HOUSE BILL REPORT
ESB 6606
As Reported by House Committee On:
Education
Title: An act relating to standards for educational interpreters for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Brief Description: Requiring standards for educational interpreters for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Sponsors: Senators Fraser, Oke, Fairley, Deccio, Berkey, McAuliffe, Keiser, Kline, Regala, Honeyford, Thibaudeau, Mulliken, Pridemore, Rockefeller, Delvin, Rasmussen and Kohl-Welles.
Brief History:
Education: 2/20/06, 2/22/06 [DP].
Brief Summary of Engrossed Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 13 members: Representatives Quall, Chair; P. Sullivan, Vice Chair; Talcott, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Curtis, Haigh, Hunter, McDermott, Priest, Santos, Shabro, Tom and Wallace.
Staff: Sarah Ream (786-7303).
Background:
Under federal and state law, school districts must provide a free and appropriate education to
children, who due to a disability, need special education and related services. "Special
education" means specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a child with a
disability. "Related services" includes supportive services that help the child benefit from
special education. In some circumstances, this means that school districts must provide
educational sign language/oral interpreters for deaf or hard-of-hearing students. According to
the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, there are approximately 1,400 deaf or
hard-of-hearing students currently enrolled in Washington's public K-12 schools.
Currently, Washington law does not require that educational interpreters be certified or meet
standardized qualifications or competencies. The National Association of the Deaf and the
Registry for Interpreters for the Deaf offer a national certification that may be obtained on a
voluntary basis; however, such certification is not required for Washington educational
interpreters. Likewise, the Washington Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing maintains a
registry of interpreters, but registration as an interpreter is not required for a person to work
as an educational interpreter.
Many colleges and universities provide some courses in American Sign Language. However,
there are only four programs in Washington that provide a comprehensive sign language
interpreter training program. These are: Seattle Central Community College, Spokane Falls
Community College, Wenatchee Valley Community College, and the American Sign
Language and Interpreting School of Seattle. Wenatchee Valley Community College is the
only school in Washington with a program specifically designed to train educational sign
language interpreters.
Summary of Bill:
To the extent funds are appropriated, the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) must
develop standards for educational interpreters for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. These
standards must focus on the specific skills and knowledge necessary to serve the
communication needs of students.
In developing the standards, the SPI must convene an advisory committee of representatives
of nationally certificated educational interpreters, tactile interpreters, interpreter educators,
school district coordinators of deaf programs, leaders in the deaf community, and parents of
deaf children.
The SPI must report to the Legislature's Education Committees and recommend an
implementation schedule of the standards developed by the SPI. The SPI must obtain
formal legislative approval before implementing any standards for educational interpreters.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: This bill is long over due. Without qualified interpreters, deaf and
hard-of-hearing students cannot fully access what is going on in the school environment.
Washington has no standards for educational interpreters, however, interpreters are key to
students' success. If the interpreter is lousy, the student will get a lousy education, regardless
of the quality of the student's teacher. Non-certified interpreters are often under-qualified and
overwhelmed when trying to interpret in a school setting. Without certified interpreters in
schools, there will be more deaf adults who are unemployed or under-employed.
This is a problem nationwide and many states are considering adopting standards for
educational interpreters. Utah recently passed a law requiring educational interpreters to be
certified. Utah lost a lot of interpreters at first, but then more than doubled their number of
interpreters in the next few years.
Testimony Against: None.
Persons Testifying: (In support) Carol Carrothers and Terri Thurston, Washington Sensory Disabilities Services; and Larry Petersen, Washington State Registry of Interpreters and the Washington State Association of the Deaf.