3906                                      JOINT RESOLUTIONS

Dr. Carl Everstine, Secretary, legislative Council,
Annapolis, Maryland.

Approved Hay 15, 1975.

No. 65
(House Joint Resolution 83)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Deafness

FOR the purpose of requesting that a greater awareness be
shown for the concerns and needs of people with
hearing loss.

Among the major handicapping conditions, deafness is
probably the least understood. This is true, at least in
part, because of the fact that deafness strikes at one of
the most fundamental things that people do... this is,
communicate.

Deafness tends to be an invisible handicap and its
impact upon the individual is little appreciated or
understood by the public-at—large.

Traditionally, one of the major problems facing deaf
people has been the lack of public understanding which
results in a relative insensitivity to the basic needs
and the special needs of this unique population.

Lack of public awareness and understanding also
permits subtle, as well as overt discrimination...
discrimination that affects almost all areas of a deaf
person's life; social, economic, educational, etc.

The basic needs of deaf people are: television
channels, including special programs designed for deaf
audiences and regular programs which could be interpreted
or captioned;

Regular news programs on commercial television
which are captioned or interpreted in the Language of
Signs for deaf persons, including the captioning or
interpreting of all emergency bulletins being aired on
television;

A greater awareness of the necessity for
having a skilled interpreter present in all court