A U.S. district judge on Wednesday ruled the White House must include a qualified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for any news conference related to coronavirus matters.
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the White House must provide sign language interpreters during public coronavirus briefings starting Oct. 1.
A U.S. district judge in Washington, D.C. ordered the White House to include a qualified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for any news conference related to coronavirus matters conducted by the president, vice president or White House press secretary held on White House grounds or any federal agency.
The ruling says the interpreter could be in the frame physically near the speaker, or off-site using the picture-in-picture feature. The White House is required to make the interpreter feeds accessible online and on television.
The order stems from a lawsuit filed against the White House by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and five deaf plaintiffs. The group argued the lack of a sign language interpreter during briefings on the pandemic was a violation of the First Amendment as deaf and hard-of-hearing people are not getting proper access to crucial health information.
The court issued an opinion earlier this month stating the plaintiffs were entitled to some relief.
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White House ordered to provide sign language interpreters for coronavirus briefings in "historic win" https://t.co/4KrD2nyCjB pic.twitter.com/4qBRhmoKHH
— The Hill (@thehill) September 25, 2020
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