Two disability rights groups are suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for not including sign language interpreters at all of his coronavirus briefings.
Disability Rights Florida and the National Association of the Deaf filed their complaint Monday on behalf of four deaf and hard-of-hearing residents of the state, according to the Miami Herald. Their request is for the judge to compel the governor to provide an interpreter at his briefings immediately.
The governor’s office said that it would not comment on pending litigation.
“Health threats such as coronavirus impact everyone including deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and it is imperative that all governmental announcements be accessible to all of us including in ASL,” said Howard Rosenblum, the chief executive officer of the NAD. “Given the extraordinary surge of coronavirus cases in Florida, full and equal access to information is critical.”
DRF claims the group has contacted the governor multiple times in an attempt to solve this issue, but it has received no response.
CBS 12 News reported that while there has been an interpreter at some of the briefings, not all of them have had one.
Florida is experiencing a surge in cases of the coronavirus. On Sunday, the state recorded 15,300 cases of the virus, more than any state has reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic.
