Deaf interaction with law enforcement: A survey approach

There are several news sources and stories that report negative interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with hearing loss due to drastic measures taken by the law enforcement officers. Along with these negative reports, minimal research has been done on how interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with hearing loss typically occur without media reports. This study investigated factors that influence positive and negative interactions with law enforcement along with how interactions with law enforcement officers can be improved. This study specifically looked at survey responses from those in the d/Deaf community through open-ended and scale questions. Surveys of 49 adults from around the U.S. were analyzed. Results of this study showed that a slight majority of interactions with law enforcement officers were positive and impacted by officer actions and presentation and participant actions. However, many interactions were negative, and survey respondents reported several ideas to help improve these interactions overall, including more training on accommodations for officers. To assist in implementing these suggestions into practice, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, other allies, and d/Deaf individuals should advocate and educate those in law enforcement agencies in order to create safe and positive interactions.