No one in Texas wants to hire an interpreter!

Lucia,

Contact the NAD's legal dept. through their website. They have attorneys on staff that will write a letter to your physician. It is amazing what a well phrased letter explaining what the legal consequences are for these doctors if they continue to refuse to provide an interpreter for you can do.

I also encourage you to report them to the Texas medical board citing the fact that without an interpreter, you are not able to give informed consent for treatment, which places these doctors in an ethical dilemma. They provide fully informed consent to their hearing patients, and to refuse to provide you the services that will give you the same is also discrimination. They are on very shaky ground. But I assure you, as long as you allow them to get away with violating your rights by not reporting the situation, they will continue to do so.
 
Hear Again said:
Lucia,

What about asking organizations for the Deaf in your area if they can make recommendations as to a doctor you could see? Perhaps a terp agency would be willing to provide this information as well?
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Since I am on Medicaid and Medicare, I can't just use just any doctor that the Deaf organizations recommend. Some of the doctors they recommend might not accept Medicard or Medicare. I'm not sure about the terping agencies.
 
jillio said:
Lucia,

Contact the NAD's legal dept. through their website. They have attorneys on staff that will write a letter to your physician. It is amazing what a well phrased letter explaining what the legal consequences are for these doctors if they continue to refuse to provide an interpreter for you can do.

I also encourage you to report them to the Texas medical board citing the fact that without an interpreter, you are not able to give informed consent for treatment, which places these doctors in an ethical dilemma. They provide fully informed consent to their hearing patients, and to refuse to provide you the services that will give you the same is also discrimination. They are on very shaky ground. But I assure you, as long as you allow them to get away with violating your rights by not reporting the situation, they will continue to do so.
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I don't think the Texas medical board is going to care.

The attitudes that I get from the doctors I was supposed to see seem to suggest that they do not care whether they are on shaky ground or not with this. I have told them that they are breaking the law. I have told them that they could be sued for this. I have told them that I am reporting them. I have told them that they could lose their job and have their practicing licenses revoked. I use every single legal-related and ethics-related threat that I can think of to get the doctors to get an interpreter and to see me. They just don't care. They say "I'm sorry for the inconvenience but we have cancelled the appointment and the doctor does not want to see you nor get an interpreter" and after I try to make them comply they usually hang up eventually. If they act this way, I don't think a letter from an attorney at NAD would do anything. They will probably laugh at the letter, make a big joke out it and crumble it up and then toss it in the trash. That's how I feel right now. I'll try this though, but I really don't hold much hope in this right now, given the way the doctors and their receptionists act and their attitudes on the phone. I'm not holding my breath nor getting my hopes up.

EDIT: I misspelled "inconvenience", it has been corrected now.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
The attitudes that I get from the doctors seem to suggest that they do not care whether they are on shaky ground or not with this. I have told them that they are breaking the law. I have told them that they could be sued for this. I have told them that I am reporting them. I have told them that they could lose their job and have their practicing licenses revoked. I use every single legal-related and ethics-related threat that I can think of to get the doctors to get an interpreter and to see me. They just don't care. They say "I'm sorry for the convenience but we have cancelled the appointment and the doctor does not want to see you nor get an interpreter" and after I try to make them comply they usually hang up eventually. If they act this way, I don't think a letter from an attorney at NAD would do anything. They will probably laugh at the letter, make a big joke out it and crumble it up and then toss it in the trash. That's how I feel right now. I'll try this though, but I really don't hold much hope in this right now, given the way the doctors and their receptionists act and their attitudes on the phone. I'm not holding my breath nor getting my hopes up.
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What the HELL is wrong with these doctors?? They shouldnt be in the field of medical care if they dont give a rat ass about their patients!!!
 
Jiro said:
and also contact your Congressman. just a friendly suggestion - I know you write a "novel" so please do try to keep your letter short and to-the-point.... 3 paragraphs at most with maximum of 6 sentences per paragraph. :)

Write Your Representative
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I don't think our congressman would give a fuck. The only one who would give a fuck is Obama, but he is too busy with bigger stuff so he does not have the time to read a letter from me complaining about the issues of doctors' refusal to provide interpreters to the Deaf patients here in San Antonio.
 
