STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2079

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: S.B. No. 2732

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2732 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BLIND PERSONS' AND LITERACY RIGHTS AND EDUCATION ACT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that the individualized education program of each blind or visually impaired child includes provisions for instruction in braille and the use of braille appropriate to the child's current and future literary needs.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, the Department of Human Services, the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, Hawaii Centers for Independent Living, the Hoopono Advisory Board, and ten private individuals. Testimony in opposition was received from the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

Your Committee finds that increased braille instruction is necessary to build the literacy skills of blind and visually-impaired children so that they may be better equipped to compete with their counterparts with sight.

The measure has been amended to reflect all the changes proposed by the Department of Education, which suggested omitting the "computer-accessible format capable of braille reproduction" language, clarified the necessary documentation required for each individualized education program, and substituted the certification authority for braille literacy for ESLL teachers.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2732, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. 2732, 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 and Military Affairs,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair