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Proudly Serving These Industries
Jessica Harris Interpreting Services provides certified ASL interpreters across a wide range of industries throughout the Tampa Bay area. From hospitals to courtrooms to classrooms, we match every assignment with an interpreter who understands the setting and what is at stake. Explore the industries we serve below to see how we can support clear communication in yours.
Our Industries
Wherever clear communication matters most, our certified interpreters are ready to help you connect. From hospitals to courtrooms to classrooms, we bring the right experience to every setting.
Medical
Hospitals, clinics, and private practices trust us for interpreters who understand medical terminology and the seriousness of what is being communicated.
Mental Health
Therapy and counseling sessions require more than accurate words, they require emotional nuance and discretion.
Business
Meetings, trainings, and HR conversations run smoothly when everyone in the room can fully participate.
Legal
Depositions, court proceedings, and attorney consultations demand precision, neutrality, and composure under pressure.
Education
From IEP meetings to classroom instruction to school events, our interpreters are there for students, parents, and educators at every step.
Conferences
Large events and conferences require interpreters who can keep pace with fast moving content and multiple speakers.
Hospitals
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hospitals are required to provide effective communication for patients, family members, and visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing. This applies across every setting, from emergency rooms and physician consultations to surgery, therapy sessions, and discussions about diagnosis, treatment, and informed consent.
Family members should never be relied on to interpret in these moments, since the emotional weight of a medical situation can compromise accuracy when clarity matters most. Our certified medical interpreters are trained in clinical terminology, so patients and providers can communicate with confidence at every step of care.
Law Enforcement
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are entitled to the same quality of service as anyone else during interactions with law enforcement.
While brief or urgent situations may not require an interpreter, lengthy or complex interactions such as interviews, witness statements, and arrests often do. Family members and companions should never be relied on to interpret in these situations, since emotional ties and lack of training can compromise accuracy and impartiality.
Our certified interpreters help agencies meet their legal obligations while making sure every individual is heard, understood, and treated fairly.
The American with Disabilities Act to The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
When does a health care professional have to provide a sign language interpreter?
A health care professional must provide a qualified interpreter if: (1) an interpreter is necessary to ensure effective communication between the deaf and the health care professional, and (2) the deaf has asked the health care professional to provide an interpreter. However, there are two exceptions to this general rule mentioned later.
When is an interpreter necessary to ensure effective communication?
The answer to this question depends upon the length and complexity of the conversation the deaf individual will be having with the health care professional. For example, if there will be a discussion whether to have major surgery, an interpreter would certainly be necessary to ensure effective communication. On the other hand, if the deaf will be visiting the doctor’s office solely for a simple blood test, an interpreter might not be necessary. Instead, you may be able to communicate effectively by, for example, writing notes or taking turns at a computer terminal if written English is clearly understood.
Is an interpreter required only in the most extreme situations, such as when a doctor and patient will be discussing whether the patient should have surgery?
No. A wide range of other situations may also require an interpreter to ensure effective communication. For example, during a routine physical, the communication may be sufficiently lengthy and complex to require an interpreter. In a psychotherapy session, the communication is sufficiently lengthy and complex to require an interpreter. The U.S. Department of Justice gives the following example in its technical assistance manual to explain when an interpreter is required:
H goes to his doctor for a bi-weekly check-up, during which the nurse records H’s blood pressure and weight. Exchanging notes and using gestures are likely to provide an effective means of communication at this type of check-up.
BUT: Upon experiencing symptoms of a mild stroke, H returns to his doctor for a thorough examination and battery of tests and requests that an interpreter be provided. H’s doctor should arrange for the services of a qualified interpreter, as an interpreter is likely to be necessary for effective communication with H, given the length and complexity of the communication involved.
If the patient is a minor child who can hear, does the health care professional have to provide an interpreter for a parent who is deaf?
Yes, if (1) an interpreter is necessary to ensure effective communication between the health care professional and parent, and (2) the parent has asked the health care professional to provide an interpreter. For example, an interpreter would be required if a parent who is deaf will be discussing with a doctor whether the parent’s child should have surgery, discussion of child’s diagnosis and treatment.
What are the two exceptions to the general rule that a health care professional must provide an interpreter when necessary to ensure effective communication?
First, a health care professional does not have to provide an interpreter if doing so would result in a “fundamental alteration” of the professional’s services. However, this exception will probably never apply because a sign language interpreter would not result in a fundamental alteration of a health care professional’s services.
Second, a health care professional does not have to provide an interpreter if doing so would result in an “undue burden, i.e., significant difficulty or expense.” However, in determining whether providing an interpreter would result in an “undue burden,” the professional must consider: (1) the cost of the interpreter and (2) the professional’s overall financial resources. The professional may not refuse to provide an interpreter because the cost of the interpreter exceeds the professional’s fee for the office visit.
Providing an interpreter will hardly ever result in an “undue burden” on a doctor because the cost of an interpreter will likely be insignificant when compared to the doctor’s overall financial resources. The office may also use this service as a business tax write off.
Who has to pay for the interpreter?
The health care professional. A health care professional may not charge a person who is deaf or the person’s insurance company for the cost of providing an interpreter. The U.S Department of Justice gives the following example in its technical assistance manual:
In order to ensure effective communication with a deaf patient during an office visit, a doctor arranges for the services of a sign language interpreter. The cost of the interpreter’s services must be absorbed by the doctor.
If the cost of an interpreter for an office visit exceeds the fee for that visit, can the health care professional charge the person who is deaf for providing an interpreter?
No. The health care professional still must pay for the interpreter. Health care professionals, like lawyers, accountants, and other public accommodations covered by the ADA, are expected to treat the cost of an interpreter as part of the overhead cost of operating a business.
If an interpreter is necessary to ensure effective communication, the health care professional must provide a “qualified interpreter.” Who is a “qualified interpreter”?
A qualified interpreter is an interpreter who is able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary.
Can a health care professional use a staff member who signs “pretty well” as an interpreter for meetings with individuals who use sign language to communicate?
No, unless the person is able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary. The Department of Justice explains in the technical assistance manual:
Signing and interpreting are not the same thing. Being able to sign does not mean that a person can process spoken communication into the proper signs, nor does it mean that he or she possesses the proper skills to observe someone signing and change their signed or finger-spelled communication into spoken words. The interpreter must be able to interpret both receptively and expressively.
If a family member or friend is able to interpret, is that person a “qualified interpreter”?
The Department of Justice has answered this question by stating the following in Appendix B to its ADA regulations:
In certain circumstances, notwithstanding that the family member or friend is able to interpret or is a certified interpreter, the family member or friend may not be qualified to render the necessary interpretation because of factors such as emotional or personal involvement or considerations of confidentiality that may adversely affect the ability to interpret “effectively, accurately, and impartially.”
Thus, if a health care professional asks a family member or friend of a patient who is deaf to interpret, and the patient does not want that person to interpret, the patient should ask the professional to provide someone else.
Additional Questions and Answers for Health Care Providers
Health care providers must communicate effectively with patients who are deaf or hard of hearing at every stage of care, from admission to diagnosis to discharge. This obligation exists under Title III of the ADA, which applies to all private health care providers regardless of office size or number of employees, along with Title II of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which cover public health care providers. Many providers have questions about exactly when an interpreter or other auxiliary aid is required and who is responsible for the cost. The National Association of the Deaf has put together a detailed memo answering these common questions for health care providers, which you can read here: Questions and Answers for Health Care Providers.