(The Center Square) – A deaf inmate has filed a federal lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections, claiming that the agency is failing to provide him and other deaf people with equal access to its telephone program.
IDOC began providing inmates with tablets last year, allowing them to make multiple telephone calls throughout the day.
Rachel Weisberg, directing attorney at Disability Rights Advocates, said Daniel Valenzuela uses American Sign Language to talk with loved ones.
Weisberg said Valenzuela and other deaf people can’t access the tablet telephone program because they need a video phone to communicate.
“The Department of Corrections has blocked the video phone capability from the tablet technology,” Weisberg told The Center Square.
Weisberg said Valenzuela has hardwired videophones available to him in areas separate from his housing unit at Danville Correctional Center, but they often don’t work.
The attorney said Valenzuela is seeking equal access.
“Far too often these new programs and technologies are developed and people with disabilities are left behind,” Weisberg said.
When asked by The Center Square, an IDOC public information officer said the department respectfully declined comment due to the pending litigation.
Valenzuela’s complaint names IDOC Director Latoya Hughes and says the plaintiff is seeking injunctive relief for violations of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
“He’s filed this lawsuit to be able to get a court order saying that he is entitled to the same sort of equal access, and he’s not seeking monetary damages for himself,” Weisberg said.
Valenzuela is serving a 28-year sentence at Danville Correctional Center after he was convicted on six counts of criminal sexual assault of a family member under 18.
According to IDOC, Valenzuela’s projected parole date is Dec. 15, 2042.
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