STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3484

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 238

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 238, S.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION AND THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO FORM A WORKING GROUP TO ASSESS WHETHER CHILDREN IN HAWAII WHO ARE DEAF OR SEVERELY HARD OF HEARING AND WHO CHOOSE THE AURAL/ORAL ROUTE OF COMMUNICATION RECEIVE PROPER TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO LEARN SPOKEN LANGUAGE SKILLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to ensure that proper training, support, and educational accommodations are available for children in Hawaii who are deaf or severely hard of hearing.

     Specifically, this measure requests the Superintendent of Education and the Director of Health to convene a working group to assess whether deaf and severely hard of hearing children using aural or oral communication receive proper training, support, and educational accommodations required by federal law.  This measure also requests the working group to review the:

(1)  Transition process from the Department of Health to the Department of Education for the purposes of following the progress of deaf and severely hard of hearing children;

(2)  Recruitment process for properly trained teachers;

(3)  Possibility of hiring an experienced oral speech therapy teacher to fill the gap in training during the hiring process for permanent oral therapy teachers; and

(4)  Possibility of covering the insurance cost of families who use telehealth services to receive oral speech therapy lessons.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from two individuals.  Written comments in opposition to this measure were received from the Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind Alumni Club.

     Your Committee finds that proper training for very young children with hearing problems who use hearing aids or cochlear implants can help these children develop normal hearing and speaking skills.  However, there may be a shortage of resources available to provide the necessary spoken language training for children with auditory problems.  Your Committee finds that establishing a working group to examine whether deaf or severely hard of hearing children are receiving the proper auditory training and educational accommodations is a necessary step in fulfilling federal health care and educational requirements for children who are deaf or severely hard of hearing.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 238, S.D. 1, and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair