POSSIBLE
ELIMINATION OF Missouri Commission for the Deaf
On Thursday, 3/7/02, the House Appropriations - Education Committee,
which is chaired by Representative Chuck Graham, held a mark-up
session regarding House Bill 1102 (the appropriations bill which
includes the budget of the Missouri Commission for the Deaf). During
that session, they voted to amend HB 1102 so as to reduce the size
of the Missouri Commission for the Deaf from a staff of seven (7)
people to a staff of only one (1) person, eliminate all Expense and
Equipment (E&E) moneys from its budget, and transfer the
certification of interpreters function to the State Committee of
Interpreters in the Division of Professional Registration. If this
proposed amendment passes into law it would mean, in effect, the
TOTAL ELIMINATION of the Missouri Commission for the Deaf as of July
1, 2002.
Since its creation in 1988, the Missouri Commission for the Deaf has
been the principal advocate for deaf and hard of hearing
Missourians, including working for things such as:
(1) Certification of
Interpreters
(2) Licensure of interpreters
(3) Creation of the Missouri Relay service
(4) Distribution of free TTY’s and amplified phones to persons
with hearing loss
(5) Recognition of American Sign Language
(6) Mandatory hearing aid coverage by insurance companies in
Missouri
(7) Mandatory real-time captioning of all local news, weather
and sports broadcasts on all
Missouri TV stations
(8) State tax credits for home accessibility modifications and
assistive technology purchases
In addition to its advocacy role, the MCD staff performs many daily
and periodic functions, such as the following:
(1) Provides
information and referral regarding anything related to hearing loss
(2) Certifies all interpreters in Missouri (since it certified
its first interpreter in 1997 MCD has
certified over 550 interpreters)
(3) Maintains a census of deaf and hard of hearing Missourians
(4) Maintains the quality of interpreting services in Missouri,
primarily through providing
stand-alone training workshops for interpreters (such as
the recent ASL workshop
presented by noted author Marty Taylor) and hosting the
annual Missouri Statewide
Interpreters Conference (which has been attended by over
600 people during the past two
years)
(5) Presents workshops and training on a variety of topics
related to hearing loss, assistive
technology, the legal rights of deaf and hard of hearing
people, Deaf culture, and so forth
(6) Hosts “Deaf Awareness” activities around the state, such as
our “Deaf Awareness Days”
at Six-Flags, Worlds of Fun, Silver Dollar City, and the
Missouri State Fair.
(7) Distributes a quarterly newsletter to over a thousand
recipients
(8) Maintains and continually updates an MCD website
(9) Maintains a listserv for the electronic distribution of MCD
announcements and reports
(10) Maintains a library of materials pertaining to hearing loss
and interpreting, including books,
videotapes, CD-ROMs, magazines, and newsletters
(11) Maintains a registry of all certified interpreters in
Missouri
Deaf and hard of hearing Missourians can be duly proud of the role
they have played in the creation and development of the Missouri
Commission for the Deaf, and in becoming the first state in the
country to require both the certification and licensure of
interpreters. Now the Commission faces possible total elimination,
and the certification process faces an unknown
future if it is transferred to the State Committee of Interpreters.
Persons with hearing loss constitute the largest single disability
group in our state, with over 500,000 deaf and hard of hearing
Missourians. If that group is to continue having a meaningful voice
in the Missouri political process, it is time for everyone to let
their opinions be known - NOW!
The amended HB 1102 will have a hearing before the full House Budget
Committee on Monday, 3/11/02 in House Hearing Room # 3 beginning at
10:00 a.m. Advocates who do not wish to see the Missouri Commission
for the Deaf totally eliminated as a state agency should immediately
contact the members of the House Budget Committee and indicate that
they do not want the budget of MCD changed from the Governor’s
recommendations. In other words, tell them DO NOT CUT THE BUDGET OF
MCD.
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