The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that places of public accommodation provide equal access to communications (e.g., funeral ASL interpreters). Section III-1.2000 explicitly lists many such sites (including funeral homes):
In section #6:
“Service establishments (e.g., laundromats, dry-cleaners, banks, barbershops, beauty shops, travel services, shoe repair services, funeral parlors, gas stations, offices of accountants or lawyers, pharmacies, insurance offices, professional offices of health care providers, hospitals)…”
We recommend that your first interview with the family include the question, “Will there be anyone present who will need a sign language (ASL) interpreter?” By establishing this need ahead of the funeral, you will be able to request services as soon as possible. With more advanced notice, it is much easier to find an available and qualified interpreter for this assignment.
An interpreter should be provided for all of the service(s) parts – in the funeral home and the graveside service if there is one. Some families, however, may keep the graveside service more private. If the person needing an interpreter is not in the immediate family, you may not require the interpreter for the graveside service.
Please Note: We will bill the funeral home directly for these services. By law, the family must not incur these costs.
After the family confirms that they need an interpreter, your next step is to contact Partners Interpreting:
The scheduling team will need to know:
Our goal is to serve you as you serve the families, by providing communication access to those who need ASL interpreters.
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