HB-1244 UPDATE as of April 21, 2018

HB-1244 is moving. The bill, known as the Jeri Cooper Act, is scheduled for a Senate floor vote on Monday, April 23rd. On Monday, the Senate meets at 1:30 p.m. It is expected Senator Griffin, the Senate author, will move to restore the bill’s title, which was stricken in committee. This move means the bill will be in exactly the same form as the House-passed version, so that if approved by the Senate, the bill can go directly to the Governor for signing. A PDF copy of the bill is attached.

Remember you can watch/listen to the Senate floor activity by going to www.oksenate.gov and selecting the link for Live Floor Proceedings.

Also be aware that legislative agendas are subject to change. If for some reason HB-1244 is not voted on Monday, it could come up later in the week.

We expect state agency funding bills to be introduced this coming week, so legislative attention will shortly be focused on budget for all agencies besides Education. Soon after the agency appropriations have been cleared, legislators will hope to adjourn.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesApril 22, 2018jeri cooper, ssp, bill, hb1244, senate, legislators, representative, oklahoma, deafblind, rights, deafComment

#SolidarityOEADeafAccess

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesApril 8, 2018#SolidarityOEADeafAccess, soda, deafblind, deaf, deaf rights, okrid, oad, coadhi, ead, okcad, dgmu, ok, okc, oklahoma, oea, interpreters, certifiedComment

Capitol event shows ‘people with disabilities can succeed’

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesMarch 26, 2018deaf, deafblind, advocate, advocacy, succeed, disability, osd, sulphur, pwdad, capitol, independent Comment

New Deaf/Hard of Hearing Car Visors in Oklahoma

Look whats new! Car visors for police interaction!! DRS partnered with OAD and also DGMU-Ok last fall to create these. These will replace the current visors.

These for Oklahoma residents, can be picked up at DRS Deaf Services in OKC and Tulsa. We thank DRS, for including us in input and also for creating and ordering these for our community.

DRS information and location pick up:
Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
2401 NW 23rd Street, Suite 51
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
Office: (405) 522-7930 Email: SDHH@okdrs.gov

Support Services Provider/Jeri Cooper Act of 2017

This morning HB-1244, the Support Services Provider Act of 2017 (also being called the Jeri Cooper Act) passed in the House Public Health Committee on a 6-0 vote. Members who voted for the bill were Representatives Bush, Derby, Lawson, McEntire , Ritze and Sean Roberts. The committee substitute bill that passed is attached. Lepak’s bill directs DRS to establish a grant program to expand availability of Support Service Providers for Oklahomans who are deaf-blind. The program would only be implemented if and when funds are available. An annual funding cap of $300,000 is set in the bill – but no specific funding sources are designated. The measure is essentially enabling legislation that would make action possible at such time funds are made available. Next stop for the bill is the House floor. To thank Rep. Lepak and Public Health Committee members for their support of this legislation to assist deaf-blind Oklahomans, go towww.okhouse.gov. Then select the Representatives menu item, and scroll to the name of the appropriate Representative. On this main list of Representatives, beside each name you will find an “Email” box to click on for sending email. However, this feature may not work on your system – it does not work on mine. Instead, you should be able to send an email by clicking on the Representative name, which will take you to the Member’s bio page where you will again find an “Email Me” box. Click on this one, and a web form will come up.

To read the full copy of the Jeri Cooper Act please click here.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesFebruary 27, 2018oklahoma, ssp, jeri, cooper, deafblind, rights, advocacy, government, bill, house, funding, health, committee, lepak, public, representativeComment

Public Invited to Disability Program Policy Hearings

OKLAHOMA CITY - Proposed rule changes potentially affecting several programs for Oklahomans with disabilities will be the focus of a public hearing held by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Oklahoma Rehabilitation Council.

The public is encouraged to attend the meetings in Oklahoma City on Feb. 5, Tulsa on Feb. 6 and Lawton on Feb. 7.

Programs affected by the proposed new rules are administered by DRS and include vocational rehabilitation and employment services for Oklahomans with all types of disabilities.

DRS provides a variety of services that help individuals with disabilities achieve employment, personal independence and self-sufficiency. The Oklahoma Rehabilitation Council advises DRS on development of policies and plans for rehabilitation services.

Proposed policy changes effect the following chapters: Chapter 1 - Administrative Operations, Chapter 3 - Management Services Division and Chapter 10 - Vocational Rehabilitation and Visual Services.

The changes include housekeeping items such as removing the references to the Independent Living Program, which is no longer operated by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, or adding language to clarify the Division of Visual Services may serve individuals with sight threatening progressive conditions or functional limitations due to sight loss. As well as an updating agency and program names to remove obsolete references.

