Throughout the second half of this semester, I was particularly interested in the experiences of the deaf and hard-of-hearing inmates in a justice system with inadequate resources to support communication. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in prison or jail are often overlooked and mistreated. Many report being denied access to interpreters, video remote interpreting, and other resources. This violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, and many justice institutions have been sued for not providing the appropriate services. Still, there has been little progress in ensuring that deaf and hard-of-hearing people have access to communication. The short film Breaking Silence follows Walker Estes, an advocate for the deaf community. He travels…show more content… HEARD also maintains the national database for deaf and deaf-blind prisoners. Their article, #DeafInPrison Campaign Fact Sheet, reveals that there are tens of thousands of deaf people in jail or prisons nationwide. Deaf inmates experience a lack of communication, resulting in consequences like solitary confinement, which leads to isolation. Prisons don’t provide resources like hearing aid accommodations, access to medical and mental health services, and communication with family through video calls. The end of the article offers a list of ways we legally advocate for deaf individuals in prison. Reading and watching these two sources in class, I began thinking of ideas promoting equal and accessible communication. A good start would be implementing a law for video phones across all prisons and jails in the United States. Communication with family and friends is crucial for deaf and hard-of-hearing inmates because that may be the only time they can talk to someone. Video calls with families could also aid in helping deaf inmates have more readily available resources through
