STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2095-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.C.R. No. 1

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM TO RECRUIT AND EMPLOY QUALIFIED BLIND PERSONS TO SERVE AS ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY INSTRUCTORS, AND IN OTHER POSITIONS, AS TEACHERS OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to urge the Department of Education to develop and implement an affirmative action program, to the extent permitted by law, designed to recruit and employ qualified blind professionals to serve as orientation and mobility instructors and in other positions as teachers of visually impaired students.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board, Hawaii State Committee of Blind Vendors, National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, and twelve individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that the National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC) is a credentialing process administered by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board and includes training for teaching Structured Discovery Cane Travel, which has empowered blind children and adults across the United States for decades. Your Committee further finds that, historically, the Department of Education has not employed NOMC credentialed professionals to teach matters of orientation and mobility to blind students. Your Committee believes that an affirmative action program to recruit and employ qualified blind professionals can be effective in educating students with disabilities and serve as a powerful example for these students by letting them know that their disability need not be a barrier to employment.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments to its title; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 1, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair