Catalina

My family and I were very disappointed with our experience when trying to schedule a school tour. As Deaf parents, we simply asked The First Academy to provide an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter so we could fully understand the information being shared during the tour. Despite multiple emails and opportunities to reconsider, the school declined to provide an interpreter.Instead, we were told to rely on written communication, tablets, and “extra time,” which are not effective or equitable substitutes for real-time ASL access. This does not provide meaningful communication for Deaf adults, especially during an important process like evaluating a potential school for our children. We were also told we could “bring our own interpreter,” which shifts the burden of accessibility onto families rather than meeting basic inclusion standards.We left the interaction feeling that the school was not prepared to support the communication needs of Deaf parents. Accessibility should not be optional, and it should not depend on families paying out-of-pocket to participate.I hope the school takes this feedback seriously and re-evaluates its approach to serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing families in the future.