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Senate hearing finds gaps in services for people who are deaf; agencies pledge records and protocol changes
Summary
A joint Senate hearing probed whether Puerto Rico agencies complied with laws requiring sign-language interpreters after the death of Janet Viera Grau. Department officials acknowledged gaps in emergency interpretation, police and defensoría outlined training and protocol work, and senators demanded records and follow-up.
A joint public hearing of two Puerto Rico Senate committees on social welfare and human rights scrutinized whether government agencies followed laws meant to ensure access for people who are deaf, focusing on the case of Janet Viera Grau.
Department of the Family officials told the committees they had intervened in the Viera Grau case beginning in 2018, described two safety plans and a series of referrals to shelters and medical care, and said the agency has long‑standing contracts for sign‑language services and ongoing staff training. Subsecretary Ramón Burgos Bermúdez and AFAM administrator Glenda Gerena Ríos said a protocol specifically for serving people who are deaf is nearly final and that they will provide the contract, invoices and the family’s case file to the committee within five business days at the committee’s request.
Senators pressed agency witnesses about multiple apparent gaps. Lawmakers including Ana Irma Rivera…
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