Deaf And The Police

I’m a not legal expert, but this all seems like good advice for Deaf people dealing with the police. Quite a lot of it could be helpful for people with other disabilities as well … including mobility impaired, cognitively impaired, and mentally ill people. I found it interesting that on the YouTube page for this video, a sizable minority of the commenters were down on this video. Most of them I believe are Deaf themselves, based on the context and tone of their remarks. Basically, they seem to be saying that Matlin’s advice won’t work because the police are either actively hostile or completely irrational. That’s an understandable view if you have had your rights violated by police, but I don’t think it necessarily negates the advice. She’s not saying to Deaf people, “Behave yourself and everything will be fine.” She’s saying be cautious, understand a bit of where the police are coming from, and use good sense and proper timing in fighting for your rights.