The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is committed to providing its services on an equal basis to all applicants. This implies that there can be no discrimination based on race, religion, political preference or disability. In fact, If you are going to carry out any procedure before the agency and require a sign language interpreter, This is what you should do.
The agency calls “Special Disability Accommodations” a change in practice in some of its procedures in order to a person with a disability can access the different programs and procedures.
Through a special accommodation, the agency is committed to obtaining the same result, the same benefit and achieve the same level of achievement compared to a person who does not require this support.
So, If you are deaf and understand sign language, the agency can provide you with an interpreter when you come to your appointment. If you are only hearing impaired, you may be provided with closed captioning or an assistive listening device. If necessary, you can even ask the immigration officer to speak louder.
To request a special accommodation due to disability and to provide you with a sign language interpreter, you must make an online request available in the Accommodations tab, on the official Uscis website. Please note that the format is only available in English and you will need to make it clear in which language you require support.
Uscis explains that can provide you with a certified deaf interpreter in your language, but you will also need the support of an accredited American Sign Language interpreter. In case you have any questions, then contact the Uscis Contact Center directly, in which case they will be able to resolve your questions in both English and Spanish.
Considerations before requesting disability support from Uscis
Despite the above, Uscis emphasizes that A special accommodation does not exempt you from complying with all requirements according to the procedure you plan to carry out, just like any other person.
Likewise, they clarified that it is only considered a disability if you do not have the ability to speak or listen. Not being able to communicate in English will not allow you access the special accommodations category.
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