Maine’s deaf and hard of hearing community say they were shut out from basic information in the initial aftermath of the Lewiston mass shooting that killed four deaf people and injured five others.

Karen Hopkins, a prominent leader in Maine’s deaf community, told the Portland Press Herald that despite having their community be so heavily impacted by the shooting, information regarding the situation was especially sparse for them.

For hours, ASL interpreters were kept out of Central Maine Medical Center, where deaf victims struggled to communicate with hospital staff.

When Maine State Police held their first press conference, there were no interpreters or captions to inform deaf and hard of hearing people that the shooter, Robert Card II, was still at large and shelter-in-place orders had been given. They say they had to rely on social media, which was spreading a great deal of misinformation, to find any information regarding the shooting and the safety of family and friends.

It wasn’t until Maine State Police held their third news conference that viewers were able to have a clear view of an interpreter and their signing.