Here’s a news story that I found bothersome. A Tacoma deaf woman was attacked in her apartment and called 911 for help. When the police arrived, they tasered her and tossed her into jail for 60 hours–with no interpreter. And two of the arresting officers were aware that she was deaf.
Yet, they hit her with a taser as she ran from her home to meet them. That made her fall, causing injuries, heavy bleeding, and swelling of her face. By this time she was in handcuffs and couldn’t understand why. She couldn’t hear the officer’s orders, of course, and no one understood sign language even if her hands were free to communicate.
Officers on the scene knew she was deaf, but they didn’t act on that knowledge either in the field or for those 60 hours in her cell.
The Tacoma Police Department made a huge mistake. They need to train their officers in recognizing people with disabilities and treating them appropriately. And they need to investigate why this incident happened. Plus, of course, an apology to this doubly victimized woman is very much in order.