• Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening bill Information on AB2651.  Signed by Governor. Details on legislation

• Former IMPACT board member and author of "Deaf Daughter, Hearing Father," Richard Medugno has published his play "Silent Salzburg." It is available here

• SAN FRANCISCO Parents say district not listening to requests over hearing-impaired.  San Francisco Chronicle article

 

Here are links to 3 documents relating to current legislation that could impact the provision of special education services, either specifically for deaf and hard of hearing kids, or more generally for all students served in Special Education programs. All are in .doc format, compatible with MS Word.

• Current state legislation

• Current federal legislation

• Jack O' Connell's budget testimony from March, 2003.

• Fremont Superintendent wins prestigious Devilla Award

Dr. Klopping, Superintendent of CSD Fremont, was recently awarded the prestigious Devilla Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of Deaf Education. The following is a brief excerpt from a CSDF article:"Dr. Klopping was honored by receiving an award named after a former CSD graduate, Dr. Robert Davila (Class of 1948), who is a success story unto himself. The award was a symbol of the recognition that Dr. Klopping has earned from his peers—educational administrators of Deaf programs from around the nation...Because of Dr. Klopping’s leadership, the California School for the Deaf, Fremont is able to maintain its reputation as one of the best schools for the Deaf in the nation." (Posted 7-13-02)

• New proposal: Insurers should cover hearing aids

Assemblywoman Pat Wiggins, who wears hearing aids herself, is sponsoring legislation that would require health insurers to provide basic coverage for hearing aids. IMPACT would like to help in getting the word out, so please tell others you know who might be interested. Parents, please call Assemblywoman Wiggins' office if you would like to voice your support.Coverage is incomplete but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Please click here to for the complete story and contact information. (Posted 3-26-02)


• Call to Action: Educational Interpreting Standards

The time has come to make your voices heard! On March 7, 2002, the California Department of Education presented to the State Board of Education their recommendation for regulatory language defining qualification standards for educational interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing students in California. The State Board has voted to send the proposed regulations out for a 45-day public input period. On May 30, 2002, the State Board will hold a public hearing regarding these proposed standards. The public hearing will be at 11:00 a.m. at the California Department of Education, 721 Capitol Mall (Room 166), Sacramento, CA. Both CAL-ED and IMPACT participated in the process of developing these standards, and both organizations voted to support the recommended standards. 

IMPACT is requesting that its members and supporters provide input to the Board regarding the need for qualified educational interpreters.

Please click here for the full release, contact information, etc. (Posted 3-26-02)



• IMPACT member receives honorable mention

Richard Medugno's play SILENT SALZBURG, about a family who tries to save their deaf son from the Nazis in 1940 Austria by going into hiding together, received an Honorable Mention in the Stage Play Category of the 2001Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Congratulations, Richard! When do I get to see a script? :) (Posted 10-14-01)



• Fremont parents and teachers decry Davis' decision

After much hard work on the part of parents and near-unanimous bipartisan support in the legislature, Gray Davis has vetoed legislation that would have helped bring CSDF teachers' salaries in line with those of public school teachers in the Fremont area. Click here to read the press release. (Posted 10-31-01)



• Shared Reading Project comes to California

For five days last week, 25 lucky participants were trained in Fremont to become Site Coordinators for the Shared Reading Project, a family-centered literacy project developed and tested through the Laurent Clerc Center at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. The focus of this workshop was to train new "site coordinators", persons who are able to establish new SRP programs throughout the western states. As a result, this innovative program should be available to families living in select parts of California within the next year or two. To learn more about the Shared Reading Project, visit the webpage or e-mail Dave Schlepper at the Clerc Center. (Posted 8-5-01)



• Sam Supalla workshop at CSUF discusses literacy, deafness

Just got back from a fascinating workshop on teaching deaf kids how to read, hosted by the directors and staff of the Laurent Clerc Elementary School in Arizona. These people are really "thinking outside of the box" - their model takes into account the need for many deaf children to learn two languages simultaneously, and they provide a structured, organized, child-centered approach to empowering deaf children in the literacy process. Take a look at their web site and read more about their program. (Posted 5-20-01)



• CELEBRATE ABILITIES by Lori Steed
  IMPACT Newsletter Spring '99
  
  Whatever happened to wanting to be unique? Dar­ing to be different? article

• From the East to the West by Joshua Allmann

IMPACT Newsletter Spring '99

The Orange County Deaf and Hard of Hearing program had a special treat this year hosting 8 students from Ichinoseki Deaf School in Hagisho Japan. The following article was written by Josh Allmann, a 7th grade student from Venado Middle School in Irvine. Josh's family hosted two of the boys from the school.
 

• COCHLEAR IMPLANTS : SPECIAL EDITION

Articles From Winter '97 IMPACT Newsletter.  Hear from parents, professionals, the NAD position paper and info from National Institutes of Health. 

• TRANSITION  from a Student's Point of View by Nancy Kanta
IMPACT-HI Third Quarter 1992

It was my pleasure to interview a young man named Evan Adair. Evan is a seventeen year old who attends Roosevelt High School in Fresno. Evan signs and uses his speech simul­taneously, which makes communicat­ing with him very easy and clear! It was a joy to become acquainted with such an honest, well-adjusted person who represents our future. He won't be a senior until this fall but he is already preparing himself for the transition from High School to the work force. Here is our interview.
 

•End-of-year round-up!

Thanks to Nancy Grosz-Sager, we have a summary of all passed/vetoed legislation for this legislative session. Please stay tuned to this area for more pending legislation as more information becomes available.

Legislative Summary as of October 9, 2002 .doc file (compatible with Microsoft Word).pdf file

Related legistlation as of October 9, 2002 .doc file (compatible with Microsoft Word) .pdf file

•VIDEOCONFERENCING FOR DEAF CHILDREN BENEFITS AND STRATEGIES
by Richard Medugno

IMPACT Newsletter Spring '99 Article