Tom Wilemon

twilemon@tennessean.com

Two deaf men have filed a federal lawsuit against Cookeville Regional Medical Center, accusing the hospital of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act for not providing sign language interpreters.

Robert Buttrum and Michael Hill contend in the complaint, which gives only one side of a legal dispute, that the hospital intentionally acted with “deliberate indifference” to their rights. Cookeville Medical Center did not respond to a telephone call about the suit.

The hospital failed to communicate with the two men about their medical treatment on multiple instances between November 2012 and October 2014, according to the complaint. It did offer video remote interpreting on some of those occasions, but the system failed to function properly by freezing up, presenting choppy content with irregular pauses or conveying blurry and grainy images.

The two men experienced embarrassment, fear, anger and frustration, the complaint says. They also did not receive adequate explanations of risks, benefits and alternatives for medical procedures.

During a hospital stay, Buttrum could not get timely response when he pushed a call button due to the communication gap, the complaint contends.

Sherry A. Wilds and Martha M. Lafferty, lawyers with Disability Rights Tennessee, are asking a federal judge to mandate that the hospital provide sign language interpreters for patients and devise a better means for responding to calls for assistance from deaf patients. They ask that the hospital be instructed to post signs about the availability of interpreters and train all its staff on requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

They are also seeking damages to compensate Buttrum and Hill for their emotional distress.

Reach Tom Wilemon at 615-726-5961 and on Twitter @TomWilemon.