A joint effort between Deaf residents and DRC’s Peer Self Advocacy team led to securing qualified interpreters at a state hospital.

Disability Rights California's Peer Self Advocacy (PSA) program presents self-advocacy trainings to people with mental health disabilities. They work with people who live in mental health residential care facilities, state hospitals, and the broader community. All PSA staff have lived experience as people with mental health disabilities.

“I started giving trainings to Deaf and Hard of Hearing residents on what the state hospital calls the Deaf unit. During my first training, I got the impression that the hospital’s sign language service provider was reluctant to provide services during my training. In October of 2023, one of the residents who can read lips and speak a little bit said the provider wasn’t signing what I was saying,” said a Peer Self Advocacy (PSA) Coordinator.

Breakthrough

When the PSA Coordinator received the concern that the state hospital was not properly providing sign language services to its Deaf residents, the PSA team elevated this issue to the facility. A PSA trainer, who knows sign language, was instrumental in educating the hospital’s staff on the need for both a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) and Sign Language Interpreter. Having a CDI is particularly important because they are professional interpreters who are deaf or hard of hearing, which means that they can infuse their translations with culturally competent information, making for a more holistic translation experience. The hospital was receptive to the recommendations and agreed to collaborate with PSA so both interpreters could provide services during PSA trainings at the facility. The PSA team was successful in educating hospital staff, and by doing so, patients will receive the sign language services they need!