ALBANY, N.Y. — Steve Shepard, an Albany resident, is speaking out about the challenges he faced in securing an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for his deaf son, Mark, during a recent doctor’s appointment. For 27 years, Shepard has been an advocate for his son, often assisting with scheduling medical appointments due to his ability to communicate more effectively over the phone.
When Mark switched to Albany Family Medicine, a Community Care Physicians practice, Shepard called to arrange an appointment and requested an ASL interpreter. “The person I spoke to, even at that time, had said that, ‘oh, we don’t do that.’ And I said, ‘well, yeah, I think we have to,”‘ Shepard said.
Despite multiple calls, Shepard says he was repeatedly told to contact his insurance company for interpreter services. Frustrated, he reached out to his insurance company, CDPHP, which informed him that it was the doctor’s office’s responsibility to provide an interpreter and filed a complaint on his behalf…