WPTV BOYNTON BEACH - Margaret Weiss is due to have her second child in less than a month. The Boynton Beach mother is Deaf and wants a real life interpreter in the delivery room with her, but she says her hospital is refusing to provide that."They're discriminating against me," explained Weiss, with the help of a certified sign language interpreter. She explained the fear she has about going into the delivery room at Bethesda Hospital. "It's really serious. What if there was something life-threatening that happened during the delivery?" said Weiss.
Weiss has filed a lawsuit against Bethesda for denying her request for a live interpreter to be in the room with her. The hospital provides the hearing impaired with VRIs or Video Remote Interpreting.
Weiss says this is not effective communication for a woman giving birth and ultimately a violation of the Americans Disabilities Act.
"No one can sit there in labor and just watch a fixed screen," said Weiss. "You can't do that. It's much better to have a live interpreter that's mobile and can move around. It's a lot more comfortable. They can lean over. They can get in a different spot." Weiss says on top that, in her experience, the VRIs do not work all the time.
Weiss said she had to go to Boca Raton to deliver her first daughter in order to have a live interpreter... Read more: wptv.com/news/region-s-palm-beach-county/boynton-beach/hearing-impaired-pregnant-woman-sues-hospital-wants-interpreter
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