An 18-year-old Royal Oak High School wrestler, Ellis Kempf, has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Kempf, who is deaf and serves at the wrestling team captain, says MHSAA rules are restricting his use of sign language interpreters during meets. Kempf has been deaf since age 2 and wears a cochlear implant, but he needs to take the implant out when wrestling. Kempf says at meets sponsored by his school the sign interpreter can move around the outside of the wrestling mat, but at the MHSAA sponsored meets coaches must stay in the coaches designated corner. The MHSAA says the rule if for the interpreter’s safety. Kempf says he cannot compete in his passion for wrestling if he can’t hear what the coach is saying.
