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NAD Urges Attendance at IDEA Public Meetings
By advocacy | May 31, 2007
The U.S Department of Education is holding public meetings about proposed new rules for “Part C†of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). “Part C†applies to early intervention programs for infants and toddlers (birth through age two) who are deaf or hard of hearing.
One of these meetings may be in your area. If the meeting is in your area, please attend.
At these public meetings, you can sign up to present comments in person and/or in writing.
Share this information with other people in these communities and ask them to attend one of these public meetings:
1. Monday, June 4, 2007, 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Portland, Oregon – Embassy Suites Hotel Portland Airport (Pine & Spruce Room), 7900 Northeast 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR.
2. Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Metro Technology Centers (Auditorium), 1900 Springlake Drive, Oklahoma City, OK
3. Monday, June 11, 2007, 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana Government Center South Conference Center (Auditorium), 402 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN.
4. Thursday, June 14, 2007, 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Washington, DC – Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.
Sign language interpreters will be provided. For more information on these meetings please contact Katherine Race, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, telephone (202) 245-6443.
Some things you can tell the U.S. Department of Education
1. Introduce yourself. Name any deafness-related organizations you are a member of. Explain why you are interested in early intervention programs for babies and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
2. Today, more deaf and hard of hearing children are being identified early, in the first few months of life. These infants and toddlers, and their families, are enrolling in early intervention programs. Describe the successes and challenges you have seen in early intervention programs. The Department will benefit from learning more about deaf and hard of hearing children and the best ways to serve them.
3. Thank the Department for specifically mentioning the needs of deaf and hard of hearing children in the proposed new rules, especially in relation to the list of early intervention services that includes sign language, cued language, and oral language; and the definition of special educators that includes teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children.
4. However, note that some clarification is needed to describe how to provide sign language services to children and families. It must be clear that sign language services are not speech-language pathology services, and speech-language pathologists are not qualified to provide sign language services. Speech-language pathologists have no training or expertise in sign language. Sign language services must be provided by teachers of the deaf and/or other qualified personnel with the knowledge and experience necessary to provide sign language services.
5. The new rules for “Part C†should include the “special factors†provisions similar to the “special factors†provisions in Part B of IDEA (for children age 3 and above). The “special factors†provision addresses the language and communication needs of deaf and hard of hearing children.
6. Add any comments you think are important to help serve infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. Thank the Department for the opportunity to comment.
To learn more about the proposed new rules, go to http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/part-c/nprm/index.html
Please let the NAD know about your experiences at these meetings. Write to us at www.nad.org/contactus.
Thanks for all you do to help children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
Topics: General |
May 31st, 2007 at 8:02 pm
What’s going on with No. 3? I do not think the NAD needs to thank the Department of Education for including cued language and oral language to the early intervention services!
This is disgrace.
R-
June 1st, 2007 at 12:39 am
Cued speech and Oralism is not a language. Its plain mumbo jumbo. I stand behind ASL! ASL are encouraged and highly praised for being taught to hearing babies, it definitely is the right thing to teach deaf babies too.
June 1st, 2007 at 1:12 am
We should tell the Dept. of Education about AGBell’s discriminatory attitude of banning sign language and stop preaching oral only philosophy in early intervention to parents of deaf child which hinders their need to have communication learning language which is ASL.
Dept of Education should investigate AGBell’s eugenic language philosophy now!
John F. Egbert, author of MindField book
June 1st, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Please make sure that all graduate students are required to pass second language, America Sign Language, before they can major in Deaf Education. It is heartbroken that Deaf Education at Texas Tech University does NOT REQUIRE graduate deaf education major to learn ASL. It would still damage the avenue of true language of America Sign Language. How can a deaf student acheive in his or her education if a deaf education teacher do not know ASL or just basic signed language and lack in Deaf Culture and that is NOT an equal access at all?? It is saddened to see that the practice is still carrying on all over the United States. This got to stop! Put it into a legal law that all deaf education major graduate must learn and know ASL and Deaf Culture. Thank you for listening.
Nina M. Moore
Grad Part Time Instructor
TTU
June 4th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Will NAD be sending regional representatives to these IDEA meetings?