DEAF PARENTS SUE YMCA OVER SWIM LESSONS- News conference, FRIDAY, June 6, 11 a.m., Charles Thompson Memorial Hall, 1824 Marshall Ave, St Paul, MN 55104. WHAT: In violation of federal and state laws, two deaf parents from Hastings have been denied access to a sign language interpreter by the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities for parent-child swim classes with their daughter. ISSUE: Jacob and Calena are deaf. Aria is not. The parents’ primary language is American Sign Language (ASL). To get the same benefit from the classes that other parents do with their children, Jacob and Calena need to be able to communicate effectively with Aria’s instructors. WHY: When the Lingles asked the YMCA to provide an ASL interpreter for the swimming class, the YMCA refused, even though the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities reported net revenue in 2012 of more than $161 Million (local revenue). The Y refused to negotiate. LAWSUIT: The Lingles are suing the Y, and are represented by their attorney, the Minnesota Disability Law Center. SUPPORT: The Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (MADC), the primary organization of deaf people in Minnesota, supports the Lingle’s lawsuit to make the YMCA change its discriminatory policies and provide ASL interpreters for the YMCA’s programs in the future
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 21:11:03 +0000
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