Newsflash on the Deaf Child's Bill of Rights

The Deaf Child's Bill of Rights, (DCBR), passed in 1996, is alive and well in the form of the "Communication Plan" - a required attachment to every deaf or hard of hearing student's IEP in the state of Colorado. Recent changes in this law have removed the limiting language that stated that "nothing in this subsection (4.7) shall require a school district to expend additional resources or hire additional personnel to implement the provisions of this subsection" (P.L. 96-1041 Sec. 3 III (g)) and have deemed this section to be unconstitutional. That's good news for students who may require additional resources or staff to comply with the action plans developed through Communication Plan.

For those of you scratching your head and asking "what's a Communication Plan?" - we want to hear from you at Hands & Voices. Implementation of the DCBR has been challenging for families and schools alike, with a growing list of complaints around compliance issues. Many parents are wo ndering why this document was never discussed at their child's IEP meeting, or why the plans that were discussed haven't been implemented...and what they should do about it. Hands & Voices is gathering data from parents, professionals and students about the use and effectiveness of the "Communication Plan," and we'd like your feedback for a study. If you'd like to be involved, (compensation may be available) please call us at (303) 300-9763 or email us at parentadvocate@handsandvoices.org . If you'll leave us your name, a brief explanation of your situation, location, and information about your child, along with the best way for us to contact you, we'll be in touch with details on how you can participate.