Florida Coordinating Council

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FCCDHH

• Florida Coordinating Council
• for the
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing

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Constituent Representatives
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Background History of FCCDHH

• Created by 2004 Florida Legislature
• Section 413.271 Florida Statutes
• FCCDHH advises the Governor, the Legislature, and
  various governmental bodies.
• FCCDHH conducts quarterly meetings around the
  State.
• FCCDHH holds Public Hearing Comment periods
  during these meetings. Citizens may convey
  issues of vital concern to the Council.
• This can be done in-person, over the telephone,
  or by email.

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Mission of FCCDHH

• The Council provides a forum for public input and
  outreach resulting in
• technical assistance
• advocacy
• education
• and improved communication access among public
  and private entities
  
• to meet the needs of deaf, hard of hearing,
  late-deafened, and deaf-blind persons.

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Vision of FCCDHH

• To serve as an advisory and coordinating body
  which recommends policies
• that address the needs
• of our service population.

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Additional Roles of FCCDHH

• Provide information and referral sources
• Promote public and individual advocacy for
  persons with hearing loss
• Provide technical assistance to state agencies
• Obtain input from the public
• Provide information and technical assistance to
  the Legislature and governmental bodies on the
  needs of persons with hearing loss

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Who Are the Deaf Hard of Hearing?

• Approximately 1/6th of Floridas population
• Deaf from birth using American Sign Language to
  communicate
• Deaf or hard of hearing from birth using cochlear
  implants or hearing aids and spoken language
• Children, college students, and workers
  struggling without any assistive devices
• Children, college students, workers, and senior
  citizens who may use sign language, hearing aids,
  or cochlear implants

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Who Are the Deaf and Hard of Hearing?

• Deaf-blind individuals, either from birth or
  acquired over time
• Senior citizens who are losing their hearing and
  may or may not use assistive technology
• Individuals with other disabilities on top of
  their hearing loss
• All in all approximately 3,000,000 Floridians!

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Summary of Public Comment Main Areas

• Funding for assistive devices, services
  technology
• Information about devices, services technology,
  and how to access them
• Coping skills for living well with hearing loss
• ADA / Communications Accessibility Rights
• Education
• Employment
• Medical and Healthcare
• Law enforcement, legal, court systems
• Emergency Preparedness sheltering

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Key Issues Remain Unaddressed Legal
Accessibility

• Lack of uniform and consistent communication
  access throughout the legal system
• ASL interpreters, CART, assistive technology
• Persons with hearing loss experience adverse,
  unfair, and illegal abrogation of their right to
  due process
• ASL interpretation, CART and assistive technology
  allow persons with hearing loss full access to
  their right to due process.
• Appropriate communication supports are required
  by law!
• See ADA

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Key Issues Remain Unaddressed Medical
Accessibility

• There is lack of awareness on the part of
  healthcare providers how to communicate
  effectively with persons with hearing loss
• Persons with hearing loss struggle to communicate
  with their healthcare providers
• Lack of communication results in morbidity and
  mortality from medical misadventures and
  iatrogenic error.
• Again, appropriate communication supports are
  required by law! See ADA

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Key Issues Remain Unaddressed Education

• Early identification and appropriate intervention
  allows children to learn more effectively
• Children who cannot access instruction
  effectively will not achieve to their full
  potential
• Full accommodation of hearing has not
  historically been provided in the K-12 public
  school system
• Median reading level for deaf 17 and 18 year olds
  is 4th grade
• Of those who enroll in post-secondary education
  training, 70 percent will withdraw before
  completion.

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Key Issues Remain Unaddressed Employment

• Approximately half of persons with hearing loss
  are of workforce age
• Unemployment for persons with hearing loss is 40
• Underemployment for persons with hearing loss is
  40
• The rate is even higher for deaf-blind persons or
  persons with multiple disabilities.
• Recent changes in the Vocational Rehabilitation
  Order of Selection criteria make most persons
  with hearing loss ineligible for VR assistance.

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Key Issues Remain Unaddressed - Emergency
Preparedness Sheltering

• Educate public safety and emergency shelter
  personnel on providing full communications
  accessibility in general population shelters for
  persons with hearing loss
• End the mandatory re-assigning of persons with
  hearing loss to special needs shelters
• Require the use of safety alerting and
  information devices accessible to persons with
  hearing loss
• Provide equal access to public safety
  telecommunications programming utilizing sign
  language and captioning

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What Has The FCCDHH Done So Far?
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Accomplishments of FCCDHH

• Comprehensive Reports to the Governor detailing
  the needs of persons with hearing loss (2005,
  2007, 2008)
• Comprehensive Report to the Governor on Licensure
  of Sign Language Interpreters (2006)
• FCCDHH.org website for information and referral
  purposes
• Public Service Announcement of communications
  accessibility rights of persons with hearing loss
• Increase in number of movie theatres, TV
  stations, sporting events, and live theatres
  providing captioning

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Accomplishments of FCCDHH

• Formation of Medical Accessibility Task Force.
• MATF partnership with FL Hospital Association to
  produce a training DVD (2008) and Instruction
  Manual on Communicating with the Deaf and Hard of
  Hearing in the Hospital (2006).
• DVD is available for free download on FCCDHH.org
• Formation of Legal Systems Accessibility Task
  Force
• LSATF partnership with Deaf Services Center of
  Palm Beach to produce a training video and manual
  for law enforcement (in progress 2009)

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Accomplishments of FCCDHH

• Completion of 5-year Strategic Plan (2008)
• Hiring of Outreach Coordinator (2008)
• Statewide Roundtable in Miami to poll community
  leaders on the needs of persons with hearing loss
  in Florida (2008)
• Collaboration with Governors Commission on
  Disabilities to produce a pan-disability
  Recommendation (2008) Implementation (2009)
  Report to the Governor
• Increased awareness of communications
  accessibility issues in the emergency
  preparedness and sheltering arena

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Can the FCCDHH Address These Issues Alone?

• NO!

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What Remains To Be Done?
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Recommendation

• Establish a single line of responsibility,
  adequately funded, within State government
• With oversight and policymaking authority
• To address the needs of persons who are
• Deaf
• Hard of hearing
• Late-deafened
• Deaf-blind

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At the Governors discretion, this body could

• Expand and improve the delivery of services and
  supports through a statewide network of one-stop
  centers
• Regulate credentialing of accessibility providers
• Set standards for accessibility accommodations
• Facilitate the training of Communication Access
  Realtime Translation (CART) providers for the
  deaf and hard of hearing and Support Services
  Providers (SSP) for persons who are deaf-blind.

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At the Governors discretion, this body could

• Encourage the recruitment of sign language and
  oral interpreters
• Monitor the implementation of above
  accommodations
• Healthcare
• Education
• Legal systems
• Employment
• Emergency preparedness sheltering

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Thank you for your attention!

• Questions?