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HJ0001 |
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LRB095 03798 KXB 23828 r |
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| HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The provision of a free appropriate public |
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| education (FAPE) for a student with hearing loss can only occur |
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| with full communication access to education; and
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| WHEREAS, Full communication access depends upon a |
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| language-rich environment that fosters age-appropriate |
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| communication and language development, utilizes |
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| language-proficient educational staff, and provides for direct |
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| communication with staff and peers; and
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| WHEREAS, Children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing |
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| face unique and significant barriers related to language and |
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| communication that profoundly affect most aspects of the |
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| educational process; and
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| WHEREAS, Attending to a student's communication needs and |
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| language development is a vital prerequisite for access to |
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| educational opportunities that lead to literacy and academic |
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| achievement; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE |
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| SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Joint Task |
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| Force on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Options, consisting |
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HJ0001 |
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LRB095 03798 KXB 23828 r |
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| of fifteen members appointed as follows: the Speaker of the |
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| House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of |
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| Representatives, President of the Senate, and Minority Leader |
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| of the Senate shall each appoint one member; the following |
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| entities shall each appoint one member: the Illinois Deaf and |
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| Hard of Hearing Commission, the Illinois State Board of |
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| Education, the Illinois Supervisors of Programs for |
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| Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, the Helen Keller |
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| National Center, the Early Intervention System, the Hearing and |
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| Vision Connections, the Illinois School for the Deaf, the |
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| Illinois Hands and Voices parent organization, and the Newborn |
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| Hearing Screening Program; the Deaf Education Program in |
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| Illinois at MacMurray College and the Illinois State University |
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| shall each appoint one member; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That all members of the Task Force shall serve |
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| without compensation; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That all members of the Communication Options |
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| Committee established by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
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| Commission with the collaboration of the State Board of |
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| Education shall continue in their representation on the Joint |
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| Task Force on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Options; and |
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| be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force can appoint members as it |
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HJ0001 |
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LRB095 03798 KXB 23828 r |
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| sees fit to serve as representatives of the deaf and hard of |
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| hearing population of Illinois or parents of children with |
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| hearing loss representing each of the following communication |
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| options: Oral/aural, Cued Speech, Total Communication, and |
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| American Sign Language; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the duty of the Task Force is to undertake a |
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| comprehensive and thorough review of education and services |
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| available to the deaf or hard of hearing children in Illinois |
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| with the intent of making recommendations that would recognize |
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| communication as fundamental to a deaf or hard of hearing |
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| child's most basic of needs; ensure communication-driven |
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| service delivery of the early intervention system and the |
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| public education system with programs and services addressing |
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| the unique communication needs of each child through |
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| communication assessment, development, and access; establish |
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| uniform methods and procedures within the early intervention |
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| system and the public education system that shall be non-biased |
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| and well-informed when sharing information with children and |
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| their families on the available communication options and |
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| community resource awareness; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force, working with the Illinois |
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| Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Illinois State Board |
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| of Education, the Early Intervention System, the Illinois |
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| School for the Deaf, and the Newborn Hearing Screening Program, |
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HJ0001 |
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LRB095 03798 KXB 23828 r |
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| shall assist those entities in developing interagency |
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| agreements and programs and procedures regarding universal, |
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| early identification of hearing loss and effective interface |
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| between medical and educational services; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force may request assistance from |
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| any entity necessary or useful for the performance of its |
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| duties; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall issue a report with its |
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| recommendations to the General Assembly on or before December |
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| 31, 2007.
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