A bill introduced by the Michigan Senate on Thursday would add a Deaf, Deafblind and hard-of Hearing Children’s Educational Bill of Rights to the school code.
The bill states it is to “ensure that every deaf, deafblind, or hard-of-hearing child has the same opportunity as any other child in the state to achieve his or her educational growth potential and to become a fully participatory member of society…”
To do this, the bill states that the department will promote communication, language-driven practices, polices, services and programs.
These include providing quality, ongoing and fluid communication in the classroom and at home; an educational environment that offers services based on the child’s unique communication, language and educational heeds; having staff who understand the individual experiences of the children; exposure to role models; and have an educational environment in which there are sufficient age-appropriate peers and adults to “spontaneously and fluidly interact with a deaf, deafblind, or hard-of-hearing child.
Click here to see the complete bill.
The bill was referred to the Committee on Education.
