The Workplace and the ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, has the potential to affect workplaces. Today, many businesses eagerly hire applicants who have sign language on their resumes, especially in the arenas of education, medical, and law enforcement. “Public accommodations” is a broad term, as mandated by the ADA, and there is a good chance it may be enforced where you are currently employed. Here are a few examples of workplaces the ADA affects:
Shopping malls, stadiums, museums, and libraries
Hospitals, health centers, courts and social services
Public transportation, and airlines
Public and private education, and law enforcement agencies
POLICE OFFICER: To sign “police officer,” tap the “C” hand over the heart, representing the officer's badge.
If you are interested in the political sciences, law enforcement, state, local, or federal, it would benefit you to have the skill of ASL. The need for law enforcement agencies and first responders to have knowledge of basic sign language grows each year.
The ADA affects nearly everything law enforcement agencies do, such as arresting, booking, and holding suspects. As an example, when a deaf person whose predominant language is ASL is arrested, the ADA ensures that they receive a careful explanation of the Miranda Rights by a qualified sign language interpreter and have reasonable accommodations allowing them to communicate.
To round out the chapter, this last sign is an important acquisition to your sign vocabulary no matter your workplace. The sign is “disability.” To sign “disability,” begin with the letter “D,” changing to the letter “A” while moving in a small clockwise circle.
