Establish the Commission for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing in New York State
Establish the Commission for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing in New York State
Why this petition matters
New York is one of only 12 states without a Commission for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing.
Our three disability communities are among the largest of any state in the country. Yet we have no representation in our state's government, no people with lived experience to advise on policies and services, and no direct way to assist in the utilization of qualified ASL interpreters, CART providers, support service providers or co-navigators, and no way to assure that our state keeps up with advances in assistive listening technology.
Legislation to establish a Commission was unanimously passed in spring 2022 by the Senate (S1852) and Assembly (A6710 ). But we do not know if Governor Hochul will sign it into law. Please, Governor Hochul, act now.