The Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is hereby created to advocate, strengthen and advise the Governor and the General Assembly concerning state policies affecting deaf or hard of hearing individuals and their relationship to the public, industry, health care and educational opportunity. The board shall:

(1) Monitor services for deaf or hard of hearing persons;

(2) Periodically meet with the Commissioners of Public Health, Social Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Education, Developmental Services, and Children and Families and the Labor Commissioner, or the commissioners’ designees, to discuss best practices and gaps in services for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing;

(3) Refer individuals with complaints concerning the qualification and registration of interpreters for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing to the entity designated pursuant to section 46a-10b;

(4) Make recommendations for (A) technical assistance and resources for state agencies in order to serve persons who are deaf or hard of hearing; (B) public policy and legislative changes needed to address gaps in services; and (C) the qualifications and registration of interpreters pursuant to section 46a-33a. The board shall submit such recommendations, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services.

(P.A. 74-252, S. 1, 11; P.A. 77-614, S. 538, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 84-361, S. 2, 7; P.A. 86-50, S. 1; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 98-252, S. 76, 80; P.A. 11-44, S. 35; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 89; P.A. 17-30, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 placed commission within department of human resources for administrative purposes, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-361 authorized provision of necessary services including nonreimbursable interpreter services and authorized adoption of regulations to define the formula to be used to determine the amount to be charged for reimbursable interpreter services and the conditions under which nonreimbursable interpreter services shall be provided; P.A. 86-50 authorized provision of message relay services for persons using telecommunication devices for the deaf; Sec. 17-137l transferred to Sec. 46a-27 in 1991; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 98-252 deleted provision on regulations for setting charges for interpreter services since a similar provision is in Sec. 46a-33b, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 11-44 replaced provision designating commission as coordinating agency with provision designating commission as advisor to the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services, and deleted provisions re commission being within Department of Social Services and providing services to deaf and hearing impaired persons, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 replaced “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services”, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 17-30 replaced “Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired” with “Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing”, replaced “Department of Rehabilitation Services” with “Governor and the General Assembly”, replaced “and hearing impaired” with “or hard of hearing”, added Subdivs. (1) to (4) re board duties, added provision re board to submit recommendations to human services committee, and made technical changes, effective June 6, 2017.