Jessica Sergeant waited over five hours for a sign language interpreter during a cardiac emergency due to a strike by Canadian Hearing Services workers. This experience left her feeling traumatized and uninformed about her medical condition. After the interpreter finally arrived, Sergeant learned that further visits would still lack interpreter availability because of the ongoing strike. The strike, which left deaf clients without essential services for over two months, prompted concerns about operational failures within the organization and trust issues within the community regarding access to interpreters.
Jessica Sergeant experienced a five and a half hour wait for a sign language interpreter during a cardiac emergency, describing it as "traumatic" and a failure of the system.
The prolonged absence of interpreters due to Canadian Hearing Services' strike has highlighted operational flaws within the organization, raising concerns from the deaf community about access and trust.
More than 200 unionized Canadian Hearing Services employees went on strike, affecting essential services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, who are now calling for significant operational reforms.
Sergeant emphasized that access to timely interpretation is vital, remarking on the powerlessness she felt regarding her health and the interpreter's availability.
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