§ 9-9-1.2. Interpreters or readers for jury service. (a) In any proceeding, civil or criminal, the courts shall provide and pay the reasonable costs of services of a qualified interpreter for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and a reader for persons who are visually impaired when necessary to enable persons with these disabilities to serve as jurors, when such persons are qualified jurors within the meaning of § 9-9-1.1.

(b) "Qualified interpreter" for this section means an interpreter for the person who is deaf or hard of hearing skilled in sign language or oral interpretation and transliteration, having the ability to communicate accurately with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. An interpreter shall be deemed qualified as determined by the commission on the deaf and hard of hearing based upon recommendations from the commission and the deaf and hard of hearing interpreter screening committee, the Rhode Island association of the deaf, the national registry of interpreters for the deaf, and other appropriate agencies. The commission on the deaf and hard of hearing shall coordinate all requests for qualified interpreters and shall maintain a list of all such interpreters from which it shall fill the requests.

(c) "Person who is hard of hearing" for this section means a person who, because of a hearing impairment or deafness, requires sign language and/or speech reading as a part of his or her communication system.

History of Section. (P.L. 1990, ch. 328, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 150, § 2; P.L. 1999, ch. 83, § 8; P.L. 1999, ch. 130, § 8.)