Update on John Krpan lawsuit

I've noticed increased activity around an old post of mine from April 2015, So you want to interpret for the deaf? There's just one thing.... This told the story of John Krpan, a certified American Sign Language teacher who wanted to get one more certification - the National Interpreter Certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. I summarized the process to get that certification.

You start with the written exam, meet some educational requirements, and then have an interview.

An oral interview.

This caused a problem for Krpan, who is deaf. He ended up taking RID to court on the grounds that RID violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by de facto excluding him from certification.

So why is this old blog post getting renewed activity? Because a judge ruled in the case.

On March 8th, 2016 a U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division granted RID’s Motion for Summary Judgment in the matter of John Krpan, Plaintiff v. Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. As a result, a judgment in favor of RID was entered. On Count I, the court determined that the NIC exam and certification process do not violate Title III of the ADA. In terms of Count II, the court determined that the CDI exam and certification do not violate Title III of the ADA by labeling CDI credentialed individuals as “deaf”.

This does not necessarily render Krpan unemployable - after all, he has several other certifications. And perhaps institutions that insist on NIC certification may be picketed by Gallaudet University.

Or perhaps not. Gallaudet offers preparatory courses for people who want to obtain NIC certification, despite the fact that Gallaudet's own president may not qualify for NIC certification herself.