DRAFT CT Deaf Child Bill of Rights Summary

What is a Deaf Child Bill of Rights? Eleven states* in the U.S. have already passed a Deaf Child Bill of Rights to ensure the choice of language and communication mode of deaf/hard of hearing children is respected and to ensure these children have fully accessible educational opportunities through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) focused on language and communication needs. Why do we need a Deaf Child Bill of Rights law in Connecticut? An educational crisis is occurring in Connecticut based on the 2011 Connecticut State Department of Education data for CMT and CAPT scores. These scores show deaf/hard of hearing children with Individualized Education Programs (IEP) are significantly behind in reading, writing and math as compared to their hearing peers. Between 71% - 81% of deaf/hard of hearing children did NOT reach goal for CMT & CAPT assessments as compared to 35% - 58% of their hearing peers. A Deaf Child Bill of Rights would require the IEP team to use a Language & Communication Plan as a critical tool to focus on the unique language and communication needs of these children. How would a CT Deaf Bill of Rights Law Close the Achievement Gap? By requiring a Language & Communication Plan to be developed for deaf/hard of hearing children and attached to their IEP, the unique language and communication needs would be addressed. Such an IEP team should include an appropriate professional knowledgeable in the education of deaf/hard of hearing children. Specifically, the Language & Communication Plan would address: y Student s primary language/communication mode chosen y Availability of peers and role models of the student s language/communication mode y All educational options available for the student y Qualifications of teachers and other personnel and proficiency in the student s language/communication mode y Accessibility of academic instruction, school services and extracurricular activities y Assistive devices/services; communication and physical environment accommodations Why should a CT legislator pass a Deaf Child Bill of Rights? The Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires an IEP team to consider the unique language and communication needs of a deaf/hard of hearing child including opportunities for direct communication with peers; direct instruction in the child s language/communication mode; academic level; full range of needs; and provision of assistive technology/services. The Deaf Child Bill of Rights would require a Language & Communication Plan to be part of the child s IEP and effectively implement the requirement already under the Federal education law. Why should our local schools support this Deaf Child Bill of Rights? While there are several hundred deaf/hard of hearing students in Connecticut, it is considered a low-incidence disability with just a handful of these students spread out in any one district. Many local schools have minimal experience with deafness and would benefit from a helpful tool such as the Language & Communication Plan to address unique language and communication needs of this low-incidence population.
* States include California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas