Vermont § 1602 - Vermont Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind Advisory Council

§ 1602. Vermont Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind Advisory Council

• (a) Creation; purpose. There is created a Vermont Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Advisory Council to
  promote diversity, equality, awareness, and access among individuals who are Deaf,
  Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. (b) Membership. The Advisory Council shall consist of the following members: (1) 16 members of the public, appointed by the Governor in a manner that ensures geographically
  diverse membership, including: (A) nine or fewer members who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind, provided each population
  is represented and that if a member represents an organization for persons who are
  Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind, no other member on the Advisory Council shall
  also represent that organization; (B) two members who are each a parent or guardian of a child who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing,
  or DeafBlind; (C) two members who serve persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind in a professional
  capacity, provided that these members do not represent the same organization; (D) a professional deaf-education specialist who understands all communication and language
  modes; (E) a professional interpreter; and (F) an audiologist or hard-of-hearing education specialist; (2) the Senior Counselor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department’s Division
  of Vocational Rehabilitation or designee; (3) the Secretary of Education or designee; (4) the Secretary of Human Services or designee; (5) the director of the Department for Children and Families’ Children’s Integrated Services
  or designee; (6) the director of the Vermont Early Detection and Intervention Project; (7) a representative of the Vermont Association of the Deaf; (8) a representative of the Vermont chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America; (9) a superintendent, selected by the Vermont Superintendents Association; (10) a special education administrator, selected by the Vermont Council of Special Education
  Administrators; and (11) a representative of the Vermont chapter of Hands and Voices. (c) Powers and duties. (1) The Advisory Council shall assess the services, resources, and opportunities available
  to children in the State who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. It may consider
  and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on the following: (A) the educational rights of children who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind, including
  full communication and language access in all educational environments and accessibility
  of qualified teachers, interpreters, and paraprofessionals; (B) appropriate and ongoing educational opportunities that recognize each child’s unique
  learning needs, including access to a sufficient number of communication or language
  mode peers and exposure to adult role models who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind; (C) adequate family supports that promote both early development of communication skills
  and informed participation by parents and guardians in the education of their children; (D) identification of all losses of or reductions in services arising from the closures
  of the Austine School for the Deaf and the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of
  Hearing and evaluation of the adequacy of existing services and resources, as well
  as identification of those resources not currently available, adequate, or accessible
  to children; (E) opportunities to restore and expand educational opportunities to children in the State
  who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind and their families; and (F) appropriate data collection and reporting requirements concerning students with disabilities. (2) The Advisory Council shall assess the services, resources, and opportunities available
  to adults and elders in the State who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. It
  may consider and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on
  the following: (A) the needs of and opportunities for adults and elders within the State who are Deaf,
  Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind and their families; (B) the adequacy and systemic coordination of existing services and resources for adults
  and elders throughout the State who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind and their
  families; (C) proposed legislation and administrative rules pertaining to adults and elders who
  are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind; and (D) delivery models in other states as a point of comparison for the adequacy and systemic
  coordination of Vermont’s existing services and resources for adults and elders who
  are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. (d) Assistance. The Advisory Council shall have the administrative, technical, and legal assistance
  of the Agencies of Education and of Human Services. The Advisory Council and Department
  may consult with national experts on education of persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing,
  or DeafBlind as necessary to fulfill their obligations under this section. (e) Reports. On or before January 15 of each year, notwithstanding 2 V.S.A. § 20(d), the Advisory Council shall submit a written report to the Senate and House Committees
  on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Human
  Services, and the Governor with any findings and recommendations. A reading of each
  report shall be video recorded using ASL to ensure accessibility. (f) Appointments; meetings. (1) The Commissioner of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living shall convene the
  first meeting of the Advisory Council on or before July 1, 2016 and shall select interpreting
  services, computer assisted captioning in real time (CART), or FM listening systems
  for the meeting if a member so requests. (2) At its first meeting, the Advisory Council shall elect a chair and vice chair. (3) The Chair shall select interpreting services, CART, or FM listening systems for any
  Advisory Council meeting if a member so requests. (4) The Advisory Council may meet up to eight times each year to perform its functions
  under this section. The Secretaries of Education and of Human Services may jointly
  authorize additional meetings. (5) The Advisory Council may organize its members into subcommittees to carry out the
  purposes of this section, including subcommittees designed to address specific age
  groups within the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind population. (g) Reimbursement. (1) Members of the Advisory Council who are not State employees or otherwise compensated
  or reimbursed for their attendance shall be entitled to per diem compensation and
  reimbursement of expenses pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 1010, payable by the Department. (2) The Agency of Human Services shall pay for interpreting services, CART, or FM listening
  systems necessary to conduct all Advisory Council meetings. (3) The Agency of Education, Department of Health, and Department of Disabilities, Aging,
  and Independent Living shall share costs for interpreting services, CART, or FM listening
  systems necessary to conduct all Advisory Council subcommittee meetings. (Added 2015, No. 107 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 12, 2016; amended 2019, No. 128 (Adj. Sess.), § 20; 2023, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § E.329, eff. July 1, 2024.)