§ 1602. Vermont Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind Advisory Council
(a) Creation; purpose. There is created a Vermont Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Advisory Council to
promote diversity, equality, awareness, and access among individuals who are Deaf,
Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind.
(b) Membership. The Advisory Council shall consist of the following members:
(1) 16 members of the public, appointed by the Governor in a manner that ensures geographically
diverse membership, including:
(A) nine or fewer members who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind, provided each population
is represented and that if a member represents an organization for persons who are
Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind, no other member on the Advisory Council shall
also represent that organization;
(B) two members who are each a parent or guardian of a child who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing,
or DeafBlind;
(C) two members who serve persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind in a professional
capacity, provided that these members do not represent the same organization;
(D) a professional deaf-education specialist who understands all communication and language
modes;
(E) a professional interpreter; and
(F) an audiologist or hard-of-hearing education specialist;
(2) the Senior Counselor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department’s Division
of Vocational Rehabilitation or designee;
(3) the Secretary of Education or designee;
(4) the Secretary of Human Services or designee;
(5) the director of the Department for Children and Families’ Children’s Integrated Services
or designee;
(6) the director of the Vermont Early Detection and Intervention Project;
(7) a representative of the Vermont Association of the Deaf;
(8) a representative of the Vermont chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America;
(9) a superintendent, selected by the Vermont Superintendents Association;
(10) a special education administrator, selected by the Vermont Council of Special Education
Administrators; and
(11) a representative of the Vermont chapter of Hands and Voices.
(c) Powers and duties.
(1) The Advisory Council shall assess the services, resources, and opportunities available
to children in the State who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. It may consider
and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on the following:
(A) the educational rights of children who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind, including
full communication and language access in all educational environments and accessibility
of qualified teachers, interpreters, and paraprofessionals;
(B) appropriate and ongoing educational opportunities that recognize each child’s unique
learning needs, including access to a sufficient number of communication or language
mode peers and exposure to adult role models who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind;
(C) adequate family supports that promote both early development of communication skills
and informed participation by parents and guardians in the education of their children;
(D) identification of all losses of or reductions in services arising from the closures
of the Austine School for the Deaf and the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing and evaluation of the adequacy of existing services and resources, as well
as identification of those resources not currently available, adequate, or accessible
to children;
(E) opportunities to restore and expand educational opportunities to children in the State
who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind and their families; and
(F) appropriate data collection and reporting requirements concerning students with disabilities.
(2) The Advisory Council shall assess the services, resources, and opportunities available
to adults and elders in the State who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. It
may consider and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on
the following:
(A) the needs of and opportunities for adults and elders within the State who are Deaf,
Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind and their families;
(B) the adequacy and systemic coordination of existing services and resources for adults
and elders throughout the State who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind and their
families;
(C) proposed legislation and administrative rules pertaining to adults and elders who
are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind; and
(D) delivery models in other states as a point of comparison for the adequacy and systemic
coordination of Vermont’s existing services and resources for adults and elders who
are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind.
(d) Assistance. The Advisory Council shall have the administrative, technical, and legal assistance
of the Agencies of Education and of Human Services. The Advisory Council and Department
may consult with national experts on education of persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing,
or DeafBlind as necessary to fulfill their obligations under this section.
(e) Reports. On or before January 15 of each year, notwithstanding 2 V.S.A. § 20(d), the Advisory Council shall submit a written report to the Senate and House Committees
on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Human
Services, and the Governor with any findings and recommendations. A reading of each
report shall be video recorded using ASL to ensure accessibility.
(f) Appointments; meetings.
(1) The Commissioner of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living shall convene the
first meeting of the Advisory Council on or before July 1, 2016 and shall select interpreting
services, computer assisted captioning in real time (CART), or FM listening systems
for the meeting if a member so requests.
(2) At its first meeting, the Advisory Council shall elect a chair and vice chair.
(3) The Chair shall select interpreting services, CART, or FM listening systems for any
Advisory Council meeting if a member so requests.
(4) The Advisory Council may meet up to eight times each year to perform its functions
under this section. The Secretaries of Education and of Human Services may jointly
authorize additional meetings.
(5) The Advisory Council may organize its members into subcommittees to carry out the
purposes of this section, including subcommittees designed to address specific age
groups within the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind population.
(g) Reimbursement.
(1) Members of the Advisory Council who are not State employees or otherwise compensated
or reimbursed for their attendance shall be entitled to per diem compensation and
reimbursement of expenses pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 1010, payable by the Department.
(2) The Agency of Human Services shall pay for interpreting services, CART, or FM listening
systems necessary to conduct all Advisory Council meetings.
(3) The Agency of Education, Department of Health, and Department of Disabilities, Aging,
and Independent Living shall share costs for interpreting services, CART, or FM listening
systems necessary to conduct all Advisory Council subcommittee meetings. (Added 2015, No. 107 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 12, 2016; amended 2019, No. 128 (Adj. Sess.), § 20; 2023, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § E.329, eff. July 1, 2024.)