BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2072
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2072 (Mendoza)
As Amended April 27, 2010
Majority vote
HEALTH 10-4
--------------------------------
|Ayes:|Fletcher, Conway, |
| |Caballero, Emmerson, Eng, |
| |Gaines, Hayashi, |
| |Hernandez, Bonnie |
| |Lowenthal, Nava |
| | |
|-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Monning, Salas, Smyth, |
| |Audra Strickland |
| | |
--------------------------------
SUMMARY : Requires parents of all newborns and infants diagnosed
with a hearing loss to be provided specified information on
communication options for children with hearing loss.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires parents of all newborns and infants diagnosed with a
hearing loss to be provided written or electronic information
on American Sign Language (ASL), Total Communication, Cued
Speech, and Listening and Spoken Language communication
options for children with hearing loss, including, but not
limited to, information about deaf and hard of hearing
organizations, agencies and early intervention centers, and
educational programs.
2)Requires that the information noted in 1) above be provided:
a) By an audiologist or other related professional at a
follow-up appointment after diagnosis with a hearing loss;
and,
b) By the local provider of the Early Start Program, upon
initial contact with the parents of a newborn or infant
newly diagnosed with a hearing loss.
3)Requires that neither the state nor an Early Start Program
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provider will incur costs for the implementation of the above
provisions.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening,
Tracking, and Intervention Act which requires every general
acute care hospital with licensed perinatal services to offer
every newborn a hearing screening test for the identification
of hearing loss, as specified, and provide written information
on the availability of community resources and services for
children with hearing loss to the parents of those who are
diagnosed with a hearing loss.
2)Establishes the California Early Start Intervention Services
Act, commonly known as the Early Start program, provides
various early intervention services for infants and toddlers
who have disabilities to enhance their development and to
minimize the potential for developmental delays.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS : According to the author, with new developments in
cochlear implants, more profoundly deaf children are able to
hear and speak and can be completely assimilated into society.
The author maintains that the maximum time for oral language
development is in the first five years of life. By the time
children reach age five, the author argues, the ability to learn
oral language decreases annually. The author asserts that oral
language is one hearing option for the profoundly deaf and hard
of hearing, but others include ASL, Cued Speech, and Total
Communication. According to the author, a major concern in
California is that many parents of infants who are diagnosed
with hearing loss are not provided with information on all
communication options and are most often unfamiliar with the
resources and options that are available to them. The author
maintains that this bill will help ensure that parents
understand the rights and resources that they have available for
their children.
Not all technological developments have been universally
accepted by the deaf community. The cochlear implant inspired
both strong support and vehement opposition, however, among deaf
people, the implants are generally hailed as a boon for
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individuals who lost their hearing later in life, but their use
for deaf children became controversial. The effectiveness and
risks of the implants are a major part of the debate, but there
is an additional conflict between those who view deafness as a
physical impairment and those who see it as a valued part of
cultural identity. As cochlear implant surgery has become more
common in deaf children and has become more widely used, the
emphasis of the debate has changed. The focus now is on the deaf
child's exposure to visual language and the type of support and
educational services the child receives.
Supporters of this bill state that more children are born with
permanent hearing loss than any other birth defect. Supporters
maintain that recent advances in technology and educational
practice make it possible for most deaf or hard-of hearing
children to make similar progress to their typically-hearing
peers if diagnosis and treatment happen early, preferably during
the first few months of life. Supporters assert that the method
of communication chosen by parents is a very personal decision,
and parents need to know what alternatives are available.
The opposition of this bill states that they believe that each
infant and toddler, including those identified deaf and hard of
hearing, should have every opportunity to learn language. The
opposition argues that the focus of this bill about
"communication options" is misleading and picking one option
over another would only rob the child of the ability and
opportunity for full language acquisition. According the
opposition, Californians who are deaf request the need for sign
language to be respected and support early intervention services
acquiring sign language as well as English. The opposition also
argues that audiologists are not the appropriate experts to
advise parents and families about language acquisition because
audiologists are trained to measure and "treat" hearing loss by
recommending hearing aids or cochlear implants. The opposition
maintains that it is the right of a deaf infant and toddler to
acquire full language acquisition through visual language so
that by the time the child starts Kindergarten and first grade,
the child is ready to learn, receive an education, ultimately
graduate, enter postsecondary education and enter the world of
work as productive tax-paying citizens.
Analysis Prepared by : Tanya Robinson-Taylor / HEALTH / (916)
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319-2097
FN: 0004033