HJ0001HAM001 LRB095 03798 DRJ 33296 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1

2     AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Joint Resolution 1 by
3 replacing everything after the title with the following:
 
4     "WHEREAS, The provision of a free appropriate public
5 education (FAPE) for a student with hearing loss can only occur
6 with full communication access to education; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Full communication access depends upon a
8 language-rich environment that fosters age-appropriate
9 communication and language development, utilizes
10 language-proficient educational staff, and provides for direct
11 communication with staff and peers; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing
13 face unique and significant barriers related to language and
14 communication that profoundly affect most aspects of the
15 educational process; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Attending to a student's communication needs and
2 language development is a vital prerequisite for access to
3 educational opportunities that lead to literacy and academic
4 achievement; therefore, be it
 
5     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
7 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Joint Task
8 Force on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Options, consisting
9 of fifteen members appointed as follows: the Speaker of the
10 House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of
11 Representatives, President of the Senate, and Minority Leader
12 of the Senate shall each appoint one member; the Illinois Deaf
13 and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Illinois State Board of
14 Education, the Illinois Department of Human Services-Early
15 Intervention, the Illinois Department of Human
16 Services-Illinois School for the Deaf, and the Illinois
17 Department of Public Health-Newborn Hearing Screening Program
18 shall each appoint one member; and additionally, the Illinois
19 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission shall appoint an additional
20 6 members from various agencies serving the deaf and hard of
21 hearing population; and be it further
 
22     RESOLVED, That all members of the Task Force shall serve
23 without compensation; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That all members of the Communication Options
2 Committee established by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
3 Commission with the collaboration of the State Board of
4 Education shall continue in their representation on the Joint
5 Task Force on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Options; and
6 be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That the Task Force can appoint members as it
8 sees fit to serve as representatives of the deaf and hard of
9 hearing population of Illinois or parents of children with
10 hearing loss representing each of the following communication
11 options: Oral/aural, Cued Speech, Total Communication,
12 American Sign Language, and tactile sign language; and be it
13 further
 
14     RESOLVED, That the duty of the Task Force is to undertake a
15 comprehensive and thorough review of education and services
16 available to the deaf or hard of hearing children in Illinois
17 with the intent of making recommendations that would recognize
18 communication as fundamental to a deaf or hard of hearing
19 child's most basic of needs; ensure communication-driven
20 service delivery of the early intervention system and the
21 public education system with programs and services addressing
22 the unique communication needs of each child through
23 communication assessment, development, and access; establish

 

 

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1 uniform methods and procedures within the early intervention
2 system and the public education system that shall be non-biased
3 and well-informed when sharing information with children and
4 their families on the available communication options and
5 community resource awareness; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That the Task Force, working with the Illinois
7 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Illinois State Board
8 of Education, the Early Intervention System, the Illinois
9 School for the Deaf, and the Newborn Hearing Screening Program,
10 shall assist those entities in developing interagency
11 agreements and programs and procedures regarding universal,
12 early identification of hearing loss and effective interface
13 between medical and educational services; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That the Illinois State Board of Education, the
15 Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois Deaf
16 and Hard of Hearing Commission shall collectively administer
17 and prepare all reports deemed necessary in conjunction with
18 the Task Force actively; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That the Task Force may request assistance from
20 any entity necessary or useful for the performance of its
21 duties; and be it further
 
22     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall issue a report with its

 

 

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1 recommendations to the General Assembly on or before December
2 31, 2007.".