Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act
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This bill would expand special education services and personnel training for students who are deaf, blind, or deafblind.
What it does
This bill would expand special education services for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind by requiring states to implement more specific identification and evaluation procedures. It proposes to reduce federal financial support for states that close specialized schools for these populations and authorizes grants to train qualified teachers and early intervention specialists. Additionally, the legislation would establish the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence within the Department of Education to support students with visual disabilities.
Who is affected
This bill affects children and youth who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind by expanding their access to specialized education and evaluation services. State governments and specialized schools are impacted by new requirements regarding student identification and financial support regulations related to school closures. Additionally, the Department of Education, special education personnel, and early intervention specialists are affected through the establishment of a new national center and the authorization of training grants.
Key provisions
- Enhanced identification and evaluation requirements. The bill requires states to more specifically identify and evaluate children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind to facilitate the delivery of appropriate services.
- Financial penalties for specialized school closures. States that close specialized schools serving children who are blind or deaf will face a reduction in federal financial support for special education and related services.
- Personnel training and professional development grants. The legislation authorizes grants and support to train special education personnel, preparing them to serve as qualified teachers and early intervention specialists for students with hearing or visual disabilities.
- Establishment of the Anne Sullivan Macy Center. The bill creates the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence within the Department of Education to support students with visual disabilities.
Fiscal impact
Not applicable: No CBO cost estimate available
Effective dates
Not applicable: Official Summary does not address effective dates
Relationship to existing law
The bill expands existing special education and related services for children and youth with hearing and visual disabilities, and it modifies state financial support requirements for special education in the event of specialized school closures. It also authorizes grants for training special education personnel and establishes a new center within the Department of Education to support students with visual disabilities.
Stated purpose
The bill aims to expand and improve special education and related services for children and youth who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, deafblind, or deafdisabled. It intends to achieve this by enhancing identification and evaluation processes, providing grants for specialized teacher training, and establishing a national center focused on educational excellence for students with visual disabilities.