Court interpreting for deaf persons. Culture, communication, and the courts

This article offers a basic look at several interrelated issues on deafness and interpreting for the deaf that judges and court managers should know about to ensure justice and fairness in court proceedings that involve deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals: (1) cultural issues related to deafness, (2) the mechanics of visual modes of communication, (3) the skills and services professional interpreters have to offer the courts, and (4) problematic practices that experienced interpreters for the deaf routinely encounter and urge the courts to remedy.