W.D. Mo. Approves Settlement on Deaf Access to Mental Health Services

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A federal judge has approved the settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 1,000 deaf Missourians, claiming the state failed to provide adequate mental health services for the deaf. 

U.S. District Judge Matt Whitworth approved the settlement Thursday in Jefferson City in the suit filed by the Missouri Association of the Deaf and 13 named plaintiffs. The suit accused the state of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing adequate mental health care for the deaf. 

Among the settlement's many provisions, it requires greater availability of sign language interpreters, the development of outpatient and inpatient centers that are staffed with clinicians and case managers trained in aiding the deaf and better training to ensure mental health professionals can assist the deaf.