NC DIVISION OF SERVICES FOR THE DEAF AND THE HARD OF HEARING Report to NC State Independent Living Council (SILC) Friday, July 15, 2016 1. DSDHH Services a. Relay North Carolina b. Client Services (advocacy, information/referral, consumer skill development…) c. Services to Agencies and Organizations (Training, consultation) d. Outreach and Education 2. NC Council for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing * Legislatively-mandated advisory council a. Charged with providing guidance to DHHS Secretary and DPI Superintendent b. 27 members: appointed by Governor, President Pro Tem and House Speaker c. Anyone can present his/her issues and ideas to representatives d. For more information on Council: www.ncdhhs.gov/dsdhh/councils-commissions * Upcoming quarterly meetings in 2016: August 5, November 4 3. Legislative Updates * Proposal to sunset licensure for sign language interpreters o HB1007 (which retains licensure for SL interpreters) passed House o Senate version referred to Finance Committee – no further action 4. Service Updates * Increasing outreach to veterans, including via partnerships with veterans-related agencies and organizations * Partnership with NC Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) – increasing outreach to health care service providers via all-day training at AHECs (CEUs available) * ASL video on how to file a complaint on non-compliance with ADA by DHHS agency or provider (e.g. Medicaid healthcare provider) will be posted by end of July 2016 * Article on Video Remote Interpreting service under review – goal is to publish in DHHS Medicaid Bulletin (which reaches 75,000+ NC Medicaid providers). Intend of article is to educate providers on limitations of VRI, especially in reference to “effective communication” as noted in ADA. 5. General Updates * All seven DSDHH regional centers have a manager on board * Filling positions across DSDHH * Two critical vacancies remain: Telecommunications Resources Program Manager and Community Resources Program Manager – both currently posted