I went to my friends in the disability community to try to get you best-info. A disability attorney-advocate provided the input below, and another is looking for info he provided to the Carnegie Museums of Art a few years ago. A third believes that 24-hours should be sufficient, but if you follow the advice of included below, you should be in good stead to accommodate that suggestion. Remember, you're providing service to the public and trying to comply with a law that has been on the books for 15-years (Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA). Would you be willing to visit someplace if every time you wanted to go, you had to call weeks in advance? I wouldn't. I'm very impulsive and do things on spur of the moment. Having to wait til I could be accommodated would be an absolute turnoff. I'm also expecting to have our resident deaf expert (and Gallaudet graduate who worked with many Congress folk) chime in a few days. Here's what the attorney advises: I produce address labels to put on Rolodex cards, with foreign language translators, League, and ADA helpline in local areas - they ought to be the first, non-alphabetized card in every Rolodex. What I tell folks is to "let us know as soon as you know." In the Nashville area, I can get rudimentary foreign language on demand and exact or signed language within 4 hours, usually, if really needed. The strong preference for signed is for 72 hours, but the League has worked with me long enough to know that my assessment of whether pen and paper or IM will do or not is well informed and reasonable. I keep basic records of how long it takes to get an interpreter (deaf or other foreign language), so that I can assess whether I have good sources and can show some one that the availability is reasonable, should they ask. The real trick is to make the contacts before a customer needs you to access the service. In doing trainings I have consistently been pleased with the willingness of providers to come, hand out business cards, and explain how they work. This isn't hard stuff if you anticipate that your own customers are diverse. --- Sarah Smith <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Dear List Serve Members: > > > > How much notice do you request someone give you when > they ask you for a > signing interpreter? > > > > Sarah Y. Smith > > Executive Director > > Hanover Tavern Foundation > > (804) 537-5050 > > > > A Future Worthy of Its Past > > > > > ========================================================= > Important Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may > obtain detailed information about the listserv > commands by sending a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the > message should read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one > line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] > . The body of the message should read "Signoff > Museum-L" (without the quotes). > Indigo Nights [log in to unmask] ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).