Cuomo Sued For Lack Of ASL Interpreter At Coronavirus Briefings

NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is being sued for not having a sign language interpreter at his daily coronavirus briefings.

A federal suit was filed Wednesday by Disability Rights New York on behalf of four deaf New Yorkers. Their complaint alleges that deaf residents of New York are missing out on critical safety information because Cuomo's briefings lack an American Sign Language interpreter, and that it's a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Cuomo's briefings offer closed captioning and an ASL stream can be found on the Governor's website, but Disability Rights New York argues that isn't enough to make sure that every disabled viewer is getting the safety information they need.

"The closed-captioning frequently contains errors and omissions that make it difficult or impossible for individuals who are deaf to understand the information being provided in the briefings" reads the suit. "Governor Cuomo’s televised broadcasts do not direct deaf individuals to the ASL broadcast available on his website."

The suit claims DRNY continues to receives complaints from deaf New Yorkers unable to understand Cuomo's daily updates, which have led to a variety of issues. One of the plaintiffs claims they were left unaware of important face mask requirements. Another says he wasn't told about the stay-at-home order until long after it was issued because he couldn't understand the briefing.

"Many deaf New Yorkers cannot understand Governor Cuomo’s briefings without live televised ASL interpretation in frame" says the suit. The lawsuit says many deaf individuals speak English as a second language or may have cognitive issues that make closed captioning an unacceptable substitute for a live translator. Others may not have access to a computer to view the ASL streams online. The suit also points out that every other state includes some form of live ASL interpretation during their coronavirus briefings.

According to DRNY, there are roughly 208,000 New York City residents who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The suit asks that Cuomo and the state immediately rectify the issue by including an ASL interpreter at all upcoming briefings.

The full complaint can be found on Disability Rights New York's website.