H.R. 9195

Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act

Sponsor: Morgan McGarvey

30 cosponsors
Follow this bill

Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act

This bill expands special education and related services for children and youth who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind.

For example, the bill requires states to more specifically identify and evaluate children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind to better allow for the provision of appropriate services.

In addition, a state's closure of a specialized school serving children who are blind or deaf shall result in a reduction of its financial support for special education and related services.

The bill also authorizes support, including grants for training special education personnel, to prepare individuals to become qualified teachers and early intervention specialists for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind.

Finally, the bill establishes within the Department of Education the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence to better support students with visual disabilities receiving special education and related services.

Text of the bill

Expand all

I IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO ARE DEAF, HARD OF HEARING, OR DEAFDISABLED

A General Provisions

Sec. 107. Continuum of service delivery options

(a) Ensuring continuum availability. Section 612(a)(5) (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(5)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(C) Continuum of alternative placements. The State shall ensure that a full continuum of alternative placements is available to meet the needs of children with disabilities for special education and related services. Such continuum shall include instruction in regular classes, specialized classes, specialized schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions, and shall make provision for supplementary services (such as a resource room or itinerant instruction) to be provided in conjunction with regular class placement.

(b) Maintenance of specialized services and settings for students with sensory disabilities. Section 612(a)(18) (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(18)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(E) Maintaining a continuum of placement options. For purposes of subparagraph (A), a State’s closure of a specialized school serving children who are blind or a special school serving children who are deaf (or the consolidation or merger of such school with another school), shall be considered a reduction of the State’s financial support for special education and related services resulting in a failure to meet a condition on receipt of assistance under this part.

B Improving the Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafdisabled Infants and Toddlers and Their Families

C National Activities To Improve Education of Children With Disabilities

II IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED

A General Provisions

B Specialized Early Childhood Intervention Services to Infants and Toddlers Who are Blind or Visually Impaired

C Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence

III IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO ARE DEAFBLIND

A General Provisions

B Improving the Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers who are Deafblind and Their Families

C National Activities To Improve the Education of Children with Disabilities