The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey has reached a settlement agreement with Advanced ENT & Allergy, resolving allegations of discrimination against a prospective patient who is deaf and has low vision. The office determined that the medical practice violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide necessary in-person sign language interpretation services. Instead, Advanced ENT & Allergy relied solely on remote, screen-based interpretation, which was not suitable for patients unable to see screens due to their vision impairments.
The findings resulted from an investigation supported by evidence from the U.S. Department of Justice Fair Housing Testing Program. As part of the settlement, Advanced ENT & Allergy will adopt a non-discrimination policy to ensure individuals with disabilities have full access to its services. Additionally, they will offer in-person interpretation services when needed and provide mandatory ADA training for employees.
Advanced ENT & Allergy is expected to be acquired by ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP as of January 1st and will operate under this new name. It is noted that ENT and Allergy Associates had no involvement in the actions related to this complaint.
Under the ADA, places like Advanced ENT & Allergy are prohibited from discriminating based on disability regarding access to goods and services. Individuals who believe they have faced discrimination can file complaints through the U.S Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division website or contact them directly.
For further details about ADA regulations, resources are available at www.ada.gov or via the Department of Justice's toll-free information line.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily B. Goldberg represents the government in this matter.