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Previous Page :: Table of Contents :: Next Page Deaf Child Bill of RightsWhat is the Deaf Child's Bill of Rights?In May of 1996, the General Assembly approved Colorado State Law 96-1041, The Deaf Child's Bill of Rights. The Bill, sponsored by Representative Mo Keller, who is an educator of the deaf, was strongly supported by parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and members of the deaf community. With its passage, program options for deaf students in the state of Colorado have been strengthened and preserved. In light of numerous states nationwide that have eliminated program options in favor of full inclusion models, the passage of 1041 is considered a victory indeed for deaf and hard of hearing students who benefit from options. What will be the impact of the Deaf Child's Bill of Rights on my child's education?An outcome of the Deaf Child's Bill of Rights is that your child's IEP (Individual Education Plan) will be directly affected by this law in the form of a "Communication Plan". The Communication Plan is the document referred to in the rules that contains an action plan that the IEP team (especially parents) has created to address specific areas of a student's social and emotional development. All too often, IEPs do not thoroughly address, if at all, these critical areas of growth for a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. The Communication Plan creates a mechanism for having conversations and taking action where gaps are identified in these areas. And the Communication Plan will serve as a quality control monitor, making sure that a more comprehensive, qualitative view is taken of each child's experience in school. When will the law take effect and when will my child have his/her own "Communication Plan".The law was in effect as of May 1996, and its rules for implementation were adopted in May of 1997. But it'll take some time to implement the "Communication Plan" because of the vast amount of training to do with schools statewide. All IEPs being developed are required to include a Communication Plan. Still, it's not happening consistently. Nevertheless, we encourage parents to take the initiative and team with your IEP staff to create a Communication Plan for your child at your next IEP. On the following page in the IEP Communication Guidelines for use, you'll find some very good concrete examples of how people are using the new law. We hope to hear how you've used it too. Let us know at Colorado Families for Hands & Voices. Other Articles on the Deaf Child Bill of Rights
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