HB 111-EDUCATION FOR DEAF & HEARING IMPAIRED  8:05:03 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 111, "An Act relating to public school students who are deaf or have a hearing impairment." [Before the committee, adopted as the work draft on 4/24/23, was the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 111, Version 33- LS0504\S, Marx, 4/22/23, Version S.] 8:05:42 CLARA BALDWIN, representing self, gave invited testimony in support of HB 111. [Ms. Baldwin signed her testimony, which was spoken by an ASL interpreter.] She provided her background in overseeing the Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AKSDHH) and related that she is deaf. The reason she is here today, she said, is that she was born in a deaf family, which is rare. She shared that she is a fifth-generation deaf person, which can be seen as an advantage, although she indicated there is nothing wrong with a baby born to a family who does not know sign language. She relayed that every deaf child is unique. She acknowledged that from birth, she had an advantage in that her parents were signing to her; therefore, she learned social cues long before school began. Deaf children who do not have that advantage must catch up starting in kindergarten, but schools are not able to provide a full grade curriculum. The proposed bill, she advised, would make deaf and hard of hearing children's presence known and show that Alaska "has their back." She reiterated that she had been privileged and now wants the same for every deaf and hard of hearing student and future generations in Alaska to have an accessible experience, which would start with HB 111. 8:10:21 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD invited questions from the committee. 8:10:31 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT directed a question to Ms. Baldwin's interpreter. [The interpreter, who was not fully identified for the record, spoke briefly about the qualifications of interpreters.] 8:12:08 AM REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked Ms. Baldwin to speak on AKSDHH and her experiences there. 8:12:38 AM MS. BALDWIN responded that she is very proud of the school, which currently is a self-contained program in a public school building. She said it allows students to learn social skills with their hearing peers during recess and during some special classes. Counseling services are offered through a deaf counselor, as well as additional language services to train students appropriately. She added that ages 3 to 22 are currently served, which includes the adult community transition program. There are leadership opportunities for students, clubs, theater, fundraising training, and every student can engage in after school sports with their hearing peers. She noted that interpreters are provided throughout. 8:15:15 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked Ms. Baldwin whether she felt the bill would open up more doors. MS. BALDWIN replied, "Yes, yes, definitely." 8:15:41 AM REPRESENTATIVE STORY questioned how the state is doing with the availability of interpreters for all students. MS. BALDWIN replied that the state has an interpreter shortage. Additionally, some people are getting ready to retire and transition. The state has the minimum requirements, but she said she wants more. She stated that her interpreter today is also a program coordinator who hires and supervises all of the interpreters and, through partnering with an agency, now has five interns from the Lower 48. In response to a follow-up question, she said there is a shortage in the area of interpreters as a result of the challenge of scheduling and serving such a vast state. 8:18:55 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT referenced children in rural Alaska and recognized that there are more choices that must be made. She asked whether it is more important for a student to be amongst their family, peers, and culture, or more important to be in the special school in Anchorage. She asked Ms. Baldwin whether, if the bill addresses what the "least restrictive environment" is, a child would have to leave their community and go to Anchorage. 8:20:05 AM MS. BALDWIN replied that there is a program called Rural Deaf Support Services (RDSS), which finds host families that provide licensed foster homes, and there are many different families that qualify. She clarified that the bill would not force a student to have to attend the school in Anchorage. She added that virtual services are available if, for example, a student comes to Anchorage from rural Alaska and finds that the school is not for them. In addition, there is an annual statewide deaf retreat in Eagle River, Alaska, for secondary students and above which provides an opportunity to meet peers in person and then go back to their respective villages. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT stated that her concern is with the designation of "least restrictive environment", which carries legal weight. She asked Ms. Baldwin whether the bill would still work if something other than that term were used. 8:22:47 AM MS. BALDWIN replied that there are two different perspectives. She stated it can be narrowed down, and that the bill could be amended. 