Providers Must Offer Effective Communication for Hearing-Impaired or Face ‘Robust Enforcement’

The U.S. government entered into two recent settlements with healthcare providers who allegedly denied deaf and hearing-impaired patients or their caregivers auxiliary aids for effective communication. These settlements remind providers to consider when auxiliary aids, such as interpreters, must be provided free of charge. In the most recent settlement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Director Melanie Fontes Rainer stated: Read more>>

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John Fetterman Is Using This Assistive Technology

John Fetterman Is Using This Assistive Technology in the Senate to Help With His Stroke Recovery

 

BY MINI RACKER
FEBRUARY 1, 2023 7:00 AM EST

 

The 164-year-old Senate chamber was not designed for wires and screens. Senators aren’t even allowed to use their phones when they’re inside. But to help with freshman Senator John Fetterman’s stroke recovery, the chamber just got a digital upgrade.

 

As Fetterman learns how to do his new job while struggling with lingering auditory processing issues resulting from the stroke, he’s relying on some extra tech. The new assistive technology installed in his workspaces requires some adjustment from colleagues in an institution known for its stagnancy. But in securing the devices that are helping him begin a new job during a very public recovery process, advocates say Fetterman is forging a path for people with disabilities and health challenges to make it in public office. Read More >>

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