Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Requirements Concerning the Provision of Interpreters by Hospitals and Doctors

Nancy Lee Jones
Legislative Attorney

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a broad civil rights act prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits places of public accommodation, including hospitals and doctors' offices, from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The Department of Justice (DOJ) promulgated regulations under Title III requiring the use of auxiliary aids, unless they would fundamentally alter the nature of the service or result in an undue burden. Auxiliary aids could include qualified interpreters as well as note takers or computer-aided transcription services. Attempting to address the myriad of disabilities and public accommodations, the ADA purposely adopted a flexible standard concerning when its nondiscrimination requirements are met. The law and DOJ regulations, then, do not explicitly state when hospitals or doctors are required to provide interpreter services to patients with disabilities and, as is illustrated by the judicial decisions in the area, this issue is largely fact dependent. .


Date of Report: February 3, 2010
Number of Pages: 10
Order Number: 97-826
Price: $29.95

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