captions carried on video of the events lack details that would be conveyed by a sign language interpreter.

"Tone is also often lost in written captions. By contrast, an interpreter is able to convey tone and context of a message through facial expressions, sign choice, and demeanor," the lawsuit reads, according to CNN. "Further, the provision of live closed captioning frequently contains errors and omissions that make it difficult or impossible for [deaf and hard of hearing] individuals to understand the information being provided in the briefings, particularly if they are not fluent in English."

President Trump, the lawsuit continues, "stands alone in holding televised briefings regarding the Covid-19 pandemic without ever having provided any ASL interpretation. This means that not only are [deaf and hard of hearing] Americans being denied the opportunity to understand any communication from the President of the United States during this critical time, they are also being denied the opportunity to access information, analysis, and updates from Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx--two renowned public health experts."

*snip*
8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
White House sued over lack of sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings (Original Post) Nevilledog Aug 2020 OP
can't they make out what Trump is saying from his accordion hands? SiliconValley_Dem Aug 2020 #1
Too small nt backtoblue Aug 2020 #5
5th Rec. Off to the Greatest Page with you Hekate Aug 2020 #2
And the shitshow continues....... secondwind Aug 2020 #3
A good interpreter would include head shakes, shoulder shrugs, eye rolls, probably even brewens Aug 2020 #4
Not to be flippant, but a series of signs with more or less exclamation points hlthe2b Aug 2020 #6
Would it even work? chriscan64 Aug 2020 #7
To be fair, deaf people would think the interpreter was incompetent Renew Deal Aug 2020 #8

brewens

(13,349 posts)
4. A good interpreter would include head shakes, shoulder shrugs, eye rolls, probably even
Tue Aug 4, 2020, 02:50 AM
Aug 2020

wide eyed horror! That might be what they hoped to avoid by not having one. It would be easy money with his simpleton vocabulary and repetition.

hlthe2b

(101,534 posts)
6. Not to be flippant, but a series of signs with more or less exclamation points
Tue Aug 4, 2020, 06:59 AM
Aug 2020

saying the single word "LIE" !!!!!! might serve as well as the actual word salad.

That said, the hearing-impaired should have the same right as I (to tune OUT)....

chriscan64

(1,789 posts)
7. Would it even work?
Tue Aug 4, 2020, 07:40 AM
Aug 2020

Seriously, is his incoherent rambling even translatable into sign language? When a normal person speaks, one could anticipate the ending of a sentence via context. Trump just spews random and strange word choices which it seems to me would slow down the translation. I don't think he would leave enough space for the translator to catch up. They also have to maintain the discipline to avoid eye rolls and inappropriate hand gestures.

Renew Deal

(81,774 posts)
8. To be fair, deaf people would think the interpreter was incompetent
Tue Aug 4, 2020, 08:32 AM
Aug 2020

“Inject disinfectant? This interpreter is nuts!”

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»White House sued over lac...