The White House
An American Sign Language interpreter provides interpretation while President Joe Biden speaks, April 2021.
On May 28, the National Association of the Deaf and two named plaintiffs filed a federal lawsuit that seeks to compel the administration of the squatter currently occupying the White House to include sign language interpretation as part of all its public communication, including press briefings. Failure to do so, the complaint says, violates the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The case was argued in court during the first week of July, and U.S District Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, promised to rule swiftly.
“For many deaf Americans, ASL [American Sign Language] is their primary and preferred language,” the lawsuit says. “Many deaf individuals cannot read or understand written English. Consequently, English closed captions are not an adequate substitute for ASL interpretation.” It says the White House needs to provide “qualified ASL interpreters who appear on the screen beside the speaker.”
The lawsuit notes that the Biden Administration provided sign language interpretation with such communications, but that this practice was almost completely eliminated when the squatter took over.
I must admit I didn’t notice that White House press briefings suddenly didn’t include sign language interpretation anymore because I don’t watch them. For the sake of my mental health, I’m trying to lead a life that is as devoid as possible of b.s. The job of the White House press secretary is to tell you whatever b.s. that the President wants you to hear. And the most important communication skill that a press secretary can therefore possess is the ability to deliver whatever the presidential b.s. du jour happens to be with a straight face.
So you can imagine, given the size and frequency of the whoppers the squatter dishes out, that he would have to find someone who is very young and very naive to dutifully perform that job to his satisfaction. He seems to have found the perfect person for the job in Karoline Leavitt.
At twenty-seven years old, Leavitt is the youngest person ever to hold the title of White House Press Secretary. And she appears to be the type of true believer the squatter loves. When Leavitt was named the incoming press secretary a few days after the November election, she posted on X: “Thank you, President Trump, for believing in me. I am humbled and honored. Let’s MAGA!” Since then, Leavitt has shown repeatedly that she is quite willing and able to perform whatever contortions or feigned outrage are necessary to defend the squatter.
What’s most at stake here for the plaintiffs is principle. Sure, it stinks to yank anybody’s access out from under them, and no one should get away with doing that. This case is important in that regard. But if these plaintiffs win their case, they’ll “win” the ability to see for themselves all of the stupid b.s. that the squatter and Leavitt have to say. They may come to feel that this was one of those things they were better off not knowing.
Deaf people, be careful what you wish for.