8:23:08 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX observed there must be alternatives other than ASL for "least restrictive." He questioned what may be available. MS. BALDWIN replied that students can be mainstream, and some students thrive with just hearing aids. She said she prefers a sign language interpreter, whereas some students thrive sitting near the teacher where they have access to auditory input. 8:24:26 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked about the services provided to other municipalities compared to the school in Anchorage and how the bill would help in that aspect. MS. BALDWIN explained that other schools are smaller and more isolated than AKSDHH. She said the bill would make the school more known and provide the ability to reach out further, in addition to providing virtual services. She stated she has opportunities to travel to other municipalities to support their schools in hopes of informing everyone statewide that they have the help of AKSDHH. CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked whether the proposed legislation is an incentive to encourage other interpreters to come forward because the state is offering more support. MS. BALDWIN agreed. She added that the deaf community is a small community, but it can make a huge impact. 8:26:45 AM REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked what support the school district may provide for parents to learn sign language. MS. BALDWIN replied that a sign language class is offered, and there is frequent communication with parents regarding their child's individual education plan (IEP). 8:28:44 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX brought up the term "profoundly deaf" and asked whether ASL was the only alternative. MS. BALDWIN replied she was not sure. She said that some individuals that are considered profoundly deaf can speak very clearly with repetition and training behind them. 8:29:28 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD offered a personal example of a friend and asked whether Ms. Baldwin could speak on his situation. In addition, she explained that she uses a coil that is integrated into her phone and hearing aids and asked Ms. Baldwin to speak on what a coil means. MS. BALDWIN replied that the individual in question can speak as well as being fluent in sign language. She explained that sometimes, if it is, for example, a big room with a lot of stimuli, that individual will depend on the interpreter for the competing noise. In response to a follow-up question, she spoke about the use of coils providing sound to those hard of hearing or deaf. 8:32:10 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD opened public testimony on HB 111. 8:32:31 AM PAMELA MUELLER-GUY, representing self, testified in support of HB 111, noting that she has been [in Juneau] since 1974. She said she agrees with what the lady said - "excellent." She spoke about her experience as a deaf person in school, relating that her teacher wore a microphone and she wore headphones, someone would point to the person talking, and she could learn by reading lips. She talked about words having five different meanings in sign language and about parents learning to sign. She said video phones are helpful to deaf people working at jobs that use the telephone. In response to Co-Chair Allard, she confirmed that she supports HB 111. 8:38:59 AM HEIDI LIEB-WILLIAMS, Chair, Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education, Department of Health (DOH), testified in support of HB 111. She explained she is a strong advocate for the autism and disability community. She informed the committee that she is functionally deaf and hard of hearing; it depends on the moment whether she has her hearing or not. She shared that she has undergone hundreds of ear surgeries to get the hearing she currently has, and recently, she almost lost the hearing she has. She said she wished she knew ASL to help her with communication, and she described some of the difficulties she has endured due to communication barriers. She stated she is working on getting hearing aids, and the reason HB 111 is so important is so parents can choose for their child, instead of just relying on the districts. She urged the committee to pass HB 111. 8:45:05 AM AMY BOBICH, representing self, testified in support of HB 111. [Ms. Bobich signed her testimony, which was spoken by an ASL interpreter.] She explained she is both a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing children and a deaf individual. She said she was born deaf but her parents did not find out until later; therefore, she did not learn any language until later. Her family made the decisions on how she could best get her education and how she could access information, she said. She stressed the importance of access to language for deaf children, as there are many opportunities missed during the first five years of life. She opined that parents should not have to fight to receive the information and resources for their deaf children, and HB 111 is "amazing and powerful" because all the resources would be provided in one place and would be accessible. 8:50:20 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD, after ascertaining there was no one else who wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 111. 8:50:45 AM MS. BALDWIN thanked the committee for letting her have the platform today and encouraged anyone to reach out with questions. 8:51:18 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD announced that HB 111 was held over.