Last Sunday, January 21, 2018: I experienced heart problems in the wee early morning. When I was brought into the emergency room, the VRI screen had brought before my face where I politely refused a service of my own decision, I asked for ASL interpreters immediately, the VRI was not even working and been delaying for 10 minutes and it has continued by the time ASL interpreter arrived on the premise from upstairs, VRI was still in struck mode when there is NO Wi-Fi in the ER.

I was actually gasping for some damn air! My mouth became dehydrated. Literally, I was! I want to thank that ASL interpreter for quick response! Bless the interpreters from Access Interpreting Inc. It was surreal and intense experience. I was in high risk situation as a heart attack survivor, the nurses then realizes that the VRI machine was still in trouble with no Wi-Fi, I signed to them through ASL interpreter, “That is exactly the problem right there that has been causing a great deal of stress for Deaf patients” and the nurses then said to me that they agreed with me. That is the message that we all need to see.

I thought it is extremely important that it is time for VRI (Video Remote Interpreting) companies to read this post:

Your Excellency,

Deaf patients who are in high risk situations do not need to face a life sentence and not be threatened a human security for expressing their rights to refuse VRI. I urge VRI companies to ensure the harassment of Deaf patients ends.

Deaf patients has braved years of VRI oppression in their own faces when they are standing up for their rights to refuse VRI. No Deaf patients should be evicted of their human rights.

Deaf patients continues their human activism, and it is time for VRI companies to overturn Deaf people’s life sentences so Deaf patients can continue to earn their pursuit of happiness and end all charges of being oppressed and release them immediately. Deaf patients have been intimidated by VRI companies for refusing their services. They have rights to ask for live interpreters on the site immediately.

The discussion of how oppression becomes invisible in Deaf community, then it requires a formal distinction between respect and disrespect as the two components of compassion. By compassion I mean any movement of people from that place to another place when Deaf patients are considered as outsiders.

By the ways of movement that put human understanding often to see and discuss about it, and when I look up a word in dictionary, it takes me a minute. When Deaf patients who are in high risk situations, for example, heart attack survivors, they do not need to deal with more stress, fueling their traumatic experiences, to share their stories.

Deaf patients in high-risk situations need to stand up and speak out more about their experiences dealing with VRI companies in hospitals, to reduce stress, the labor of VRI need to question themselves for their lack of compassion. By definition, getting rid of VRI companies and gives Deaf patients more power to seek for live interpreters is a human right.

Deaf patients have a moral duty to continue their rights of seeking live interpreters. As good example of this quote we all should follow: “Each has a right to the other’s attention and correction action.” Our duty is to stand up to stop VRI oppression for high risk Deaf patients in emergency rooms and the human right to rebuke VRI companies who do not have any compassion and undermine the ground rules of Deaf patients who experience language hegemony in the hospital settings.

We demand the changes that VRI companies be stopped for exploiting Deaf patients. We demand the changes that ASL interpreters be on hospital sites 24/7 with their own office.

Even with live interpreters became necessary to make a measurable effect, the less harm on Deaf patients. VRI companies and hospital administration are passed by politics primarily for reasons that are best understood in the context of disrespect and the appearance of Deaf patients is being exploited in hospitals and the crucible for the lack of discourses about compassion. The exploitation of Deaf patients is all about money and politics. This has to be stopped.

Finally, we need to stop allowing VRI companies to exploit Deaf patients and demand changes to have interpreters on site 24/7 and the studies of language hegemony for political pleasure and that shall lead Deaf patients to stand up and speak out more.

-JT

Copyright © 2018 Jason Tozier

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