Ellis KempfDuring Kempf's junior year, the school provided him with an American Sign Language interpreter who was allowed to move about the edge of the mat to remain within visual contact of the wrestler, which improved his communication with coaches, the Jackson Citizen-Patriot and MLive.com reported Thursday.
That alleged changed at Kempf's first MHSAA-sanctioned event, in which an official said the interpreter would have to sit with the coaches. The family's lawsuit alleges that decision not only negates the effectiveness of the interpreter, but also raises "serious safety concerns" and puts the 152-pounder at a competitive disadvantage. The suit seeks an emergency injunction to prevent the MHSAA from forcing the interpreter to remain seated next to Kempf's coach.
Kempf has been deaf since age 2 due to meningitis. At 5, he underwent a successful cochlear implant that partially restored his hearing. For safety reasons, the implants are removed during contact sports, leaving Kempf completely deaf, according to the Detroit News. (Kempf also participates in football and track.)
"We aren't seeking money, and he doesn't want an advantage," Kempf's mother, Elizabeth Kempf, said in a press release. "He just wants to continue using his interpreter so he can understand what his coach wants him to do during matches -- that's all."
"The general rule here is that interpreters have always been allowed in regular season and tournament situations," MHSAA communications director John Johnson said Thursday. "In wrestling, the interpreter sits with the coaches in the corner. In basketball, the interpreter may stand, along with the head coach, in the coach's box. In football, the interpreter is allowed in the coach's box, that 3-yard belt that everyone else is supposed to stay out of. We have historically provided an accommodation for deaf student-athletes."
"What the MHSAA is saying makes absolutely no sense," said Jason Turkish, the family's attorney. "They're saying that Ellis can have an interpreter, but an interpreter that he can't see. You have to be able to see a sign language interpreter in order to use it. What do they want him to do, to tell his opponent, 'Hang on one second, let me turn around and look at my sign language interpreter, don't come at me quite yet.' It's ridiculous. It makes no sense."
What does Ellis Kempf have to say about the controversy?
"I feel very frustrated," he told a reporter Thursday. "It's not fair."
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