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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIDD-510 Accessibility of Intellectual Disability Services for Individuals who are Deaf1 FRANKLIN/FULTON COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH/INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES/EARLY INTERVENTION 425 Franklin Farm Lane Chambersburg, PA 17202 (717) 264-5387 MH/IDD/EI PROCEDURE STATEMENT PROCEDURE SUBJECT: Accessibility of Intellectual & Developmental Disability Services for Individuals who are Deaf PROCEDURE NUMBER: IDD-510 Effective Date: January 12, 2015 Date Revised: October 27, 2022 Reference: IDD Bulletin 00-14-04, Accessibility of Intellectual Disability Services for Individuals who are Deaf INTRODUCTION: The Harry M. settlement agreement was approved by a federal court judge on August 20, 2013. This settlement agreement was created to ensure Pennsylvanians who are deaf and receive services/supports from the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) are provided with necessary communication assistance services. The settlement also includes a requirement to provide communication assessments and reassessments to evaluate expressive and receptive language skills and make recommendations. The settlement ended July 29, 2021. ODP will continue to meet all requirements that were imposed by the settlement. However, new individuals who are deaf that enroll in the Consolidated, Community Living or Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) Waivers will not automatically be scheduled for an assessment. Class members who previously received a Communication Assessment Report that recommended a reassessment will still receive their reassessment automatically. PROCEDURE: This procedure statement is to clarify the requirement to provide communication assistance to individuals who are:  Unable to understand/communicate verbal expressions commensurate with his/her intellectual and/or developmental disability even with use of hearing aids, or  Whose primary language is one of the following: › American Sign Language (ASL) › Sign language from other countries (such as Spanish) 2 › Signed Exact English › A mixture of ASL and Signed Exact English, or › Visual-Gestural Communication When an individual who is deaf is enrolled in the Consolidated, Community Living, or P/FDS waiver, the Supports Coordinator (SC) is to check the “Harry M Litigation” in the demographics screen in HCSIS. This indicator alerts the Deaf Services Coordinator of the individual. Within thirty (30) days of the individual being enrolled in an applicable waiver, the SC should contact the ODP Deaf Services Coordinator for a consultation. This consultation will allow the Deaf Services Coordinator to recommend specific trainings and resources, and an assessment, if applicable. Communication assessments are available in the Waivers for adults age 21 and older through the Speech/Language Therapy service. For individuals age 20 or younger, communication assessments are available through Medical Assistance (MA). The Franklin/Fulton Administrative Entity (AE) will follow the above steps if it is determined that a Sign Language interpreter is needed at Intake/Registration for Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services. The local Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) program will follow the above steps if it is determined that a Sign Language interpreter is needed during the IM4Q survey. ATTACHMENT: Attachment A – Communication Assistance Definitions 3 Attachment A – Communication Assistance Definitions Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI) - An interpreter certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf who is deaf or hard of hearing. A CDI is required to register with the Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing per the Sign Language Interpreter and Transliterator State Registration Act. In addition to proficient communication skills and general interpreter training, the CDI has specialized training and/or experience in the use of gesture, mime, props, drawings and other tools to enhance communication. The CDI has knowledge and understanding of deafness, the Deaf community, and Deaf culture. The CDI possesses native or near-native fluency in American Sign Language. Often a CDI works in conjunction with a Pennsylvania registered interpreter when a person who is deaf has a unique mode of communication that is not readily understood by the interpreter who can hear for various reasons. Communication Access Real-time Translation (known as "CART" or “real-time captioning”) - The immediate, verbatim translation of the spoken word into text using a stenographic machine or voice recognition software, and a computer and real-time captioning software. Closed Caption Decoders - Closed captioning is an assistive technology that allows persons with hearing disabilities to access television programming. Closed captioning displays the audio portion of programming as text superimposed over the video. For a television receiver to display closed captions, it must use a set-top box decoder or contain integrated decoder circuitry. Qualified Sign Language Interpreters – An individual who is State-registered under the Sign Language Interpreter and Transliterator State Registration Act and who engages in sign language interpretation or transliteration. For the purposes of this definition interpreting is the process of conveying English in grammatically correct American Sign Language and the process of conveying American Sign Language in English. Tactile Sign – is used by people who are deaf-blind and use sign language to communicate. The person who is deaf-blind places their hands on the signer’s hands to feel the shape, movement, and location of the sign. Transliteration – The process of conveying the spoken message in another form of the same language and vice versa. For example, a Transliterator works between a spoken language, such as English, and sign language that uses a more English-based word order. Video Remote Interpreting - Video remote interpreting (VRI) is a fee-based interpreting service conveyed via videoconferencing where at least one person, typically the interpreter, is at a separate location. Visual Gestural Communication – “….is not a language like English, or American Sign Language. It is a communication mode that uses gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Often individuals, who cannot communicate effectively using either a spoken language like English or a formal signed language like ASL, will be able to communicate more effectively using natural gestures….”