Jiro said:
there you go. Deaf Community is your resource. Contact them. Use it.
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You think I am a hermit, I never talk to the other deaf people? I talk to all my deaf friends here all the time. Friends cannot help with making doctors comply with the ADA laws. I need something more than just friends. Legal action, etc. Doctors will laugh at your friends. I need somebody the doctors are afraid of (ethics-wise, legal-wise). But they aren't afraid of liability. Liability isn't that much anyway...someone (a friend) quoted about $30,000 on a typical case like mine....that isn't enough to scare the doctors into complying with the ADA laws. They're either rich fat cats or they have ample liability insurance that covers ADA violations. (that's what I think). If it was something like 1 million dollars the doctors would be bending over backwards to provide interpreters.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
You think I am a hermit, I never talk to the other deaf people? I talk to all my deaf friends here all the time. Friends cannot help with making doctors comply with the ADA laws. I need something more than just friends. Legal action, etc. Doctors will laugh at your friends. I need somebody the doctors are afraid of (ethics-wise, legal-wise). But they aren't afraid of liability. Liability isn't that much anyway...someone (a friend) quoted about $30,000 on a typical case like mine....that isn't enough to scare the doctors into complying with the ADA laws. They're either rich fat cats or they have ample liability insurance that covers ADA violations. (that's what I think). If it was something like 1 million dollars the doctors would be bending over backwards to provide interpreters.
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that's what I'm talking about. Deaf Professionals. or Deaf friends with connections to certain people who can do something about this outrageous case.
 
Jiro said:
that's what I'm talking about. Deaf Professionals. or Deaf friends with connections to certain people who can do something about this outrageous case.
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I do not have Deaf friends who are lawyers. I do not have Deaf nor hearing friends that are connected to politicians except one lobbyist and she lives all the way up in the Twin Cities and she is only a lobbyist and nothing more. A lobbyist can't do much except support the politicians that they advocate for. I had a hearing friend who wrote campaigns for Hillary and then Obama, but he died last May of lung cancer. None of my Deaf friends are lawyers or doctors or anything like that, they have regular jobs with regular wages. I do not know anybody that is connected to people who are a "big deal" like Obama, etc. I have no such connections. None of my friends have such connections. The only Deaf professionals I know are two psychologists and someone who works for one of the major VP companies (not saying on here which one), and that is it. That won't do anything. I've worked with different organizations back in college, but they have NO connections to politicians or lawyers or anything big, and none of the organizations there are Deaf-related. They just only work within the university and not outside the university. So, I don't really have much resources right now.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
I do not have deaf friends who are lawyers. I do not have deaf nor hearing friends that are connected to politicians except one lobbyist and she lives all the way up in the twin cities and she is only a lobbyist and nothing more. A lobbyist can't do much except support the politicians that they advocate for. I had a hearing friend who wrote campaigns for Hillary and then Obama, but he died last may of lung cancer. Most of my deaf friends are not lawyers or doctors or anything like that, they have regular jobs with regular wages. I do not know anybody that is connected to people who are a "big deal" like Obama, etc. I have no such connections. None of my friends have such connections. The only deaf professionals I know are two psychologists and someone who works for one of the major VP companies (not saying on here which one), and that is it. That won't do anything. I've worked with different organizations back in college, but they have NO connections to politicians or lawyers or anything big. They just only work within the university and not outside the university. So, I don't really have much resources right now.
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which is why I suggested to you to contact deaf community to find a deaf professional who is in position to help you. but do contact your local Congressman as well. many people do not even know what their own Congressman can do for them. Handful of them probably don't give a shit but handful of them do take action because it is a good publicity for them and they continued to be Congressman because the community elected them.

My Congressman did something for my best friend soldier and for my friend doctor. contact your congressman and see where it goes!
 
Jiro said:
which is why I suggested to you to contact deaf community to find a deaf professional who is in position to help you. but do contact your local Congressman as well. many people do not even know what their own Congressman can do for them. Handful of them probably don't give a shit but handful of them do take action because it is a good publicity for them and they continued to be Congressman because the community elected them.

My Congressman did something for my best friend soldier and for my friend doctor. contact your congressman and see where it goes!
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What did your Congressman do for your soldier friend and your doctor friend?

Sure, I'll write our Congressman, but I am pretty sure I won't get any response from him.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
What did your Congressman do for your soldier friend and your doctor friend?

Sure, I'll write our Congressman, but I am pretty sure I won't get any response from him.
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1. special recognition for his service and a special permission along with NYC Councilman to let him on aircraft carrier with full access (some kind of military exhibition) in NYC

2. my doctor friend and her group wrote proposal and stuff (medical related but I can't remember the topic) for legislation to Congressman for him to speak about it at the hearings

3. there are quite a handful of news about Congressmen doing something for people who wrote the complaint letters to them. You should too... Who knows if he will respond to you or not.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
I don't think the Texas medical board is going to care.

