About
Detra Stewart develops and provides ADA Sensitivity Training curriculums that include Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) mandated training requirements.
Detra draws on skills from her training, deaf education, interpreting, healthcare, and advocacy work. She has over 25 years of critical care experience and more than 16 years of training around accommodations for deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind individuals.
The Why
At an early age, Detra’s children were diagnosed with hearing loss. This gave her firsthand knowledge of communication barriers and the education deficit in many sectors related to serving people with hearing loss.
Also as a Deafness Resource Specialist for 12 years, Detra provided training and other assistance to government agencies, medical and mental health care facilities, social service organizations, employers, and private businesses. All while advocating within the communities to remove communication barriers and provide equitable access to services.
Having worked closely with the Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice, Detra has gained invaluable insights into the gaps that exist in services for people with hearing loss, especially in health care and law enforcement. This experience has given Detra a focus on sensitivity training, removing communication barriers, and effective communication as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws.
QUALIFICATIONS
Detra served as a member of the Texas Advisory Committee on Qualification for Healthcare Interpreters and Translators, developing communication standards for healthcare industries. She worked closely with Emergency Management Agencies accommodating people who were deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind—before, during, and after catastrophic events.
Detra also worked with the Delmarva Foundation and Gallaudet University to develop standards for healthcare delivery to deaf and hard of hearing patients. She received her ADA Coordinator Certification from the University of Missouri, has a B.S. in Deaf Education from Lamar University, and is a Certified Sign Language interpreter.