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91_SB1126
LRB9101756SMsbA
1 AN ACT regarding deaf and hard of hearing children.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Bill of Rights for Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
6 Act.
7 Section 5. Findings. In order to ensure that children
8 who are deaf or hard of hearing have the same rights and
9 potential to become independent and self-actualizing as
10 children who are not deaf or hard of hearing and consistent
11 with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at 20
12 USC 1414(d)(3)(B)(iv), the Bill of Rights for Children who
13 are Deaf and Hard of Hearing is established.
14 Section 10. Definition. "Communication mode and
15 language" means the individual child's communication mode or
16 language, whether oral, manual or a combination of oral and
17 manual modes including but not limited to:
18 (1) American Sign Language.
19 (2) English-based manual or sign systems.
20 (3) Oral, Aural or Speech-based training.
21 Section 15. Education. It is essential for the
22 well-being and growth of deaf and hard of hearing children
23 that educational programs recognize the unique nature of
24 deafness and ensure that all deaf and hard of hearing
25 children have appropriate, ongoing, and fully accessible
26 educational opportunities. It is essential that deaf and
27 hard of hearing children, like all children, have an
28 education in which their unique communication mode is
29 respected and utilized to develop literacy and writing skills
-2- LRB9101756SMsbA
1 to an appropriate level of proficiency.
2 Section 20. Essentials for deaf and hard of hearing
3 children. The General Assembly recognizes that it is
4 essential for the well-being and educational and emotional
5 growth of children who are deaf and hard of hearing to have:
6 (1) Early identification services which identify
7 children with hearing losses as early in life as possible and
8 which result in prompt referrals to informational resources
9 linking children and parents to appropriate services which
10 should also include identification of communication mode and
11 communication proficiency.
12 (2) Early intervention services, including the child's
13 communication mode, appropriate language skills, and parent
14 education provided by professionals who are trained and
15 certified in the field of deaf and hard of hearing and who
16 are proficient in the primary language or communication mode
17 used by the children.
18 (3) Educational placement from early childhood through
19 high school within programs which recognize the unique nature
20 of deafness and which are appropriate to the children's needs
21 including social, emotional, cultural, age, hearing loss,
22 academic level, modes of communication, style of learning,
23 motivational level, and family support.
24 (4) Educational programs in which teachers,
25 interpreters, early intervention specialists, diagnosticians,
26 supervisors, and others involved in the educational process
27 understand the unique nature of deafness, are proficient in
28 the child's communication mode, are trained and certified in
29 the field, and are proficient in the primary language or
30 communication mode used by the children. Program
31 administrators must have knowledge of the educational issues
32 and related services pertaining to educational programs for
33 children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
-3- LRB9101756SMsbA
1 (5) Educational programs which provide screening and
2 assessment tools and procedures used in the children's
3 language or communication mode by qualified, certified
4 evaluators.
5 (6) Educational programs in which the children's
6 language or communication modes are respected, used, and
7 developed to an appropriate level of proficiency to ensure
8 comprehension and growth.
9 (7) Educational programs which provide ongoing
10 opportunities for the children to have direct interaction and
11 communication with other deaf or hard of hearing children
12 including a critical mass of peers who are age appropriate
13 and have similar cognitive abilities.
14 (8) Educational programs which facilitate parental
15 advocacy and informed participation in the decision making
16 process relating to and affecting their child's education by
17 providing the parent or legal guardian with appropriate
18 information concerning all available programs, options, and
19 services.
20 (9) Full and equal access to all programs within the
21 children's educational setting.
22 (10) The opportunity to benefit from deaf or hard of
23 hearing role models from within the deaf community and to be
24 exposed to their contributions to society.
25 (11) External support and related services appropriate
26 to the children's needs provided by professionals who are
27 qualified, appropriately trained, or certified and able to
28 communicate proficiently in the language or communication
29 mode utilized by the children either directly or through the
30 use of an interpreter.