STAND. COM. REP. NO. 305

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 1579

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1579 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure the right of blind and visually impaired children to learn to read and write.

The Disability and Communications Access Board, National Federation of the Blind, and fifteen individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Department of Education (DOE) testified in opposition to the measure.

Your Committee finds that the ability to read and write and to have access to information is critical to the education of the blind and visually impaired, and to the development of their independent living skills. Therefore, blind and visually impaired children should be taught to read and write in a format that is accessible to them and in accordance with certain standards of competency and instruction.

This measure addresses the educational needs of blind and visually impaired children by establishing the right of a blind or visually impaired child to be instructed in braille if it is determined to be appropriate by the child's individualized education program (IEP) team. Additionally, this measure establishes standards for the IEP of a blind or visually impaired child, requires that vendors provide educational materials in a computer-accessible format capable of braille reproduction, and requires that teachers certified in the instruction of blind and visually impaired children be competent in braille.

Your Committee finds that a blind or visually impaired student's need for braille instruction should be determined on an individualized, case by case basis. Your Committee further finds that since the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board is responsible for establishing licensing and credentialing standards for public school teachers, standards for determining proficiency in braille should be established by the Board.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure:

(1) By deleting language that indicates that braille instruction is mandatory; and

(2) To require that teachers of the blind and visually impaired be certified under standards established by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, rather than under standards adopted by the National Library Service of the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress.

Additionally, your Committee has made technical, nonsubstantive amendments to the measure for purposes of clarity and consistency, and to reflect preferred drafting style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1579, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1579, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair