United States of America v. Swedish Edmonds Hospital - Settlement Agreement

III. DEFINITIONS

10. The term “Auxiliary Aids and Services” includes qualified interpreters provided either on-site or through video remote interpreting (“VRI”) services; note takers; real-time computer-aided transcription services; written materials; exchange of written notes; telephone handset amplifiers; assistive listening devices; assistive listening systems; telephones compatible with hearing aids; closed caption decoders; open and closed captioning, including real-time captioning; voice, text, and video-based telecommunications products and systems, including text telephones (“TTYs”), videophones, and captioned telephones, or equally effective telecommunications devices; videotext displays; accessible electronic and information technology; or other effective methods of making aurally delivered information available to individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.  28 C.F.R. § 36.303.

11. The term “Hospital Personnel” means all Swedish Edmonds employees, full-time and part-time, who have or are likely to have direct contact with Patients or Companions as defined herein.

12. The term “Active Members of the Hospital Medical Staff” means all physicians who are credentialed to provide medical services at Swedish Edmonds, whether or not they are direct employees of the Hospital.

13. The term “Qualified Interpreter” means an interpreter who, via VRI service or an on-site appearance, is able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially, both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary.  28 C.F.R. § 36.104.  Qualified interpreters include, for example, sign language interpreters, oral transliterators, and cued-language transliterators.  For purposes of this Agreement, a Qualified Interpreter must be knowledgeable with medical terminology.

14. The term “Patient” shall be broadly construed to include any individual who is seeking access to, or participating in, the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of the Hospital, whether as an inpatient or an outpatient.

15. The term “Companion” means a person who is Deaf, as defined herein, and is a family member, friend, or associate of an individual seeking access to, or participating in, the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of the Hospital, who, along with such individual, is an appropriate person with whom the public accommodation should communicate.  28 C.F.R. § 36.303(c)(1)(i).

16. The term “Deaf” refers to persons who are deaf or late-deafened.

17. The term “Hard of Hearing” includes persons who have a hearing deficit and who may or may not primarily use visual aids for communication and may or may not use auxiliary aids.