Other changes include definition updates, removal of extended evaluation language and removal of homemaker employment outcome language to reflect recent federal law changes.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesJanuary 30, 2018drs, oklahoma, deafblind, policy, changes, services, disability, admin, variety, okc, rehabilitation, rulesComment

Ginnie Graham: Broken Arrow brothers honored for being pioneers in self-advocacy for people with disabilities

Going through high school, James Meadours was kept separate in special education classes from his Broken Arrow classmates, never really getting to know them.

After graduating in 1986, he was put in a 10-bedroom group home and felt isolated from the world, being at the mercy of other adults.

Joining a singles group at Christ the King Church changed that.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesDecember 6, 2017tulsa, oklahoma, deaf, deafblind, single, advocacy, self, independent, living, group, award, disability, discriminationComment

OU's new American Sign Language program inspires communication across campus

On Tuesdays and Fridays in Collings Hall 223, an entire class period goes by without a single word spoken.

The classroom is completely quiet — at no point do the students speak out loud to professor Gary Davis, and he doesn’t speak out loud to them.

That’s because Davis is deaf and is teaching his students sign language.

The silence is only ever broken by students’ laughter — usually when Davis pokes fun at a student’s sloppy use of a sign and shows the student the correct sign, much like a Spanish professor correcting the pronunciation of a word.

Davis, an adjunct professor, is teaching one of the first American Sign Language courses offered at OU — a program administrators have pursued for many years that finally came to fruition fall 2017.

‘He Can’t Hear You!’: Deaf Man Shot Dead by Oklahoma City Police as Neighbors Scream in Horror

A deaf man carrying a metal pipe was fatally shot by Oklahoma City police on Tuesday night as neighbors frantically tried to tell officers that he couldn't hear their commands.

Magdiel Sanchez, 35, was shot and Tasered on a porch on Tuesday around 8:15 p.m. after he allegedly advanced toward officers following a hit-and-run involving his father, Police Capt. Bo Mathews said Wednesday.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesSeptember 22, 2017news, deaf, man, shot, killed, oklahoma city, okc, police officer, deaf awareness, pipe, stick, weapon, don't shootComment

In time for the holidays: OSB's new Family & Friends Cookbook

Look what’s cookin’! Allison Garner reports that the Oklahoma School for the Blind Family and Friends Cookbook will be available soon. OSB staff has worked hard to get the cookbook ready in all formats. Several DRS staff throughout the agency submitted recipes and may be interested in purchasing a cookbook. OSB’s cookbook is available in print, Braille, and PDF versions that are either screen reader friendly -- or not. Get a $2 discount per item if you buy five or more items.

OKLAHOMA STATE COURT RULES ON STATE BD. OF EXAMINERS OF CERTIFIED COURTROOM INTERPRETERS

WITHDRAWAL AND REPLACEMENT OF RULE 12 OF THE RULES OF STATE BD. OF EXAMINERS OF CERTIFIED COURTROOM INTERPRETERS
2017 OK 66
Decided: 09/11/2017

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA

NOTICE: THIS OPINION HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION. UNTIL RELEASED, IT IS SUBJECT TO REVISION OR WITHDRAWAL.

Re: Withdrawal and Replacement of Rule 12 of the Rules of the State Board of Examiners of Certified Courtroom Interpreters

CERTIFIED SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS

As set forth in the Oklahoma Legal Interpreter for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Act, 63 O.S. §2407, et seq., a "qualified legal interpreter" for a deaf or hard-of-hearing individual in the Oklahoma courts shall include an interpreter who has been certified by the State Board of Examiners of Certified Courtroom Interpreters. In order to provide for such a certification process by the Board, Rule 12 of the Rules of the State Board of Examiners of Certified Courtroom Interpreters, Title 20, Chapter 23, App. II, as adopted by order of the Supreme Court, 2015 OK 2, effective January 12, 2015, is hereby withdrawn and replaced in its entirety as set forth on the attached Exhibit.

Done by order of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in conference this 11th day of September, 2017.

Children's Books in Braille for Deafblind Children

Children that are deafblind blind have dual sensory just like adults have. It's important that deafblind children grow up embracing their differences and knowing that they are capable and able.

Sight Hearing Encouragement Program now has a new sponsor who dedicates their time to writing books encouraging children to love their differences while embarking on a wonderful journey through literature.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesSeptember 1, 2017children, deafblind, reading, shep, braille, lala, books, ms, mental health, literacy, sponsor, downloadComment

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