CDSS has issued instructions providing equal communication access and accessibility of materials to deaf or hard-of-hearing IHSS applicants, recipients and providers. Counties must provide all possible guidance and assistance to ensure effective communication with all IHSS program participants, including those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and must provide equal access to information and data. This requirement applies to any deaf or hard-of-hearing program participant and is not limited to when deaf or hard-of hearing program participants are more than five percent of the population served by the local office.
Counties must have equipment to properly communicate with deaf or hard-of-hearing program participants during intake assessment, reassessment, and when addressing inquiries and providing information, which must be done without delay. These communications must be offered in a manner easily accessible to program participants, which may be met using paid sign language interpreters, qualified sign language employees or qualified sign language interpreters from other agencies. Auxiliary aids can include, TDD, assistive listening devices and television captioning. (ACIN I-69-17, October 13, 2017.)