Sophia Public Speaking - ADA Violation - UPDATE: They are now deaf friendly!

[rachel83az]

https://civilrights.findlaw.com/discrimi...tions.html

A federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requires most business and facilities to provide reasonable access and accommodation for all disabled customers, clients, and members of the public. The ADA applies to almost all businesses that are open to the public, regardless of size. See below for an introduction to the ADA and its application to public accommodations.

it prohibits the exclusion of people with disabilities from everyday activities, such as buying an item at the store, watching a movie in a theater, enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, exercising at the local gym, or having the car serviced at a garage.

I think it depends on the nature of your business. If you are, for instance, selling merchandise online, then you should try to ensure that screen readers are able to navigate the site so that blind people can still go shopping.

[ashkir]

@ctcarl -- All American Businesses that provide service to the public, especially if academic in nature, is required to allow for the accomondation. Even if it means the deaf needs to provide their own translator. Sophia tried telling me this was not allowed. Regardless, all places of business are required to do this.

Perhaps you're speaking of some legislation other than the ADA or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  Regardless, I'm pleased that they were able to resolve this for you so quickly!

It was in the ADA act. Sophia tried to say alternatives, including having my own provided interpreter was not allowed. They changed their mind and are now in compliance.

Any place open to the public, cannot deny reasonable accomondation and mine was to let me use my own translator for the touchstone. They said no to that. I asked ACE, ACE said they need to let me. Sophia changed their mind and said they can make an exception for me.

Can you tell me where this is stated in the law? Just curious.

If I provide a service to the public, do I have to accommodate you?  No matter the cost?  Even if it's online-only?  I have a small business, so I'm curious what my liability is here.

Something that may help you is this link: https://www.ada.gov/effective-comm.htm

Deaf is covered under Title III. Everyone in this thread is very focused on Title II. Section 28 CFR Part 36 of Title III

"(a) General. A public accommodation shall take those steps that may be necessary to ensure that no individual with a disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services, unless the public accommodation can demonstrate that taking those steps would fundamentally alter the nature of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations being offered or would result in an undue burden, i.e., significant difficulty or expense. "


And yes, if you do business in the United States, you are required to provide a means of communication to the deaf and blind. You can request the Government provide you an interpreter at the taxpayer's cost however. Or the deaf person can provide their own interpreter (which you can either 1) accept or 2) deny and provide your own).

Sophia denied me my own interpreter and said it's not acceptable. This means they have to provide their own. They changed their mind saying I can use my own.Sign language is not a required interpreter, deaf people can be communicated through writing for example to accomondate us.

If you're a business owner. You do not need to have an interpreter available all the time. But, if you were to host a public event, or told in advance for your big speech that a deaf person is coming, you do have to provide one (you can often request one for free from the local or state government). Or if in a shop, the deaf person writes down what they need on a piece of paper, you are required to have someone read it, and respond to it by writing. Or, you can use an interpreter. If the deaf person has their own interpreter, you are required to address the deaf person, not the interpreter, if they are interpreting for the deaf.

If you own a store, you can point at prices, etc, and words for the deaf person to read. That's acceptable. For the blind simply reading it aloud is acceptable. You're also required by law to speak to an interpreter over the phone, if the deaf person calls an interpreter over the phone. This exists, and it is free.

I was willing to provide my own interpretation, or alternative to the acconoindation. Sophia, a business operating in the United States is required by law to allow me to. Furthermore, Sophia is a school institution, owned by a school, for a school, Sophia in all intents and purposes is Capella.

The ADA is very protective of the deaf community.

[ss20ts]

@ctcarl -- All American Businesses that provide service to the public, especially if academic in nature, is required to allow for the accomondation. Even if it means the deaf needs to provide their own translator. Sophia tried telling me this was not allowed. Regardless, all places of business are required to do this.

Perhaps you're speaking of some legislation other than the ADA or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  Regardless, I'm pleased that they were able to resolve this for you so quickly!

It was in the ADA act. Sophia tried to say alternatives, including having my own provided interpreter was not allowed. They changed their mind and are now in compliance.

Any place open to the public, cannot deny reasonable accomondation and mine was to let me use my own translator for the touchstone. They said no to that. I asked ACE, ACE said they need to let me. Sophia changed their mind and said they can make an exception for me.

Can you tell me where this is stated in the law? Just curious.

If I provide a service to the public, do I have to accommodate you?  No matter the cost?  Even if it's online-only?  I have a small business, so I'm curious what my liability is here.

Depends on how your municipality it interprets a reasonable accommodation. I went through this when I owned a retail shop in a historic building. The city decided we did not need to build a handicap accessible bathroom because we would have to remove a structural wall that was 2 feet thick brick and stone from the 1850's. The man from the city said that was not a reasonable accommodation. He wasn't even sure if it would be possible to cut a hole in the wall and widen the current bathroom. Causing the building to collapse would have been an even bigger problem.

[Maniac Craniac]

Do you already have a translator picked out?

Or, will Sophia provide one?

Will you do a live interpretation, or a translation dub?

[ctcarl]

A lot of misinformation in this thread.

I would urge anyone interested in learning how the ADA affects them, either as a disabled individual or a business owner, to perform their own research.