Comments on: “The price of disability law”

By: Ron Miller

Ron Miller — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:19:40 +0000

Same applies for lawyers, too, by the way, including the financial incentives not to take cases. It is trickly, we want the law to help people with disadvantages to level the playing field. The problem is the reverse often happens – the law creates a new, unintended discrimination.

By: Marni

Marni — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:55:09 +0000

Just to clarify for Raymer- ASL and English are different languages. ASL has its own grammar and syntax. It is not an equivalent of English, and for a native ASL speaker, written English (or lip-reading) is a second language, not a “common mother tongue.”

By: throckmorton

throckmorton — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:00:55 +0000

This whole law requiring that the doctor pay for the translator is frustrating. Many times we do not get to pick the patients. We had this happen just this week. An illeagal from Belize ended up in the ER and was sent to us for follow up. The only language that he could speak was a Mayan dialect. We are required to have and pay for a translator. I was amazed that we found a service that would do it through the telephone and it only cost us$190 for the visit. We of course did not get an payment for the visit from the patient.

By: Raymer

Raymer — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:43:12 +0000

They shared a common mother-tongue, which happened to be written english. Why anyone would want to interpose the opportunities for mis-communication that occurs with a translator is beyond me; unless it is merely about the money.

By: kimsch

kimsch — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:34:24 +0000

Perhaps the patient should have found a deaf doctor? Or one who already had a deaf or signing employee?

By: Todd Rogers

Todd Rogers — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:20:03 +0000

I think it would be fair to assume that the term “crook” could be added as a predicate clause to the other term, “patient.” A crook-patient saw an opportunity to line her pocket and used the ADA to legally separate the doctor from his money. Surely this is an exception and somewhere among us is a hearing-impaired rat who needs a talkin’ to.