The Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission continues to leave outdated, inaccurate and misleading information on their website.
On the IDHHC website, the IDHHC claims that “due to no approval on budget by the Governor, there is no date for the annual fall conference for the year of 2016.”
This is not true!
In the stopgap budget signed by Governor Rauner, $200,000 was appropriated towards the “Interpreters for the Deaf Fund” for both FY2016 and FY2017.
These monies are supposed to be used to “protect and benefit the public by setting standards of qualifications, education, training, and experience for those who seek to engage in the practice of interpreting, to promote high standards of professional performance for those licensed as interpreters for the deaf, and to protect deaf and hard of hearing consumers from unprofessional conduct by persons licensed to practice.”
Click here to find information about the enacted appropriations and then click ‘Enacted Appropriations by Line Item FY16 and FY17. When the file downloads, scroll down to line 4339 of the Excel spreadsheet.
By failing to provide training opportunities for interpreters, the IDHHC continues to fail to improve communication access for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. The status quo is unacceptable; it’s time for change.
Join the IAD on November 10th in Springfield at the IDHHC meeting!
