For Consumers Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• If you have to appear in a Virginia Court, you should contact Clerk of the Court that issued your summons and let them know as soon as possible that you will need interpreter or CART services. That means you need to know the name of the County/City that issued the summons, and the level of court (for instance General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, Circuit Court, Court of Appeals, or Supreme Court). When you contact the Clerk for that court, you should let the Clerk know the case number and the date/time you are scheduled to be in court. VDDHH must receive requests directly from an authorized person from the Virginia Courts such as an ADA Coordinator or a Clerk of the Court.

• You can also ask the court for an interpreter if you need to go to court to file a petition (for custody, visitation, divorce, a warrant in debt, for example) or other documents. Give the court advance notice and let them know you will need an interpreter to file your paperwork. Then the Clerk can send VDDHH a request form.
• If you receive a notice for JURY DUTY in the mail, inform the Clerk of the Court right away that if you are chosen to serve on a jury you would need an interpreter. That way, the court can ask VDDHH to find an interpreter just in case you are chosen.
• Please do not call VDDHH directly to ask for an interpreter for court. We can only coordinate interpreter/CART services if we get the request form from the court personnel.
• You will need to contact the Clerk to make a new request for an interpreter for each and every time you have to go to court.
• The court can request interpreter or CART services for you if you are a party to the case (the defendant, the plaintiff, the victim, or a witness), or if you are a family member of a party to the case, or an interested person (friend, observer, etc.)
• The court may be able request interpreter or CART services for you if you must go to a court-ordered class (driving school, domestic violence, anger management, parenting, etc.) ONLY IF the case is “pre-disposition” or has not been “finalized.” If you have to go back to court when you finish your class, the case has not been finalized and the court will pay for the interpreter. If your case has been finalized (you have been found guilty or the case is finished) and you have to take a class or participate in a program, you will have to ask the class/program to provide the interpreter.
• Virginia Courts include:
• General District Court
• Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court
• Circuit Court
• Court of Appeals
• Supreme Court

Click here for more information about the requirements of the ADA as they pertain to Virginia’s Judicial System. This VDDHH Interpreter Services Guide for Court may also be helpful.

To request an interpreter for a meeting with a state or local government agency (such as the Health Department or the Department of Social Services, etc.), consumers who need accommodations should directly contact the state agency they wish to meet with. Do this by getting in touch with the state agency Point of Contact, whether that is the person who scheduled the meeting, the person who coordinated the event, or the person in charge of registration. Explain that you need an interpreter. The earlier you request an interpreter the better. Then an authorized state employee can contact VDDHH because VDDHH does coordinate interpreters for state agencies, local governments, and Virginia Courts, by request. The request forms on this website are available for authorized staff of agencies and courts to complete and submit.

To arrange an interpreter for any of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) tests or a DMV appointment, the consumer CAN contact VDDHH directly at isp@vddhh.virginia.gov.

• When contacting VDDHH, be prepared to offer a range of date/time options, preferably with at least a week’s advance notice.
• You must provide the address of the DMV Customer Service Center where the consumer wants to test or visit.
• If you already have an appointment confirmation slip or email from the DMV, give VDDHH a copy of that to make it easier for VDDHH to get all the appointment details.
• This VDDHH Interpreter Services Guide to the DMV can be downloaded for reference.

• DMV will pay for interpreters for the following:
• Learner’s Permit Test
• Knowledge Test (note, the DMV does have a sign language version of the Knowledge Test.  They encourage people to attempt to take the test that way, but it is not required The language mode cannot possibly be appropriate for every Deaf person). 
• Road Test (note, the interpreter is not allowed to go in the car. They interpret pre-test and post-test. The DMV recommends selecting Closed Course Locations).
• DMV Ordered Driver Improvement Class (if the consumer has a letter from DMV, it is DMV ordered)
• Driver Education Class After 3-Times Failed
• Other DMV Business, as needed.
• For Driver Improvement Clinics or 3-Times Failed Course, requests must go through DMV.  The consumer should The consumer should email dmvclu@dmv.virginia.gov.  VDDHH cannot coordinate interpreters for these assignments without direct authorization from DMV.
• If a consumer gets a traffic ticket, and goes to court, and chooses to take the driving class instead of taking the points (in other words the consumer chose to take the class but it is NOT court ordered), neither DMV nor the court will pay for the interpreter.  The consumer will need to work it out with the driving school.