The Burning Man festival bills itself as "an exercise in Radical Self-Reliance," but two deaf California men think the organizers' decision to drop interpretive services for the deaf is a bad sign. Melvin Patterson and Branton Stewart are suing the Burning Man Project for no longer providing American Sign Language interpreters for deaf and hard-of-hearing festival-goers. According to the suit, which was filed in the Northern District of California, Burning Man ceased such services in 2017. Patterson, who first attended the festival in 2012, had volunteered as a "Ranger" for Burning Man from 2014 to 2018. The Burning Man website defines Rangers as "participants who volunteer a portion of their time at Burning Man in service of the safety and well-being of the Burning Man community." Patterson claims that in 2016 there was a shortage of ASL interpreters at the festival and none at all in subsequent years. Patterson says he tried to work with festival organizers to try and get interpreters hired for Burning Man 2018 but was told he would instead be paired with "a partner who can provide information to you in writing at all times and with the opportunity to communicate with Ranger management should you need additional support." Patterson claims such a partner never emerged during his time as a Ranger that year. Stewart also reached out to Burning Man in 2019, proposing a plan to hire six interpreters for an average of 50 to 60 hearing-impaired participants who attend the festival each year. Stewart was told it was not something Burning Man could fund. "I would like to call your attention to two of Burning Man's 10 Principles—Radical Self Reliance and Communal Effort," a festival organizer told Stewart via email. "Through these guiding Principles, we encourage our participants to rely on their own resources in discovering Black Rock City." The suit claims violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Unruh Civil Rights Act. The plaintiffs are asking for ASL interpreters to be provided at the festival and for Burning Man to "implement policies and procedures that will ensure effective communication, full and equal enjoyment, and a meaningful opportunity to participate in and benefit from [Burning Man] services" for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. The plaintiffs are represented by Eisenberg & Baum, with Buche & Associates as local counsel. This year's Burning Man festival is scheduled to begin Aug. 25 in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. This is not the first time Burning Man has sparked litigation along with its annual fiery effigy. See the above slideshow for notable harshed mellows in the festival's history.