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January 26, 2024










Substitute House Bill 2221, which directs the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing within the Department of Social and Health Services to establish a workgroup dedicated to finding solutions to address shortage of qualified and certified American Sign Language interpreters and Protactile interpreters, was adopted and passed out of the Human Services, Youth, & Learning Committee on Friday, January 26, with the following amendments.  

Proposed Substitute Bill 2221 (H-2814.1 1/24) compared to the original bill: 


* Changes references to “protactile sign language” to “protactile.”  
* Changes references to “deaf and blind” to “deafblind” and a reference to “deaf and disabled” to “deafdisabled.”  
* Adds two representatives of higher education institutions to the work group: one from a four year state university and one from a community or technical college. 
* Increases the number of work group members from community-based organizations representing the deafblind community from one to two and indicates that at least one must be from an organization serving a culturally diverse population.  

* Modifies the list of historically marginalized populations that must be prioritized in work group recruitment to add immigrants and refugees, transgender and nonbinary individuals, members of the LGBTQIA community, individuals with multiple disabilities, and other underserved populations.  
* Requires the work group to determine strategies and resources needed to increase the availability of trilingual interpreters who are proficient in American Sign Language, English, and another language.  
* Specifies that the work group must identify methods of increasing the pay rate for interpreters hired by state agencies and contractors, rather than agencies and contractors in general.  
* Removes the emergency clause. 

The amendments update language to reflect culturally and linguistically appropriate terms and expands the workgroup to be more inclusive and representative of the communities and institutions impact. Requirements and specifications for workgroup foci are added, and a time-sensitive determination is removed.  

The bill is moved forward out of committee to the House Appropriations Committee, which considers the operating budget bill and related legislation; budget processes; and fiscal issues. The committee also considers bills with operating budget fiscal impacts.  

Further information below: 


* Bill Analysis [ [link removed] ] 

* Bill Text [ [link removed] ] 

* Bill History [ [link removed] ] 

* Video: January 19 Hearing [ [link removed] ]  

* Video: January 26 Vote [ [link removed] ] 

ASL version of this update will be available next week, 






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Programs and Services [ [link removed] ]


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Assistive Communication Technology (ACT) [ [link removed] ]


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Case Management [ [link removed] ]


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Community Resources [ [link removed] ]


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Emergency Preparedness - Coming Soon


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Family Mentor Services [ [link removed] ]


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Hard of Hearing [ [link removed] ]


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Sign Language Interpreter Contracts and Resources [ [link removed] ]


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Telecommunication Equipment Distribution (TED) [ [link removed] ]


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Telecommunication Relay Service (TRS) [ [link removed] ]


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Training and Presentation [ [link removed] ]



 

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About [ [link removed] ]

 

*Who We Are* The Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) provides programs and services for Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened, and Speech Disabled individuals, their families, and service providers in Washington State. ODHH works to ensure that services and resources are accessible and inclusive to all Washingtonians.

 

*What We Do* ODHH operates under the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and is entrusted with fulfilling its legislative mandate outlined in RCW 43.20A.725. ODHH’s work includes:

 

_Advocacy_: ODHH advocates for the rights, interests, and needs of individuals who are Deaf, DeafBlind, Deaf Disabled, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened, and Speech Disabled. The Office works to eliminate communication barriers and promote equal opportunities in various service areas, including training, consultation, contract management, information and referrals, and resources to promote communication equity.

 

_Coordination:_ ODHH is a centralized resource. The Office collaborates with governmental, business, and community stakeholders to develop and implement policies, programs, and initiatives that address and ensure that state services and resources are accessible and inclusive to all Washingtonians.

*Contact Us!*

800-422-7930 Voice

360-339-7382 VP

[email protected]








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