Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Know Your Rights When Dealing with Police

The ACLU is releasing a video today featuring Marlee Matlin. The Academy Award winner talks about the problems that deaf people have with the police because of communication barriers. It's part o public education effort launched by the American Civil Liberties Union aimed at ensuring people who are deaf know their rights when interacting with law enforcement. She says, "Getting stopped by the police, even at a routine traffic stop, can be a scary experience. For those of us who are deaf or hard of hearing, it can be even scarier. When officers don’t realize we can’t hear them, it can lead to confusion or worse. As the wife of a law enforcement officer, as well as a deaf person, I know that police culture and deaf culture can be very different, and this video is here to bridge the gap." Watch the video below.