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Minutes for SB343 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Updating the term "hearing impaired" to "hard of hearing" in statutes related to persons with hearing loss.
Minutes Content for Mon, Mar 7, 2022
Senator Kristen O'Shea, Provided testimony in support of SB343 (Attachment 1). The senator was approached by Sara Hale, a constituent, with the hope of changing the law to the correct term "deaf" or "hard of hearing" instead of "hearing impaired." After discussing what other states had done, it was agreed that a policy change was a good idea. The concern was educating the public. Samples of the educational graphics are provided in the testimony. In drafting the bill it was important that there were no unintentional medical ramifications. There was a combined effort with the Kansas Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Revisors Office to ensure that the language changes didn't cause issues with the original intentions of the bill. Since introduction, the Kansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association became involved and brought helpful amendments.
Senator O'Shea responded to questions from the committee.
Sara Hale, Private Citizen, provided testimony in support of SB343 (Attachment 2). Ms. Hale stated that she was representing We the Deaf People (WTDP) organization whose humanitarian efforts act as a watchdog and a deaf-rights advocate focusing on educating the public about various Deaf and Hard of Hearing issues. A personal story of her life and her family was provided. The bill will updated all statutes from Deaf and "Hearing Impaired" to Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The phrase "Hearing Impaired" is viewed as a negative term. It focuses on what individuals cannot do. It implied that something was broken. Hard of Hearing brings a more positive view and incorporates values, cultures and social relationships. Hearing people have invented terminology, such as "Deaf-Mute", "Deaf-Dumb", and "Hearing Impaired" to act as labels. Deaf individuals have never had a say in what they preferred to be called.
Robert Cooper, Executive Director, Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH), provided testimony in support of SB343 (Attachment 3). It was noted that the Commission works with agencies and organizations to assure availability and coordination of services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. An overview of the Commission was provided. KCDHH has always put an emphasis on how public officials are in a unique position to convey positive images of people with disabilities. It is proper when referring to people with a disability to put the person first and then use a positive reference, such as "a person with a hearing loss,"
The following provided written only testimony in support of SB343:
Susie Ternes, Executive Director, Kansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Attachment 4)
Martha Gabehart, Executive Director, Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns (Attachment 5)
Kim Anderson, President, Kansas Association of the Deaf (Attachment 6)
The hearing was closed on SB343.
