Bill Text: HI SR94 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Resolution 94 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Children with Disabilities; Sign Language; Total Communication

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-15 - (S) Referred to EDH. [SR94 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-SR94-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	94
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

URGING the Department of Education to establish appropriate requirements for individuals in the department who provide instruction to children with disabilities, INCLUDING both those who hear and those who are deaf or hard of hearing, to incorporate the use of sign language and other means of communication during instruction to enhance their students' learning.

WHEREAS, the Department of Education has a departmental duty under section 302A‑436, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to provide exceptional children, which includes students with disabilities, residing in the State with instruction, special facilities, and special services for education, therapy, and training to enable them to live normal competitive lives; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education has studied and made recommendations in the past on ways to improve the development and learning of children with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education submitted a report to the Legislature in 2007 entitled "Educational Implications of the Special Needs of Preschool Age Children with Developmental Disabilities: Report to the 24th Legislature, 2007" that provides the following recommendations:

(1) The development of a child's communication skills should be an ongoing process that is incorporated into all activities by professionals and by the child's family during the course of the intervention and during all daily activities;

(2) A total communication program (sign language, oral communication, and visual cues) should be used to facilitate the development of expressive language;

(3) When using a total communication approach, it is important that the sign language system be one that can be used simultaneously with spoken English (or other language spoken in the home) and that the child receives speech or language therapy to support and enhance speech production and oral communication;

(4) It is important for parents and professionals to recognize that the use of sign language should not interfere with oral language development; and

(5) When sign language is included as a communication strategy, it is important that the families, caregivers, and those working with a child learn the same signs and are encouraged to use the signs and that the signs and oral vocabulary being taught have practical, functional, and cultural value to the family; and

WHEREAS, despite the findings and recommendations outlined in the Department's 2007 report, the Department's existing procedures limit the provision of sign language interpretation services to children who are deaf or hard or hearing; and

WHEREAS, according to the findings and recommendations in the Department's 2007 report to the Legislature, students who are not deaf or hard of hearing should also receive instruction in sign language as part of a total communication program; and

WHEREAS, individuals are required to possess certain qualifications and certifications in order to serve as sign language interpreters for the Department, and there is a shortage of sign language interpreters available to assist students with disabilities in the State; and

WHEREAS, providing sign language interpreters in the Department with training to allow them to work with children who hear would apply the total communication approach to these children, providing them with a greater opportunity for learning; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, that the Department of Education is urged to establish appropriate requirements for individuals in the Department who provide instruction to children with disabilities, including both those who hear and those who are deaf or hard of hearing, to incorporate the use of sign language and other means of communication during instruction to enhance their students' learning; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is also urged to facilitate the professional development, training, and preparation of educational personnel, sign language interpreters, and other individuals involved with the instruction of children with disabilities, including both those who hear and those who are deaf or hard of hearing, through continuing education or other means, to use total communication and sign language skills during instruction; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Special Education Advisory Council, and the Hawaii Speech-Language-Hearing Association.