Indiana § 20-35-11-4 - Duties

§ 20-35-11-4. Duties

Sec. 4. (a) The center shall carry out the following duties in an unbiased manner to ensure that children who are deaf and children who are hard of hearing acquire optimal language skills and academic abilities, regardless of the mode of communication used:

(1) Observe and follow children who are deaf and hard of hearing from:

(A) birth through three (3) years of age, in collaboration with the early hearing detection and intervention program and the office of the secretary of family and social services; and

(B) three (3) years of age through twenty-one (21) years of age and who are enrolled or preparing to enroll in early intervention services, preschool, elementary, or secondary school, in collaboration with the department.

(2) Provide family support from birth through twenty-one (21) years of age by any of the following:

(A) Connecting families to existing public and private resources for information and services, which may include any of the following:

(i) First steps agencies.

(ii) Deaf mentors.

(iii) Interpreting agencies.

(iv) Hearing health care professionals.

(v) Educational professionals.

(B) Providing audiology assessments and management.

(C) Using family navigators.

Except for deaf mentor services, audiology services, and interpreter services, the center may not provide any direct therapy services.

(3) Develop and ensure comprehensive educational evaluations that:

(A) consider the full continuum of communication options; and

(B) make available the following professionals based on the needs of the individual child:

(i) A speech-language pathologist licensed under IC 25-35.6-3.

(ii) A school psychologist licensed by the department.

(iii) An occupational therapist licensed under IC 25-23.5.

(iv) A physical therapist licensed under IC 25-27.

(v) A certified listening and spoken language specialist.

(vi) An American Sign Language specialist, as defined by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

(vii) An audiologist licensed under IC 25-35.6-3.

(viii) A deaf educator licensed under IC 20-28-5.

(4) Assist professionals who provide students with sign language interpreting services.

(5) Provide consultation by qualified professionals to schools concerning students who are deaf and students who are hard of hearing, including classroom accommodations, instruction, acoustics, and other environmental aspects.

(6) Act as a liaison with all state agencies that provide services to individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, including the department, the Indiana department of health, the office of the secretary of family and social services, and the Indiana School for the Deaf.

(7) Beginning July 1, 2025, and every three (3) months thereafter, provide the Indiana department of health with aggregate data and metrics concerning the center's duties.

(b) The Indiana department of health shall post the following on the Indiana department of health's website:

(1) The data and metrics submitted by the center under subsection (a)(7).

(2) The center's current operational policies and procedures concerning the center's duties, as specified in this section.

As added by P.L.109-2012, SEC.16. Amended by P.L.56-2023, SEC.198; P.L.147-2023, SEC.33; P.L.143-2025, SEC.39.