Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee- House

The general at the department of health and Human Services so there are there are a lot of uh severe penalties associated with that breaching any of the institutional review board of the committee holds. Any further questions from the committee the is there anyone in the audience to speak for the bill. Against the bill. Okay you're recognized clothes reveal Representative of late even. Thank you madam chair yes I'd like to close for a bill and make a motion to approve. Okay we have a motion to pass of all in favor say aye will we do have discussion on the motion I'm sorry. All approve all of us. Sorry a. Thank you all in favor say a. All opposed thank you represented Ladyman your bill is passed sorry hello of breaking. Thank you manager. Thank you thank. Thank you for your help. Yeah you'll need to bear with this been two years since we've done this. All right next item on the agenda is H. B. ten three represented by you want to present your bill. If you identify yourself please. Committee can you hear me now yes I'm Charlene Fite District eighty Representative and I am bringing to you today House Bill. One zero zero three if you were a member last session we had some legislation calling people by the proper terms cleaning up our Arkansas Code this is a further effort in that endeavor I would like to bring to the table nineteen Burlison. Who is the president of the Arkansas association of the death he's here today with his wife and his interpreter and I will ask Mr Burlison to explain to you the exact reason behind this language change. If you want to put your chair right here I think that will be fine Mr chairman is this acceptable to have the interpreters chair right here yes that's fine. You're recognized. Good morning my name is Nathan Burlison. And this is my interpreter here. But again good morning representatives thank you represented by And again my name is Nathan I'm president the Arkansas association of the deaf and we've been involved with the community for more than fifty years and. And on the committees whenever under twenty five years of the. We've been serving Arkansas Kansans with hearing loss more than one hundred twenty five years so in eighteen seventeen. The first day of school in the US. Was opened for the name of the school of the deaf and dumb. And so. They changed that to just the regular death school. And so I can I want to expand a little bit about deaf and dumb. that is an old fashioned. That is an old fashioned air that has negative connotations that identified deaf and hard of hearing people. Right the the the the leftover label the Greek philosopher Aristotle pronounced us deaf and dumb. And so because he felt that deaf people were incapable of being taught. Thank capable of learning. Four of reasoning and thinking and so in this way of thinking. This person would not be able to use his or her voice in the same way as a hearing person could. And there was no way that this person could develop cognitive abilities. So. In later years dumb came to means silent. And this this definitions being used to be how people perceived death people it's offensive to deaf and hard of hearing people for many reasons OR one being that doesn't hurt and hearing people or not someone at all thank you sign language lip reading vocalisations so and so forth to communicate. Communication is not reserved for hearing people loan and using one's voice is not the only way to communicate. Also dumb has a second meeting I mean stupid. A death people her vehicle of encountered plenty of people who agree with this philosophy that you cannot use your voice well you don't have much else upstairs and have nothing going on for you obviously this is incorrect and false it's ill informed deaf and hard of hearing people have repeatedly proved that they have much to contribute to society at large. So the term hearing impaired this term is no longer acceptable by most in the deaf community. But was it one time preferred largely because it was viewed as politically correct. So declare oneself or another person is deaf or blind for example. Was considered something or somewhat bold rude or impolite. Hearing impaired was a well meaning term that is not accepted or used by many deaf or hard of hearing people. In the dictionary impaired means weakness or damaged this few betrays us is damaged or weak people just because we are unable to hear anything. For many people the words deaf and hard of hearing are not negative instead the term hearing impaired is viewed as negative. The term focuses on what people cannot do. It establishes the standard of hearing anything different from that is impaired. Or sub standard hindered or damaged. Every individual is unique and there is one thing we all have in common we all want to be treated with respect. To the best of our own unique abilities we have families friends communities and lives that our justice the feeling as anyone else we may be different but we are not less. To quote I king Jordan former president gallon at university deaf people can do anything hearing people can do except here. So deaf and hard of hearing people have the right to choose what they wish to be called. Either as a group or the end of or on an individual basis overwhelmingly definite hard of hearing people prefer to be called deaf or hard of hearing nearly all organizations of the death use the term