Need help. Anyone ever used a deaf mute witness? Have a case set next Mon and I need an interpreter from the South Tx area. Anyone know someone who can sign ??????I think he can read so maybe the Court reporter can use the "Real time screen" and he can read the questions we ask. What problems will I face other than the obvious somewhat humorous ones that I can imagine? This is when AP can entertain us all.

Go to the web site for the Texas Commission on the Deaf (get to through www.state.tx.us), and click on the link for "BEI." This is the Board of Evaluation of Interpreters (referred to in CCP art. 38.31(g)(2). You can search the state's database for qualfied interpreters. If you don't find one for your city, leave the city and last name blank and hit "search." That brings up the entire database and you can look for someone within reasonable travel distance.

good luck,

Janette Ansolabehere

try contacting the court coordinator for County Criminal Court 11 in Dallas County (214-712-5077). A friend of mine did a misdemeanor domestic violence assault out of there with a deaf mute victim or witness a couple of years back. They might be able to point you in the right direction.

On a side note, in light of the Crawford decision, his victory would probably not happen today, as the exicited utterance from a deaf mute person that he got admitted would be thrown out on constitutional grounds.

Not kidding.