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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 2, 2021 04:46 PM |
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| From: | Representative Dan L. Miller |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Creating a permanent access program for deafblind Pennsylvanians |
| For many deafblind Pennsylvanians, opportunities are limited by a lack of services that allow them to complete even the simplest of life’s tasks. Support service providers (SSP) act as a critical bridge to independence for the deafblind, providing environmental information and acting as a guides and communication facilitators. Without the support of SSP’s, individuals who are deafblind can be incredibly isolated from the world around them. In 2014, the Department of Labor and Industry allocated a pilot grant to start a statewide support service provider program in Pennsylvania. This program allowed many more deafblind Pennsylvanians to access their communities and avoid costly in-home care or nursing home placement. Unfortunately, effective October 1st, 2020, this program ended. Since that time, temporary funding has allowed limited services to continue, but the people served by this program deserve appropriate levels of service that they know they can depend upon in the future. To ensure this program continues to succeed in supporting individuals who are deafblind, I am introducing legislation that would codify the grant program into statute, appropriating $1.5 million to the Department of Labor and Industry’s Office of Deaf & Hard of Hearing to run a statewide SSP program. It is imperative that deafblind Pennsylvanians are provided with access to the world around them, empowering them to live more independent lives. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |
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