Requires the state interagency coordinating council for services to persons who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing to develop and implement a training program to educate first responders on effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals in emergency situations.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
3363
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 27, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring the state
interagency coordinating council for services to persons who are deaf,
deaf-blind, or hard of hearing to develop and implement a training
program to educate first responders on effective communication with
deaf and hard of hearing individuals in emergency situations
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the "deaf and hard of hearing emergency communications act".
§ 2. Section 559 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 6 to read as follows:
6. THE STATE INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR SERVICES TO PERSONS
WHO ARE DEAF, DEAF-BLIND, OR HARD OF HEARING SHALL, IN COLLABORATION
WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE
LANGUAGE ACCESS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, DESIGNED TO
EDUCATE FIRST RESPONDERS ON STRATEGIES TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH
DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING INDIVIDUALS IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. IN ADDI-
TION TO DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING SUCH LANGUAGE ACCESS TRAINING
PROGRAM, THE STATE INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL SHALL:
(A) CREATE AND DISTRIBUTE INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO BROCHURES OR PAMPHLETS, TO EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON HOW
TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING INDIVIDUALS
DURING EMERGENCIES;
(B) ESTABLISH A SYSTEM TO ALLOW DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING INDIVIDUALS
TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH FIRST RESPONDERS AND TO
SUGGEST POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LANGUAGE ACCESS TRAINING PROGRAM;
(C) CONDUCT REGULAR REVIEWS AND EVALUATIONS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
THE LANGUAGE ACCESS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR FIRST RESPONDERS AND ANY NECES-
SARY CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM TO ENSURE ITS ONGOING IMPROVEMENT;
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05044-01-5
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