The leading advocacy group for the deaf community in Southwest Florida is stepping up efforts to help first responders interact with deaf people.
The group is teaching basic American Sign Language to cut down on misunderstandings between deaf people and police and other emergency responders.
Audrey Rodriguez has been deaf her entire life. The Lee County resident recalled via interpretation of her sign language how she felt when a police officer pulled over her vehicle, and she couldn't communicate with him:
"I was fearing for my life," she said. "The whole body just shakes anytime an officer stops a deaf person. My whole body was shaking because I want to know: why I'm being pulled over? That was the scary part."
It turns out that Rodriguez's car just had a light out. But the potential for a serious incident, even conflict, was there.
That's why the Sally J. Pimentel Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center in Fort Myers is training law enforcement officers and fire and emergency workers in basic communication with deaf people.
"A situation could escalate very quickly," Amy Turner, the Pimentel center director, said. "An officer could feel threatened, just by not understanding a deaf person using their hands."
Fort Myers Fire Chief Tracy McMillion recalled several tense encounters with deaf people when he worked the streets.
"Quite honestly, it was uncomfortable because I had not had any training," McMillion said. "It tends to be a sense of frustration that develops. And an already stressful situation becomes even more stressful."
Pimentel offers one-hour training sessions. Turner said the sessions start with first responders telling their stories of encounters with deaf people at various scenes. Then a representative of the center teaches some basic sign language.
Turner said the training emphasizes basic greetings and questions, such as: Are you hurt? What help do you need?
So far the center said it has trained deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Fort Myers Police officers, and firefighters and paramedics with the Cape Coral and South Trail departments. Plus there's been training for community emergency responders — the CERT group - in North Fort Myers.
"It is extremely unfair that you can walk into a hospital with arms flailing, yelling 'My wife is having a heart attack,'" Turner said, indicating that such behavior would result in immediate help. "But if a deaf person comes in that same way, a security guard will show up, and the person is arrested. And the person will not be helped."
Turner said the Fort Myers Fire Department, with about 150 first responders, and the smaller Alva Fire Department, will be next to train. She added that the center eventually hopes to bring the training to Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties.
Fire Chief McMillion says he is looking forward to the training so his firefighters and paramedics will have better interaction with deaf people.
"We need to have communication," he said. "To make sure they can be heard, and that we can transfer information to them."
Through an interpreter, Audrey Rodriguez spoke about the training.
"It is so important, just awesome," she said. "The first responders are getting to know and understand us."
Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches journalism at FGCU.
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