CT HB05241

Establishes a Bureau of Services for Persons Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind within the Department of Aging and Disability Services, effective July 1, 2024, with an executive director appointed by October 1, 2024.

Executive director must have professional experience serving deaf/hard of hearing/deafblind persons, be fluent in American Sign Language, and understand deafblind interpretation methods.

Bureau responsibilities include overseeing counseling and interpreting services, publishing resource guides and interpreter lists, coordinating state agency responses to concerns, providing education and training to first responders and interpreters, and assisting with telecommunication relay services.

Requires the executive director to file annual reports to joint standing committees by July 1, 2025, and annually thereafter with recommendations to improve services.

Mandates each state agency appoint a point-of-contact employee to collaborate with the Bureau on deaf/hard of hearing/deafblind concerns and display contact information on agency websites.