2012 Fiscal Year Annual Report July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012 The Honorable Jan Brewer Governor, State of Arizona 1700 W. Washington Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Dear Governor Brewer: In accordance with A.R.S. §36-1944, I am pleased to submit the 2012 Annual Report on behalf of the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH). The ACDHH staff, with the leadership of Executive Director Sherri Collins, worked hard in the past year to achieve the overall goal of improving the quality of life for Arizona’s Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind and persons with speech difficulties. Numerous accomplishments are highlighted in this report. On behalf of Arizona’s more than 704,000 Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind and persons with speech difficulties, I thank you for your strong support of the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing. Respectfully, Chris Schneck ACDHH Chairperson 2 Table of Contents About the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) Page 4 ACDHH Statute 4-5 Fiscal Year 2012 General Highlights 5-6 Information and Referral 6 Interpreter Licensure 6 Interpreter Training Program Partnerships 7 Arizona Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program 7 Arizona Relay Service 7 ACDHH Budget 8 Commissioners 9 Staff Members 10 3 About ACDHH The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) was established in 1977 to improve the quality of life for deaf and hard of hearing residents. ACDHH serves as a statewide information referral center for issues related to people with hearing loss, oversees the Arizona Relay Service, the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program and licenses American Sign Language Interpreters. In addition, the agency serves citizens who are deaf- blind and who have speech difficulties as well. The agency name was changed in 1985 to the Arizona Council for the Hearing Impaired, and in 2000 was again changed to its present name. ACDHH aspires to be a national leader in communication access, support services and community empowerment throughout the state. ACDHH staff members serve as the statewide resource on issues concerning the deaf and the hard of hearing communities by: - Providing information and referral Conducting training and outreach events Distributing Telecommunications Equipment Overseeing Arizona Telecommunications Relay Service Staying abreast of local, state and national trends Licensing American Sign Language Interpreters Certifying American Sign Language Teachers Keeping the deaf and hard of hearing community and the general public informed and connected are key services at ACDHH. It is for this reason a weekly email newsletter, a comprehensive resource library, proactive media relations efforts and agency social media outlets are provided. These resources keep the public well-informed on issues of importance. Mission The purpose of the ACDHH is to ensure, in partnership with the public and private sectors, accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing and to improve their quality of life. Vision The energetic and innovative ACDHH team, aspires to be a national leader in the provision of communication access, support services and community empowerment throughout the Grand Canyon State. Statute and Regulatory Requirements: The ACDHH Statute: To remain at the forefront of service delivery for deaf and hard of hearing Arizonans, ACDHH continues to work towards its specific regulatory obligations: The commission shall act as a bureau of information to the deaf and the hard of hearing, state agencies and institutions providing services to the deaf and the hard of hearing, local agencies of government and other public or private community agencies and programs. In this capacity, the commission shall:  Inform the deaf and hard of hearing of the programs and activities of the Commission and other services available to them at all levels of government. 4  Develop and foster a framework for consultation and cooperation with the rehabilitation services bureau of the Department of Economic Security and with all institutions represented on the Commission.  Study issues relating to the deaf and the hard of hearing, review the administration and operation of various programs and make recommendations concerning these issues to the programs and to the agencies represented on the Commission  Submit an annual report to the Governor and the legislature concerning its findings and recommendations.  Review the problems of the deaf and the hard of hearing as they relate to the need for effective and appropriate auxiliary aids in public places.  Maintain contractual compliance for Arizona Relay Service and enhance public awareness of relay service.  Review and compile information on the development of acoustical technology for the hard of hearing and advocate the use of this technology if it deems appropriate.  Make recommendations to state agencies, political subdivisions and institutions on how to meet the needs of the deaf and the hard of hearing.  License American Sign Language Interpreters and certify teachers of American Sign Language.  Make recommendations to the legislature regarding statutory changes needed to implement a statewide newborn child hearing loss screening program.  Establish and administer a statewide program to purchase, repair and distribute telecommunication devices to residents of this state who are deaf, severely hearing or speech impaired. 2012 Fiscal Year General Highlights  The Commission reached more than one million individuals through print media, telephone contacts, email correspondence, Facebook, Twitter and the weekly E-news distribution. Numerous newspapers around the state featured ACDHH, AZTEDP and AZRS in various sections of their publications. These articles were a result of proactive media relations efforts to promote the staff’s ongoing efforts to provide trainings on deafness and hearing loss, educational seminars on telecommunication devices for the deaf and the hard of hearing and conference exhibits.  The Commission completed a statewide healthcare providers curriculum; one of its major goals from the 2011 Visioning Conferences around the state. The goal of the curriculum is to train all healthcare providers in best practices for providing equal access to effective communication for Arizonans who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind and citizens who have speech difficulties. The components of the training include seminar instruction and interaction, resource brochures, DVDs and certificates of completion. The curriculum was completed in May 2012. Since its completion, Commission staff has provided training at one facility. The curriculum materials have been distributed to more than 150 professionals while in attendance at the AZ Rural Health Conference and the AZ Hospital Association as well as to the AZ Veterans Hospital (Phoenix). 