Jim Wells County Commissioners approved a professional services agreement with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center of Corpus Christi to provide American Sign Language interpretation and related communication-access services to the county.

Aliza Long, a regional access specialist with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center, told the court the nonprofit serves more than 50 counties and provides interpreter services either in person or via remote platforms; she recommended in-person interpreters for court proceedings and said requests should be made as early as possible. Long described applicable law including Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and state standards for court interpreters; she also noted qualifications for court-certified interpreters under the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

The agenda packet cited that the agreement qualifies as a professional service contract under Texas Local Government Code 262.024(a)(4), making it exempt from competitive-bidding requirements for professional services. Long identified county contacts for contracting and pricing information as Jim Galvan and Alex Pena and said the center can provide both in-person and remote interpreting; she emphasized that family members should not be used as interpreters in legal or medical settings.

Commissioners voted to approve the agreement after hearing the presentation; the clerk recorded the motion as carried.

Why it matters: the contract helps the county meet federal and state accessibility requirements for communication with Deaf and hard-of-hearing residents in court, administrative and public-facing settings.

What’s next: county staff will execute the contract and coordinate scheduling and vendor setup with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center; the presenter offered to provide pricing and vendor onboarding details to county contacts.