2017 -- H 5668

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LC001286

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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J O I N T   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AN EARLY

INTERVENTION SYSTEM FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN IN RHODE

ISLAND

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Handy, Nardolillo, Vella-Wilkinson, Carson, and
Amore

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2017

     Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Island is the first state in the nation to mandate that a universal

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newborn hearing screening be provided to infants before they are discharged from the hospital;

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and

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     WHEREAS, Parents learn that their child is either deaf or hard of hearing through this

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screening and follow-up appointment with their audiologist to confirm a diagnosis of deafness;

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and

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     WHEREAS, After parents learn of their child's diagnosis of deafness confirmed by their

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audiologist, they should receive the early intervention services as early as possible; and

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     WHEREAS, A wealth of scholarly research on early language acquisition shows that

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children who are deaf and hard of hearing have the same learning abilities as those children who

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are hearing when provided with early language exposure; and

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     WHEREAS, Parents of deaf and hard of hearing children deserve to receive adequate

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resources to support their child's language and modality development as early as possible; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Education and the Early Intervention

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Program under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services do not have ready and

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appropriate resources to support parents' Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) in a timely

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manner; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Education and the Early Intervention

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Program under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services have not been able to produce

 

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data results for supports and improvements that children who are deaf or hard of hearing need for

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tracking purposes to enhance their programs, services, and expectations/milestones; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Education and the Early Intervention

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Program under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services do not have language

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acquisition tools to ensure that children's language(s) is acquired at the age appropriate level

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among a general population in both American Sign Language, and English or one of these

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languages (American Sign Language or English), or other language that is used in any approved

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early childhood educational programs by the Rhode Island Department of Education; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Education and the Early Intervention

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Program under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services need to create a clear

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partnership in collaboration and commitment to create resources and/or to update their resources

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to meet parents' and children's needs for language acquisition and modality development, and to

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ensure that the transition from the early intervention program to a pre-school program is smooth

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and efficient; and

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     WHEREAS, Each early intervention center in Rhode Island is operating its programs and

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services independently. The availability of resources specifically for parents whose child is deaf

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or hard of hearing varies between the centers. The factsheets and information may be shared with

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parents shall dispel any myths and misinformation about language acquisition and development;

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and

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     WHEREAS, There is no provision or preventive measure to detect children who

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experience hearing loss after the universal newborn hearing screening exam was passed until the

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age of three; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created

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consisting of twenty-four (24) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the Senate, not

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more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;

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three (3) of whom shall be members of the House of Representatives, not more than two (2) from

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the same political party, to be appointed by the Speaker of House; one of whom shall be the

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President of the Rhode Island Chapter of Hands and Voices, or designee; one of whom shall be

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the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Parent Information Network, or designee; one of

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whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Association of the Deaf, or designee; one of

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whom shall be the President of the Hearing Loss Association of Rhode Island, or designee; one of

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whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf, or designee; one of whom

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shall be the Executive Director of the Northern Rhode Island Collaborative, or designee; one of

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whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or

 

LC001286 - Page 2 of 5

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designee; one of whom shall be the President of the American Sign Language Teachers

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Association, or designee; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Rhode Island

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Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or designee; one of whom shall be the

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Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Education, or designee; one of whom shall be

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the Coordinator of the Rhode Island Early Hearing Detection and Intervention within the Rhode

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Island Department of Health, to be appointed by the Director of the Rhode Island Department of

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Health; one of whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island Hearing Assessment Program, or

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designee; one of whom shall be a representative of the Early Intervention Center, to be appointed

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by the President of Family Service of Rhode Island; one of whom shall be the Director of

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Perspectives Corporation's children program, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of

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the Early Intervention program under the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human

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Services, or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Chapter of

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Alexander G. Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or designee; one of whom shall

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be a bilingual development professional, to be appointed by the Speaker of House; and one of

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whom shall be a child psychological professional, to be appointed by the President of the Senate.

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     In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory

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commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly

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resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu

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of a legislator, provided that the majority leader or the minority leader of the political party which

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is entitled to the appointment consents to the appointment of the member of the general public.

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     The purpose of said commission shall be as follows:

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     • To have a comprehensive study on the early intervention services in Rhode Island

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specifically for children who are deaf or hard of hearing;

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     • To identify the challenges and gaps that parents experience in the first three (3) years of

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life of children who are deaf or hard of hearing;

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     • To identify the gaps of resources including personnel, expertise, professionals, and

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services for either or both languages of English and American Sign Language and to ensure that

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visual and audio supplements to either language are available in Rhode Island;

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     • To create an effective protocol to ensure that information provided by early intervention

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professionals is updated and balanced and will be shared with parents;

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     • To create or expand a centralized resource for all parents of children who are deaf or

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hard of hearing; and

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     • To present findings and recommendations for viable solutions concerning parents

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whose child is deaf or hard of hearing.

 

LC001286 - Page 3 of 5

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     Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at

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the call of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House and organize. The President

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of the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall each select one member to serve as co-

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chairpersons of the commission.

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     Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.

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     The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

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     All municipalities, departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and

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information, documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed

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necessary or desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution.

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     The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide

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suitable quarters for said commission; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

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General Assembly on or before February 1, 2018 and said commission shall expire on June 30,

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2018.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

J O I N T   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AN EARLY

INTERVENTION SYSTEM FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN IN RHODE

ISLAND

***

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     This resolution would create a twenty-four (24) member special legislative commission

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whose purpose it would be to make a comprehensive study of an early intervention system for

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deaf or hard of hearing children in Rhode Island, and who would report back to the General

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Assembly on or before February 1, 2018, and said commission would expire on June 30, 2018.

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