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Legal clients need effective communication

Most of the names in these stories have been changed to protect privacy.

Dimitrio Gutierrez, who is deaf, called PAI (now Disability Rights California) when his attorney, apprently frustrated with passing notes back and forth, told him to “bring an interpreter next time.” When Mr. Gutierrez asked the attorney to pay for the service, the attorney refused.

Staff in the Los Angeles office drafted a letter to the attorney, setting out useful information about the Americans with Disabilities Act. They also stressed the importance of effective communication when discussing legal matters.

Within 10 minutes of receiving the letter, the attorney’s office called back to thank the Los Angeles staff for the information, admitting that “We did not even know about this law.”

The law firm agreed to provide an interpreter.