CT HB05487

Commissioner of Education establishes a three-year pilot program providing up to five school districts with funding for college-credit eligible high school courses in American Sign Language interpreting, effective July 1, 2026

Participating school districts must sign memoranda of understanding with accredited higher education institutions and meet annual reporting requirements

Curriculum may include ASL vocabulary, grammar and syntax, deaf community knowledge, conversational proficiency, and advanced communication skills aligned with professional standards

$1 million appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education for fiscal year ending June 30, 2027 to fund the pilot program

Annual spending cap for community inclusion services for adults who are both blind/visually impaired and deaf increased from $10,000 to $14,000 per person per fiscal year