A few weeks ago, I did a column on one of my friends being pulled over by the police for a traffic stop. Needless to say, it did not go well. At the time, we were under the impression that there was no training available for the law enforcement agencies here in Wisconsin. Since then, we have learned the the State Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Madison, WI does conduct trainings. Free of Charge! For any state department that would like them. They send out letters every year offering this service. It looks like the letters are not being read.
Here's the update from Caroline as well as the information for any agency wishing to take advantage of this training.
November 14, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Caroline Ludka. I am hard of hearing and I wear hearing aids in both ears. The reason I’m writing this letter is not as a complaint, but as a recommendation for much-needed Hearing Loss Training for law enforcement officers, so persons with hearing loss can be better served and protected. Hearing loss can range from mild (hearing aid users) to profound (cochlear implant users). I’m sure you would agree that, in any situation like a routine traffic stop or an emergency, effective communication is crucial to providing quality service, and even might save a life. I would like to share two personal experiences to support my reason for recommending this training.
October 5, 2009, I was pulled over in Racine County for making a rolling stop, or a “Chicago Stop” at a stop sign. When I was pulled over, I made sure the police officer was aware that I wear hearing aids by showing him the aids, and I informed him that I have a hearing loss. I was signing and speaking to him at the same time. I took the opportunity to evaluate whether he was trained to communicate with a person with hearing loss. He was not. The officer completely disregarded my disability, and spoke to me as if I were a hearing person. He never asked, “Can you hear me ok?” “Do I need to speak louder?” “Would you like an interpreter?” Instead, he simply handed me a ticket for $175.30 which carried a three-point violation.
Another situation occurred with my husband, Andrew Ludka, who is deaf. Andrew totaled his car in the Oak Creek area during the last ice storm when his car skid off the road and into a wooden post. My husband text messaged his brother, Paul, to request assistance. A police officer arrived at the scene. He had learned that my husband is deaf from the information given via phone by Paul. The officer never asked “what happened?” or tried in any way to have a conversation with Andrew. This is disappointing.
Having experienced communication barriers in real-life situations with law enforcement officers, I feel it is time to make a change. I am a member of HLAA (Hearing Loss Association of America) and Co-Chair of the Milwaukee-Racine Chapter, which is hosting the first Milwaukee Walk4Hearing in the year 2010. I am an educator, an advocate, a mentor, and a wife. Hearing loss is part of my life and my husband’s. We live with barriers and obstacles on a daily basis. We share the world with hearing; we live in the same community. We are among the people you “serve and protect.” Hearing loss is an invisible disability that should not be ignored. According the HLAA, there are 36 million people with hearing loss in United States. In the state of Wisconsin there are approximately 181,500 people with hearing loss (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 American Community Survey). These people face numerous obstacles as they struggle to communicate with family, friends, co-workers, and even law enforcement in a hearing world. I hope you will take the initiative to improve communication between law enforcement and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities in Wisconsin.
As of now, Wisconsin has no training to educate local law enforcement on how best to interact with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing populations, so I’ve taken the liberty of suggesting the two resources below:
Michigan Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing, contact person Claudia Lee, Deafness Resource Consultant (262) 346-4968. http://www.equalaccesscommunication.com/POLICE/index.html http://www.equalaccesscommunication.com/POLICE/VisorCard.htm -Visor Card ID
Maine Center on Deafness (MCD), contact Meryl Troop 207-797-7656, for information on training law enforcement and other entities. http://www.maine.gov/rehab/dod/index.shtml The state of Maine provides Deaf Identification Cards and Vehicle Placards for Deaf Identification.
“Hears to Life” A hearing loss column (on-line) for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel News Group:
“Resources and Information on hearing Loss for those living in Michigan” Posted September 22, 2009 http://community.livinglakecountry.com/blogs/hears_to_life/archive/tags/Resources+in+Michigan/default.aspx
“Another negative outcome for a D/HOH driver” Posted October 13, 2009 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/blogs/communityblogs/64123417.html
If you have any questions or need additional resources, please feel free to contact me. I’ll be happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Caroline Ludka
Let the silence be heard!
For those of you wishing to partake of the free training, please contact Linda Huffer via her email: Linda.Huffer@dhs.wisconsin.gov
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "Huffer, Linda L - DHS" <Linda.Huffer@dhs.wisconsin.gov>
To: Caroline Ludka <carolineludka@yahoo.com>
Sent: Wed, November 25, 2009 11:27:46 AM
Subject: RE: Hearing Loss Training for law enforcement officers
Hi Caroline: Thank you for sending me your recommendation letter. I want you to know that the Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing here in Wisconsin do trainings/presentations to law officers/police, etc. We are happy to work with any law enforcement agency. We even train and work with 911 dispatchers. Our trainings are free. Every year we send out letters to the law enforcement agencies asking them if they would be interested in our staff working with them on deaf and hard of hearing issues and what their officers need to know.
Read the complete post at http://www.livinglakecountry.com/blogs/communityblogs/73777617.html
Posted
Nov 25 2009, 06:33 AM
by
livinglakecountry.com Community Blogs 'Hears' to Life!