COLORADO SPRINGS—A Colorado Springs man encountered an unexpected challenge when he and his wife wanted to donate plasma.
The center his family initially reached out to said it couldn't accommodate his disability. The situation was eventually resolved, but it raised questions about what accommodations are legally required for people with disabilities.
Chun Sung Huang has been deaf since he was a baby. Despite being deaf, Huang has been an advocate for the deaf community and a person with a passion for helping people.
"I grew up in Taiwan. It was like learning a new culture from scratch," said Huang in Sign Language.
Huang met his wife, Sara Ford, in Taiwan, and they moved to the United States together. Since then, Huang has faced many challenges.
Another challenge arose on March 21. Huang's wife called CSL Plasma in Colorado Springs because they wanted to donate. The center's initial answer was a surprise. The center told his wife that it couldn't accommodate his disability.
"I thought since I'm deaf, they can't communicate with me. There will be too much risk to donate plasma," said Huang.
News5 reached out to CSL Plasma. The company said the following in an email:
"When the viewer initially contacted the plasma center, she was unfortunately provided with inaccurate information, which has since been addressed. The center staff promptly clarified the misunderstanding, informing the viewer that individuals with hearing impairments are eligible and welcome to donate at our centers, provided they meet the same FDA health requirements applicable to all donors. Since then, the viewer’s family member has successfully donated at our center."
Huang says that a few days later, the CSL Plasma Colorado Springs manager called his wife and told her they could accommodate him.
"When they did decide I could donate, we did through writing back and forth," said Huang. "Providing a sign language interpreter wasn't in the equation."
The Independence Center's advocacy specialist, Scott Barlett, says people with disabilities can request public accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title III.
"The term 'reasonable accommodation' is the most important to think about here. The reasonable being they didn't have interpreters on site. Would it be reasonable to have a back-and-forth written paper? I would say that would be (a) reasonable accommodation," said Barlett.
CSL Plasma says it will communicate through reading English, reading lips, or written correspondence. It says any donors need sign language interpreters. The center said the following in an email:
"CSL Plasma is committed to ensuring all donors with disabilities receive the appropriate accommodations in full compliance with ADA guidelines and requirements. If a hearing-impaired donor can effectively communicate through other methods, such as reading English, reading lips or written correspondence, an interpreter may not be required. However, if communication cannot be effectively achieved through these methods, an interpreter will be provided by CSL Plasma, and an appointment will be scheduled to ensure the interpreter is available on-site to meet the donor’s communication needs."
"Be patient and be kind," said Huang to the Colorado Springs community.
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