County Welfare Directors (CWD) are legally required to ensure that communication with Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals is just as effective as communication with individuals without disabilities. DHH obligations include applicants for services and their companions, such as family members, friends, or associates. Written notes and lip reading are not effective or reliable forms of communication for most DHH individuals.

To ensure effective communication, CWDs must provide auxiliary aids and services promptly. Examples of aids and services include qualified interpreters, notetakers, captioning, and telecommunications devices. DHH individuals can choose which auxiliary aid or service they prefer.

Documentation of services provided to DHH individuals must be detailed and meet requirements for both language access and disability accommodations. Counties cannot charge for auxiliary aids and services.  CWDs must ensure that DHH individuals can obtain information about the existence of services. Best practices include visible posters informing the right to interpreter and including information about language access on websites or notices.

When an individual with a disability requests specific auxiliary aid or service, the CWD must give primary consideration to that request. CWDs must grant the individual preferred aid unless the preference causes undue administrative burdens, fundamentally alters the service, or an equally effective alternative is available. Denials must be approved by the County Welfare Director or their designee and documented with a written statement explaining the reason for the denial. In all cases, the CWD is responsible for offering effective alternative means of communication. There is no limit on the number of disability requests an individual can submit and no specific timeline for making these requests.

CWDs are required to provide interpreters when requested. Interpreters may include American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, deaf Interpreters, tactile interpreters, or cued-speech transliterators, depending on the individual’s needs. Importantly, CWDs must not require or pressure individuals to bring their own interpreters. Only under minimal circumstances—such as emergencies involving imminent safety threats or when the individual voluntarily chooses to use an accompanying adult—is it acceptable to rely on a non-staff interpreter. Situations where it would be inappropriate for a guardian to provide effective communication include an interview with a child during a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation. Children should never be used as interpreters except in genuine emergencies when no other options are available.

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) encourages CWDs to establish contracts with Video Remote Interpretation (VRI) providers to help the CWD fulfill its obligation to provide timely services. VRI allows remote interpreters to facilitate communication via videoconferencing and can be helpful in situations where in-person interpreters are unavailable. However, VRI is not always suitable for every circumstance, especially when a DHH individual has low vision or when visual cues and body language are crucial for communication. Even when VRI is available, CWDs must prioritize the individual’s preferred communication method.

When communicating by phone, CWDs are required to create accessible telecommunication systems, including Video Relay Services (VRS), Text telephones (TTY), and captioned telephone services. However, telecommunication services are not a substitute for in-person interpreting services and should only be used when effective communication can occur by telephone.

CWD staff who interact with the public must receive civil rights and disability accommodation training upon hire and at least annually thereafter. This includes training in requesting interpreters, use of assistive technologies, and proper documentation procedures. In programs involving home visits, such as Child Welfare or CalWORKs, staff must plan to arrange interpreters or bring necessary tools to ensure effective communication off-site. If an interpreter cannot be secured in advance, visits should be rescheduled, except in programs that involve unannounced visits. In such cases, staff must be trained in obtaining real-time interpreter support.

CWDs must consider the unique needs of DHH children in out-of-home placements. For instance, assisting DHH children with communication through Resource Families and contacting individuals outside the home, such as relatives, social workers, or attorneys. Staff should be aware that family members may not be fluent in (ASL), which may necessitate the use of interpretation during visits. (ACIN I-39-24, September 17, 2024.)