Opinion

Editorial: Malloy made bad decision to ‘dump’ Connecticut services for the deaf

Sorry, wrong number.

That is what deaf people and their advocates learn when they dial 211 — the number the state provided to them for the deaf to get information and referrals after eliminating the Department of Rehabilitation Services interpretation unit along with its 40 employees.

Once again, the budget deficit is claiming more victims and wiping out basic quality of life measures, as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tries to get the state back on solid financial footing.

According to Luisa Soboleski, the chairperson of the state agency’s advisory committee, there was no advance warning of the decision to eliminate the unit and there was no transition plan. She said 211 operators “didn’t know what was going on” and deaf people “were just dumped” by the Malloy administration.

We get her point. To eliminate an entire department that people with a disability need to function day-to-day is not only inconsiderate but a bit insulting.

Connecticut’s deaf community reacted to the elimination by staging a rally outside the state Capitol Tuesday protesting that their civil right to have an interpreter had been violated.

Sandra Inzinga, president of the Connecticut Association of the Deaf, said she was on hold for 10-minutes with 211 before a private provider in Bridgeport was recommended.

But Inzinga wonders about deaf people in the rest of the state. Are they expected to drive from Norwich or New London to Bridgeport for a provider?

Chris McClure, a spokesman for Malloy, said the decision to eliminate the unit was based on the “new economic reality,” an expression that is growing wearisome as a answer to every budget cut Malloy has made. However, McClure said little change — if any — is expected and the state has contracted with private interpreting service providers, which will save the state about $30 per hour.

The annual cost to provide the service was not immediately available, according to McClure, but he noted the cuts were expected to save the state more than $1 million.

But the deaf community disputes the savings and is not taking it lying down.

The Connecticut Association of the Deaf has a link on its website with a form to help collect data about the denial of interpreter services. The form will be submitted to the Office of Protection and Advocacy, which will be tracking the denial of services for potential legal action.

So in a state that can’t afford to spend an extra dime, a lawsuit may be coming — and that doesn’t sound like a lot of savings.

Soboleski said taking away interpreter services is like taking away all the ramps in the state for people with wheelchairs.

We agree. The state shouldn’t further handicap people with disabilities by taking away the services they need to communicate. Times are tough and the state is indeed in a financial crunch. Still, there must be money somewhere that can restore this service.