A landmark moment for D.C.’s deaf community is approaching as a bill to create the first government office for people with hearing loss moves through the D.C. Council.

The “Office on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Establishment Amendment Act of 2019” would implement a plan to enhance existing D.C. programs, or create new ones, that ensure members of the deaf community have access to all District services. It would also appoint a four-person staff with a director who is of the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind Community.

This is the second iteration of a bill first introduced in November 2018 by Council members David Grosso and Charles Allen and has drawn praise from advocates who say the office is a much-needed addition for the District’s vibrant deaf community.

The proposed office also would work alongside the Office of Disability Rights and review plans from other D.C. agencies to ensure their programming is accessible and aimed at improving workforce development. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, approximately 39 percent of people with a hearing disability are employed full-time. Members of the community cite disability discrimination as a common impediment to finding work.

The legislation would also create resources and language access for deaf children from birth, make policy recommendations, advocate for the community and screen all American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for Advisory Neighborhood Commission meetings and government events.

The bill’s presentation to the public stirred controversy earlier this year when advocates said the city failed to provide sufficient interpreters for a hearing on the legislation — a key issue members of the community and advocates hope the bill will soon change.

Robb Dooling, a Deaf queer activist who testified at the meeting, garnered attention on Twitter after writing about how the Council failed to provide him a qualified interpreter for his testimony.

Castigating @councilofdc about @riotpedestrian (who is Deaf and not a qualified interpreter!) being my voice interpreter in a pinch for the umpteenth time… Because they botched the interpreter scheduling for a hearing to create a Deaf office. This proves why we need #DCODHH! pic.twitter.com/7zeKXX3d89

— Robb Dooling (@RobbDooling) October 17, 2019

“Despite having a very large and vibrant Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind Community in D.C., as well as the incredible resources of Gallaudet University, all too often poor ASL interpretation, both in quantity and quality, shows up at official events,” Dooling said.

He said the Council hired two uncertified interpreters for a 4.5 hour-long hearing with approximately twenty Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind participants. According to Dooling, audience members offered to help once it became clear the hearing was understaffed. He added that advocates at the meeting convinced the two interpreters present to stay for the rest of the hearing, while a third interpreter joined them soon after.

Interpreters are supposed to work in 20 minute on-and-off shifts, but because of the mix-up, no one was able to take a break, Dooling said. Allen’s office apologized for the incident afterward and has apologized similarly in previous incidents.

In response to the incident, the Office of the Secretary of the Council said it contracted a vendor to provide interpretation services from a suggested list published by the Office of Disability Rights (ODR), according to an email sent to WAMU. On its site, ODR states it “does not verify the quality or business practices of these vendors.” Since there are no licensing requirements for interpreters in D.C., the Council said it relies on each vendor’s determination of what constitutes a qualified interpreter — leaving quality control of interpreter services almost entirely in their hands.

The Council said it found one of the interpreters present at the meeting listed on the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, but not the second.

Despite no official licensing requirements, the DC Office of Human Rights lists different certification options offered nationally for interpreters and translators through the government, professional and commercial organizations and certification academic institutions that can be used as a form of verification.

Dooling said the bill is long overdue in D.C. So far, there are approximately 38 state agencies dedicated to the deaf and hard of hearing, with some states having more than one, according to the National Association of State Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Still, some have expressed concerns that the legislation doesn’t do enough for the District’s deaf population.

“This bill lumps people like me into the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind Community, but with capital letters, and ignores the fact that there are those of us who use listening and spoken language as our main form of communication,” said Rachel Dubin, a resident of Ward 2 who is deaf.

Dubin does not use ASL and said the bill discriminates against others like her who use speech and other methods of communication.

“There is no deaf community,” she added. “We are all individuals and little “d” deaf is different from big “D” Deaf.”

Where deaf refers to anyone with a hearing disability, capital “D” Deaf represents a cultural minority of people who use a shared sign language and identify with the community-at-large, according to the National Association of the Deaf.

Not everyone outside the Deaf community opposes the bill. Multiple groups and individuals present at the hearing who are deaf support the legislation.

Tom Fazzini, deputy chief of staff and communications director for Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, said the Committee has not yet commented on the bill and is evaluating testimony from October’s public hearing, according to an email sent to WAMU.

This is not the first time the Council has passed legislation aimed at increasing accessibility for people with hearing loss. The “Open Movie Captioning Requirement Act of 2019” was introduced earlier this year by Council members Allen, Grosso, Nadeau, Evans, Bonds, Robert White and Elissa Silverman.

It is also the second iteration of a bill proposed last year that would require D.C. movie theaters to set aside select times for Open Caption movie screening. These are subtitles that are rendered permanent on video and cannot be turned off — making it possible for people who are deaf to watch without wearing the closed captioning devices that movie theaters are required to provide.

The public record of the “Deaf and Hard of Hearing Establishment Amendment Act of 2019” closed on Oct. 29. The Committee on Government Operations — composed of Councilmembers Nadeau, Grosso, Silverman, Trayon White and Brandon Todd — must now decide whether to introduce the bill at the next Committee of the Whole Meeting on Nov. 19.