White House sued for ending sign language access at press briefings

ISTANBUL

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the White House, seeking the immediate reinstatement of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters at official press briefings, according to a statement by the organization.

The lawsuit, joined by two deaf individuals, alleges that the White House has failed to provide meaningful access to government communications for deaf and hard of hearing Americans since it stopped including ASL interpreters in January.

“Deaf and hard of hearing Americans have the right to the same access to White House information as everyone else,” said Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, interim CEO of the NAD, in the statement. “Denying them ASL interpreters is a direct violation of that right.”

According to the NAD, the absence of ASL interpretation violates Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates accessibility for people with disabilities, as well as the First Amendment, which protects the public’s right to receive information.

This is not the first time the NAD has taken legal action over interpreter access. In 2020, the organization secured a court order requiring the White House to provide ASL interpretation for coronavirus briefings. That policy was later expanded to include all briefings by the president, vice president and other senior officials, with interpreters appearing across official platforms including the White House website and social media channels.