Deaf News Briefs: Rochester hospital lawsuit; LSD supt. dismissed; WVSDB new leader
Here are three Deaf News briefs.
The first — the NH Business Review in Rochester reported that “the family of a deaf patient is suing Frisbee Memorial Hospital in Rochester for not providing her with a sign language interpreter and for relying on her 11-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son to translate their dying mother’s wishes — despite an earlier settlement with the U.S. attorney that it would provide sign language services.”
The deaf patient’s name was Glenys Emerson-Crane. She had liver failure and died in 2019.
Some of the allegations raised in the lawsuit include hospital staff not immediately arranging for an interpreter despite the family asking for one and persistent problems with the VRI system.
The lawsuit said in 2020, the daughter had to go to the emergency room herself and that hospital staff did not know how to make the VRI system work to communicate with her deaf father and kept on talking with her and left her deaf father in the dark.
——
[Sponsored video from Convo: www.convorelay.com]
—-----
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline] After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. Warning signs can include feeling isolated, anxious, having trouble sleeping and more. If you or someone you know is Deaf or hard of hearing, the Disaster Distress Helpline offers a direct videophone option.
This free service for ASL users is answered 24/7 by trained crisis workers fluent in ASL and can be accessed using any videophone-enabled device and dialing 1-800-985-5990 or at disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.
—-----
[Advertisement from RIT's Research CCL] The NTID Research Center on Culture and Language is doing a study on how overall well-being influences self-perception of deaf and hard of hearing people. We need YOU to participate. If you are over 18 years old, identify as Deaf or Hard of Hearing, have good visual acuity, and have a laptop, computer, or desktop—you can participate! Participants will receive a $30 amazon gift card. See if you qualify for the study by clicking on this link-https://bit.ly/3mZaC3e.
—-----
The second news brief is a report from “The Advocate” in Louisiana that “the superintendent who oversees the Louisiana School for the Deaf and other operations was dismissed on July 25 after being placed on paid leave pending an investigation of his job performance.” His name is Ernest Garrett III and he is deaf. The district’s board of directors moved to remove him after a closed-door meeting. The vote was 8-0.
“The Advocate” said it obtained a three-page report about the firing but that the exact reasons why Garrett was let go remains unclear. The newspaper said Garrett did not respond to requests for comment.
The third news brief is a report from “Charleston Gazette-Mail” in West Virginia that the new superintendent of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind is Clayton Burch, who is hearing. He will leave his position as the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools to take over the deaf and blind school.
That’s the three Deaf News briefs.