[lg policy] Minnesota: Family Reaches Settlement With Fairview Range Over Lack of Sign Language Interpreter

[Harold Schiffman]

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Family Reaches Settlement With Fairview Range Over Lack of Sign Language
Interpreter

*December 21, 2017 10:36 PM*

A northern Minnesota family has reached a settlement with Fairview Range
Medical Center over claims it failed to provide a sign language interpreter
to relay critical medical information to a deaf family member.

Matthew Svatos, who is deaf, originally filed the discrimination complaint
with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in 2013, following the birth
of his daughter.

The hospital provided an interpreter during the child’s birth. But that
person left after the baby was born, according to the family’s account.

Doctors came into the room hours later with unsettling news about the
baby’s health.

[image: The Svatos family]
The Svatos family
Courtesy of the family

“I did not understand everything,” said Matthew through an interpreter. “It
was really not fair that I could not understand or know about my daughter's
health problems. And it is because they did not explain it to me, not
anything. Nothing at all.”

Since an interpreter was not available, they asked Matthew’s wife Julie to
fill him in using sign language.

“My partner did not know what was going on and my hands were full,” Julie
said. “You know, literally, my hands were tied at the moment.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the hospital broke
not only the law, but its own policy.

The policy reads “family members, friends, or other untrained individuals
should not be used as interpreters” for accuracy reasons.

The family eventually sued the hospital. Four years after the original
complaint, a confidential settlement was reached.

“Reaching the settlement is a step in the right direction for us," Julie
said. "Holding these facilities, and specifically Fairview in this case –
holding them accountable to the standards that have been set by law."

Matthew and Julie’s baby girl was born deaf, which was a surprise since
there were no signs it was genetic.

Otherwise, though, she is a healthy.

As part of the settlement, the hospital agreed to provide additional
training to staff when it comes to what to do if an interpreter is not
readily available.

They also agreed to set up a system to process complaints.
Fairview Range Medical Center has not returned a calls requesting comment
on the matter.


 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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