Policy Text
\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nSEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE NUMBER:
GENERAL ORDER G – 58
RESCINDS:
SUBJECT: Communicating With Hearing Impaired Individuals & Limited English Proficient (LEP)
Individuals
EFFECTIVE: November 2, 2010
REVISED: May 19, 2025
ACCREDITATION STANDARDS:
2.10
Table of Contents:
I. Purpose
II. Scope
III. Definitions
IV. Procedure
V. On-Call ASL Interpreting Services
VI. TTY and Relay Services
VII. How to Obtain Qualified ASL Interpreter & Assistive Listening Equipment
VIII. How to Obtain LEP Communication Assistance
VIX. ADA Coordinator
I. PURPOSE:
This directive establishes procedures to ensure that a consistently high level of service is provided
to all community members, including those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have limited English
Proficiency (hereafter referred to as LEP). The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the
importance of effective and accurate communication between its members and the community it
services. Language barriers can sometimes inhibit or even prohibit individuals with LEP from
assessing or understanding important rights, obligations, and services or from communicating
accurately and effectively in difficult situations. Hampered communication with LEP victims,
witnesses, suspects, and community members can present the Seminole County
Sheriff’s Office with safety, evidentiary, and ethical challenges. Ensuring maximum
communication ability between law enforcement and all segments of the community serves the
interests of both.
II. SCOPE:
A. This directive shall apply to all Seminole County Sheriff’s Office employees.
B. Employees must review and have a working knowledge of the publications entitled,
Communicating with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: ADA Guide for Law
Enforcement Officers” available at http://www.ada.gov/lawenfcomm.htm; and Practical
Suggestions for Communicating Effectively which is available at
https://archive.ada.gov/lawenfcomm.htm. These documents review how Deputies should
communicate in the types of situations Employees will encounter.
III. DEFINITIONS:
A. American Sign Language (ASL)
A complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other
movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body.
B. Auxiliary Aids and Services:
GENERAL ORDER
Communicating With Hearing Impaired Individuals
GO # 58 PAGE 1 OF 4\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nExamples of auxiliary aids and services are:
1. Gestures,
2. Visual aids,
3. Notepad and pen or pencil,
4. Computer or typewriter,
5. Teletypewriter (TTY) or telecommunication devices for deaf (TDD), and
6. Qualified oral or sign language interpreter.
C. Assistive listening system or device to amplify sound:
Assistive listening devices enable a person who is hard of hearing to better hear. A
telephone earpiece amplifier is an example.
D. Qualified Interpreter:
A qualified interpreter is:
1. A professional who facilitates communication between deaf and hearing
individuals;
2. Able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially both receptively and
expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary;
3. Has specialized training in interpreting from one language to another, for
example, American Sign Language (ASL) to English and English to ASL,
simply knowing both sign language and English does not qualify a person as an
interpreter; and
4. Accurately convey all messages between the individuals involved in the
communicating setting.
E. Bilingual:
Being bilingual is the ability to speak two languages fluently and communicate directly
and accurately in both English and another language.
F. Interpretation:
Interpretation is the act of converting a communication from one form (source) to another
(target) while retaining the intended meaning.
G. Limited English Proficient (LEP):
LEP designates individuals whose primary language is not English and who have a
limited ability to read, write, speak or understand English. LEP individuals may be
competent in certain types of communication (e.g., speaking and understanding), but still
be LEP for other purposes (e.g., reading or writing). Similarly, LEP designations are
context-specific; an individual may possess sufficient English language skills to function
in one setting, but these skills may be insufficient in other situations.
IV. PROCEDURES:
A. People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or LEP are entitled to a level of service equivalent
to that provided to other persons.
GENERAL ORDER
Communicating With Hearing Impaired Individuals
GO # 58 PAGE 2 OF 4\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nB. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office shall make every effort to ensure that all
employees communicate effectively with persons who have any degree of hearing loss or
LEP.
C. Effective communication with a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or LEP involved in
an incident, whether as a victim, witness, suspect, or arrestee, is essential in ascertaining
what actually occurred, the urgency of the matter, and type of situation.
D. Various types of communication aids, known as “auxiliary aids and services” are used to
communicate with people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or LEP. These include use of
gestures or visual aids to supplement oral communication, use of a notepad and pen or
pencil to exchange written notes, use of an assistive listening system or device to amplify
sound for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, use of a computer to type a written
exchange, or use of a qualified oral or sign language interpreter.
E. The type of aid that will be required for effective communication will depend on the
individual’s usual method of communication, and the nature, importance, and duration of
the communication at issue.
F. In many circumstances, oral communication supplemented by gestures and visual aids or
an exchange of written notes will be an effective means of communicating with people
who are deaf, hard of hearing, or LEP. In other circumstances, a qualified sign language
or oral interpreter may be needed to communicate effectively with persons who are deaf
or hard of hearing. The more lengthy, complex, and important the communication, the
more likely it is that a qualified interpreter will be required for effective communication.
For example:
1. If there has been an incident and the Deputy Sheriff is conducting witness,
victim, or suspect interviews, a qualified sign language interpreter may be
required to communicate effectively with someone whose primary means of
communication is sign language. A qualified oral interpreter may be required to
communicate effectively with someone who has been trained to speech read
(read lips).
2. If a person is asking a Deputy Sheriff for directions to a location, gestures or an
exchange of written notes will likely be sufficient to communicate effectively.
G. To serve each individual effectively, primary consideration should be given to providing
the type of communication aid or service requested by the individual. Employees should
ascertain from the person who is deaf or hard of hearing what type of auxiliary aid or
service he or she needs. Employees should defer to those expressed choices, unless:
1. There is another equally effective way of communicating, given the
circumstances, length, complexity, and importance of the communication, as
well as the communication skills of the person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or
LEP, or
2. Doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the law enforcement activity
in question or would cause an undue administrative or financial burden to the
department.
H. The input of people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or LEP who are involved in incidents
are just as important to the law enforcement process as the input of others. Employees
must not draw conclusions about incidents unless they fully understand and are
GENERAL ORDER
Communicating With Hearing Impaired Individuals
GO # 58 PAGE 3 OF 4\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nunderstood by all those involved, including people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or LEP.
I. Peopl