Do you know that you can request a qualified sign language interpreter for effective communication during funeral service? 

Let us be clear, a deaf person should never be asked to pay for an interpreter. 

It is true that most funeral homes will refuse your request. Simply because they are uneducated. Sadly, most family members don’t argue when told the funeral home will not provide an interpreter. They swallow the cost, scramble to find an interpreter on their own, and move on with their grieving. 

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires all public businesses to provide accommodations for deaf individuals, including interpretation. 

"Most funeral homes won’t provide an interpreter for a deaf person wanting to attend a funeral. The real outrage is when the funeral is for an immediate family member. In cases where the deceased had no life insurance policy, the family is already faced with undue hardship to cover the cost of the nearly $10,000 funeral. On top of that, the funeral home, who is collecting their profits, has the audacity to ask the family to arrange and pay for an interpreter while they are mourning the death of a family member.” 



https://www.inforum.com/opinion/letters/letter-for-profit-funeral-homes-should-provide-sign-language-interpreters

ADA Title III: Public Accommodations

Title III covers businesses and nonprofit service providers that are public accommodations, privately operated entities offering certain types of courses and examinations, privately operated transportation, and commercial facilities. Public accommodations are private entities who own, lease, lease to, or operate facilities such as restaurants, retail stores, hotels, movie theaters, private schools, convention centers, doctors’ offices, homeless shelters, transportation depots, zoos, funeral homes, day care centers, and recreation facilities including sports stadiums and fitness clubs. Transportation services provided by private entities are also covered by title III.

Public accommodations must comply with basic nondiscrimination requirements that prohibit exclusion, segregation, and unequal treatment. They also must comply with specific requirements related to architectural standards for new and altered buildings; reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures; effective communication with people with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities; and other access requirements. Additionally, public accommodations must remove barriers in existing buildings where it is easy to do so without much difficulty or expense, given the public accommodation’s resources.

Courses and examinations related to professional, educational, or trade-related applications, licensing, certifications, or credentialing must be provided in a place and manner accessible to people with disabilities, or alternative accessible arrangements must be offered.

Commercial facilities, such as factories and warehouses, must comply with the ADA’s architectural standards for new construction and alterations.

Complaints of title III violations may be filed with the Department of Justice. In certain situations, cases may be referred to a mediation program sponsored by the Department. The Department is authorized to bring a lawsuit where there is a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of title III, or where an act of discrimination raises an issue of general public importance. Title III may also be enforced through private lawsuits. It is not necessary to file a complaint with the Department of Justice (or any Federal agency), or to receive a “right-to-sue” letter, before going to court. For more information, contact:

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Disability Rights Section Washington, D.C. 20530 800-514-0301 (voice) 1-833-610-1264 (TTY) ADA.gov