deaf and hard of hearing and the eighty is no exception the eighty respectfully request your support for this H. B. one zero zero three thank you for your attention and this important matter. Thank you Mr. Are there any questions from the committee. Represented mentally you're recognized for a question. Yes there's a very good reason for that and I think Mr Burlison would be the correct person to explain that to the committee. Thank you Representative of your question so often people who or you know you see that capitalization or lower case D. it's a label that you know they use to identify the source of death it's a cultural word once capitalized so I am identified first and foremost as death if it's a little the for lower case the it's usually more like the population as a whole people who maybe have residual hearing or you know whatnot but like the capital the. Refers to that cultural group especially like a deaf schools and students etcetera so. It is a cultural preference does that explain your question. Yes. Represented cloud you're recognized for a question. Okay there was thank you Mr chairman Representative five probably for you I'm just curious in the bill here visually impaired is always before the hearing impaired which were striking I just wondered if we had had any information from the surely impaired people well we're changing this bill if if they would prefer to be I have not they have not contacted me and to my knowledge no other bill has been filed that could be something coming in the future but at this time we're just addressing this area. Thank you. Represented Payton you're recognized. Thank you Mr. My question. What type of research or poll was done in the deaf community this is this. It was ordered. Yes so I myself am a deaf person and I prefer that label death and hard of hearing just because that allows the quality across the board so if you use the term hearing impaired people have the misconception of you know like it's a medical term or you know it's. It It for traces as being lower than everybody else and so the except that label is hearing impaired it's not really indicative of hearing culture you know what you are immersed in the culture you see that hate most people you know. It it's a political or medical put the correct or medical term is not indicative the culture you know that's a term that hearing people imposed on us and so and if people prefer that term hearing impaired that's fine good for them but most people including myself prefer the term deaf and hard of hearing and there are over fifty thousand deaf people in Arkansas that prefer that label if I might add here. Yes this is also use nationally this is not just Arkansas this is being used in every state across the nation making the change in state codes to use the correct terminology. So far the follow up. I have no objection one or the other I'm just wondering who determines that is correct and what type of poll was taken per survey for research to determine what was preferred I mean I'm visually impaired. It doesn't bother me to say salary. But I thought I could care less for I don't want to be the one that decides I just like to know that if we pass a bill that we are. Responding to a community and not to an individual. Thank you for that question this is brought to us from the Arkansas association of the deaf for which Mr Burlison as the chairman so he is speaking on behalf of the association and not just for himself. Are there any other questions from the committee. Who is Eubanks you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair of Mister Burleson implied that the the word impaired the implied damage of some sort and I wear hearing aids and when and I I went and was examined and went to audiologists and everything they they basically told me that I had damaged by my hearing my eardrums because of either. Committee concert for the work that I did around equipment and so I I do have damage to my You know my hearing. And I I don't know. What the negative connotation of impaired is I'm I'm like represented Tate night I don't have any it necessarily any objection to this but my hearing is impaired and it's due to damage that you know that I've suffered in my lifetime so. Thank you for that question I think the difference is you're hearing is impaired but you as an individual are not impaired so what we're trying to do is use the correct terms for people groups. And any other questions. seeing none represent every red clothes for the bill yes again this is brought to you on behalf of the Arkansas association of the deaf this is something that they are asking for in Arkansas Code and so I would respectfully ask for you to consider their wishes and changer code which will not be a difficult thing to do and bring it in alignment with the other states in the nation and use the terminology by which they need they wish to be referred thank you. But with the wishes of the committee. I have a motion by represented Ferguson of do pass. Any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all in favor signify by saying aye. All opposed nay. Motion carries congratulations representing your bill is passed thank you Mr chairman thank you Committee thank you Mr chairman thank you Mr burns. All right that is all we have on the agenda for right now. And the right now we only have one item on Thursday's agenda so if anyone has a bill that they want to run please text me or