ADA Frequently Asked Questions
Category: Title III: Places of Public Accommodations
Question: #40
Do places of public accommodation have to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters?
Answer:
Places of public accommodation (businesses, non-profits, etc.) covered under Title III of the ADA are required to provide “effective communication” which can require auxiliary aids and services like an ASL interpreter.
Places of public accommodation have a duty to make sure their communication with people who have disabilities is as effective as it is with people who don’t have disabilities. The method used to provide effective communication will depend on a number of factors such as the person’s disability, their preferred method of communication, the nature of what is being communicated (e.g. how complex is the communication?), and the context in which the communication is taking place.
The ADA provides the following examples of auxiliary aids and services although this list is not exhaustive:
Resource(s):
Places of public accommodation have a duty to make sure their communication with people who have disabilities is as effective as it is with people who don’t have disabilities. The method used to provide effective communication will depend on a number of factors such as the person’s disability, their preferred method of communication, the nature of what is being communicated (e.g. how complex is the communication?), and the context in which the communication is taking place.
The ADA provides the following examples of auxiliary aids and services although this list is not exhaustive:
- Qualified interpreters
- Notetakers
- Real-time computer-aided transcription services
- Written materials
- Exchange of written notes
- Telephone handset amplifiers
- Assistive listening devices
- Assistive listening systems
- Telephones compatible with hearing aids
- Closed caption decoders
- Open and closed captioning, including real-time captioning (e.g. CART)
- Voice, text, and video-based telecommunications products and systems, including text telephones (TTYs), videophones, and captioned telephones
- Videotext displays
- Qualified readers
- Taped texts
- Audio recordings
- Brailled materials and displays
- Screen reader software
- Magnification software
- Optical readers
- Secondary auditory programs (SAP)
- Large print materials
Resource(s):