The attitudes that I get from the doctors I was supposed to see seem to suggest that they do not care whether they are on shaky ground or not with this. I have told them that they are breaking the law. I have told them that they could be sued for this. I have told them that I am reporting them. I have told them that they could lose their job and have their practicing licenses revoked. I use every single legal-related and ethics-related threat that I can think of to get the doctors to get an interpreter and to see me. They just don't care. They say "I'm sorry for the inconvenience but we have cancelled the appointment and the doctor does not want to see you nor get an interpreter" and after I try to make them comply they usually hang up eventually. If they act this way, I don't think a letter from an attorney at NAD would do anything. They will probably laugh at the letter, make a big joke out it and crumble it up and then toss it in the trash. That's how I feel right now. I'll try this though, but I really don't hold much hope in this right now, given the way the doctors and their receptionists act and their attitudes on the phone. I'm not holding my breath nor getting my hopes up.

EDIT: I misspelled "inconvenience", it has been corrected now.
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You will never know until you try. A letter from the licensing board telling them that they are being investigated for ethical violations and discrimination against patients with disabilities will, I promise you, wake them up. They do not want to risk license suspension, and any investigation by their governing board is leverage for you.
 
Etoile said:
You have rejected many suggestions, which makes you sound very defeatist. I understand that you've been through a lot with this, but giving up isn't the way to get anything done. If you want a successful result, you have to keep trying.

Doctors - National Association of the Deaf
Law and Advocacy - National Association of the Deaf
TexasLawyersHelp.org
Contact Us
Deaf Action Center - Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services - Services - Advocacy (good resource, call or email them and ask for help)
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Bingo. And good links, Etoile.
 
Lucia, I feel that you are not thinking positive on trying to do the things that ADers had to offer to give you help to find ways to get some help for you to get terps so that the Doctors have no choice but serve you. Jiro, Jillio, Etiole and other ADers had offered you suggestions but you rejected them being so negative not wanting to try. You must have a fighting spirit after you had failed many times with Doctors and please don't give up. Do what you have to decide which one of the suggestions you can do to report about your Doctors not hiring an interpreter and getting the care you need for your health. It is pretty bad the way you describe what your Doctors are doing to you. They show disrepect you if not your health. I understand your situation fully of what was happening to you on a daily basis of looking for a appointment and getting an terp for you. THINK POSITIVE AND FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS!!!! DON'T GIVE UP!!!! :hug: :fingersx:
 
Etoile said:
You have rejected many suggestions, which makes you sound very defeatist. I understand that you've been through a lot with this, but giving up isn't the way to get anything done. If you want a successful result, you have to keep trying.

Doctors - National Association of the Deaf
Law and Advocacy - National Association of the Deaf
TexasLawyersHelp.org
Contact Us
Deaf Action Center - Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services - Services - Advocacy (good resource, call or email them and ask for help)
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I'm afraid I have to agree with you on this one.. Anyway those are excellent links.
 
Etoile said:
You have rejected many suggestions, which makes you sound very defeatist. I understand that you've been through a lot with this, but giving up isn't the way to get anything done. If you want a successful result, you have to keep trying.

Doctors - National Association of the Deaf
Law and Advocacy - National Association of the Deaf
TexasLawyersHelp.org
Contact Us
Deaf Action Center - Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services - Services - Advocacy (good resource, call or email them and ask for help)
Click to expand...

Etoile - No, I am not a defeatist, just very extremely frustrated.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
I don't think the Texas medical board is going to care.
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Lucia,

I had a psychiatrist last year who refused to treat my rapid cycling and mania. Every time I said I was rapid cycling or manic, he told me to come back and see him in 3 months. During the entire time I saw him, he only increased my meds once and never explained to me what hypomania or mania were. I put up with his behavior for 1.5 years (don't ask me why!). I finally decided to report him to my state's medical board as well as Medicaid and Medicare. I don't know if it will do any good, but the way I look at it, it certainly can't hurt because the more people who report him, the sooner his medical license will be revoked.

I apologize for bringing my bipolar into the discussion, but I thought it was pertinent given Lucia's situation.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
Since I am on Medicaid and Medicare, I can't just use just any doctor that the Deaf organizations recommend. Some of the doctors they recommend might not accept Medicard or Medicare. I'm not sure about the terping agencies.
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It wouldn't hurt to ask. They may have 3 or 4 doctors you could contact.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
I do not live in Austin. I live in San Antonio. Go look on the map. I am an hour south of Austin, and I have no plans of moving to Austin.
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Jesus Christ, take some friggin' chill pills, lady!

I am well aware of San Antonio since I have a several friends down there and visit there many times especially deaf events as well as the deaf flag football team. I was just saying that you could visit the doctors in Austin with the help of your guy, not moving to Austin. Man, I'm done with your bitching, Lucia.
 
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