5  The Commission is the one and only office where all aspects of communication access are fully available to these citizens. In 2012 the Commission has improved access for consumers by partnering with the following organizations hosting meetings in our facility: AZ Hands and Voices (parents of deaf and hard of hearing children), Arizona Deaf Senior Citizens Coalition, AZ Early Hearing Detection and Intervention and the Arizona Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.  The Commission partnered with local, state and national organizations during the year to continue to improve services for the deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and speech disabled. Organizations included the Governor’s Council on Aging, The Governor’s Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired-Deaf-Blind Subcommittee, Statewide Independent Living Council, The City of Phoenix, The City of Scottsdale, Adult Loss of Hearing Association (Tucson), Phoenix College, Coconino Community College, The National Association of the Deaf, The National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and Maricopa County Department of Public Health- Emergency Services; Hard to Reach Populations and many more.  The Commission provided training and education to more than 13,385 consumers, professionals and students during the year. This number is less than previous years because of travel reduction to develop the healthcare curriculum. Information and Referral  The Commission provides a weekly E-News email distribution for sharing information with the community. The announcements range from community events, agency activities and special agency projects and much more. There are more than 2,300 subscribers for ACDHH E-news! The E-News distribution total 75.623 contacts during FY ’12!.  The Commission provided 190,695 Information and Referral contacts.  Website visits totaled 60,000. Interpreter Licensure  During this fiscal year 51 new American Sign Language interpreters were licensed.  A total of five complaints were filed.  ACDHH is an approved National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf sponsor for continuing education units. As part of its interpreter recruitment campaign ACDHH partnered with the Arizona School for the Deaf and the Blind to sponsor a variety of educational workshops for interpreters in the K-12 settings. A total of 219 hours of training was provided with the support of ACDHH. While these interpreters are exempt from state licensure the Commission recognizes the benefit of educating all interpreters about licensure and its impact on quality services for consumers and professionals alike. 6 Arizona Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program  The Arizona Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program provided 961 telecommunication devices to citizens in need of TTYs, captioned telephones, amplified telephones or amplified telephones with accompanying large visual display.  The AzTEDP was highlighted in approximately 12 media outlets  121 equipment demonstrations were provided  The program maintained a 98% satisfaction rating Arizona Relay Service (AZRS) General Highlights Hamilton Communications provided excellent Arizona Relay Services through June 30, 2012. AZRS is funded by a surcharge on all Arizona ratepayers’ landline telephone statements. The funds are administered by ACDHH. Outreach and education activities were conducted to inform the general public about the Arizona Relay Service and to interact with relay users to obtain their input and feedback.  AZRS completed 825,536 call minutes.  AZRS maintained a 99.9% customer satisfaction rate for the year. 7 Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Revenue: $4, 883,500 Appropriation: $3,778,200 Expenditures: Personal Services/Employee Related Expenses $1,015,500 AZRS (Rely) Contract $1,550,900 AzTEDP (Equipment Distribution Program) $168,100 Professional and Outside Services $276,500 Other Operating Expenses $235,100 Total $3,246,100 8 Board of Commissioners The Board oversees the policymaking, budget planning, and strategic planning of ACDHH, in addition to evaluating the ongoing performance of the executive director. Each board member also acts as an advocate for ACDHH and the particular group they represent. The ACDHH Board consists of 14 members appointed by the Governor to three-year terms. Of the representatives, four are deaf; four are hard of hearing; one parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child; one Arizona licensed American Sign Language interpreter, one licensed hearing aid dispenser; one clinical audiologist; one representative from the Department of Economic Security; one representative from the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Tucson or the Phoenix Day School of the Deaf. The Board meets four times a year, one of which serves as their retreat. Name Position Term expiration Chris Schneck Chairperson Hard of Hearing Representative 8/27/2012 Juliann Wasisco Vice Chair Deaf Representative 8/27/2014 Sherry Appleby Secretary Hard of Hearing Representative 8/27/2014 David Curry Deaf Representative 8/27/2014 Tina Duresky Deaf Representative 8/27/2014 Robert Hill ASDB/PDSD Representative 8/27/2013 Robert Kirschbaum Hard of Hearing Representative 8/27/2014 Sue Kay Kneifel Department of Economic Security Representative 8/27/2014 Frank Kollman Interpreter for the Deaf Representative 8/27/2014 Tom Muller, Au.D. CCC-A Dispensing Clinical Audiologist Representative 8/27/2012 Kathy Roadlander Parent of a Deaf Child 8/27/2013 Roslyn R. Siebold Licensed Hearing Aid Dispenser Representative 8/27/2012 Maureen Sydnor Deaf Representative 8/27/2014 Vacant Hard of Hearing Representative 8/27/2014 9 Commission Staff Name Sherri L. Collins Position Executive Director Carmen Green Deputy Director Lynn Wakefield Business Manager Curtis Humphries Assistant Business Manager Shari Burda Administrative Assistant Beca Bailey Deaf Specialist Emmett Hassen Licensing and Certification Coordinator Christine Milano Equipment and Inventory Technician Bryanna Browder Special Projects Coordinator Vacant Telecommunications Project Specialist Vacant Public Relations Planner Giselle Galindo Administrative Assistant Michele Michaels Hard of Hearing Specialist Christi Smith Interpreter Coordinator Vicki Thompson AzTEDP Planner Melinda Villela Assistant/Executive Director 10 11