STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1368

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 6

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Education and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 6 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM TO RECRUIT AND EMPLOY QUALIFIED BLIND PERSONS TO SERVE AS ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY INSTRUCTORS AND IN OTHER POSITIONS AS TEACHERS OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Education to develop and implement a program designed to recruit and employ qualified blind professionals to serve as orientation and mobility instructors and in other positions as teachers of visually impaired students.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board, National Federation of the Blind Hawaii, and six individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

 

     Your Committees find that for decades, Structured Discovery Cane Travel has been empowering blind children and adults across the United States, helping them build confidence and feelings of self-respect as they move safely from place to place.  For the teaching of orientation and mobility, the Department of Education has no employees who hold the National Orientation and Mobility Certification credential and until recently would only accept the Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) certification from the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals.  The COMS certification gives the Department of Education the personnel resources to provide vision-centered orientation and mobility services but not personnel qualified or capable to teach the structured discovery approach.  Of the two recognized training methods, adherents to the structured discovery approach emphasize employing blind instructors, while adherents to the vision-centered approach emphasize instructors who can see, resulting in diminished employment opportunities for qualified blind persons.  This measure urges the Department of Education to develop and implement a program to recruit and employ qualified blind professionals to provide more opportunities for blind instructors in the workforce while providing opportunities for self-improvement to vision impaired students.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 6 and recommend its adoption.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Human Services,

 

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

 

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair