Eldridge v. Attorney General (1997)

Download factum:

When Linda Warren, a deaf woman, gave birth to twins in a British Columbia hospital, the babies were suddenly taken away. No one from the hospital explained the situation to the mother or father, who was also deaf, because the hospital had no facility for sign language. When Robin Eldridge, a deaf BC woman, went to hospital, she sought sign language interpretation from her local health insurance plan so she could understand the medical treatment being offered her. It was denied however, because BC's Medical Protection Act and the Hospital Insurance Act do not cover interpretation services for deaf people.

LEAF intervened at the Supreme Court of Canada with the DisAbled Women's Network Canada (DAWN Canada). The Supreme Court ruled that the refusal to fund sign language interpretation for deaf persons meant that they did not receive equal access to medical care and that this was discriminatory on the basis of disability.

In this important decision, the Court held that governments must ensure that the benefits they provide are equal to all.

Supporting documents
(LEAF not responsible for content hosted by external links)

Supreme Court of Canada Decision (1989)