Some 250,000 persons are profoundly deaf or are very severely impaired in hearing. There are about 37,000 deaf children in schools, and about 75 percent of these are in residential schools. The great majority of the deaf are "prelingually deaf"--those who were unable to hear at birth or who lost their hearing before the age when speech normally develops. The great deprivation is the lack of language. Unable to hear voices, the deaf do not develop speech and hence have no mother tongue in which to communicate--to express their thoughts and to receive the thoughts of others. Among adult deaf the greater portion of communication is by manual means, using the hands rather than speech, but many times there is a combination of "signing" and lip reading, and there are those who can only communicate by speech and lipreading. The communication problem and its offspring, educational retardation, have an inevitable effect on the employment of the deaf. As many as 83 percent of the deaf population, as compared with 50 percent of the hearing population, engage in manual labor, according to 1964 studies sponsored by the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration and conducted in the Northeast and Midwest. Basic Act of 1958 and Amendments of 1962 The 1958 legislation (P.L. 85-905) permitted the U.S. Office of Education to purchase, lease, or accept films, caption and distribute them through State schools for the deaf or other appropriate agencies. original Act focused on the provision of recreational films. The 1962 Amendments (P.L. 87-815) included the production of captioned films, the training of persons in their use, and conducting research to improve the quality and effectiveness of production and broad utilization of the film medium. Program Developments in the Office of Education Captioned films have become an integral part of classroom instruction of deaf children. In its programs and activities, the Office of Education in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare: has invented and developed a greatly improved captioning system; has more than 60 captioned film depositories in 48 States serving nearly 1,200 groups, including 395 school groups, 375 clubs and civic organizations, 280 religious groups, teacher training centers, and other groups; lists, in its film catalog, some 250 general interest and recreational films and about 200 classroom instruction films and continually adds new films; produces two weekly filmstrips to help deaf second and third is developing both a system of programed learning for teaching Development of Visual Systems for the Deaf from Elementary School to Reaching the deaf through their eyes is the primary objective of P.L. 89-258. Thus far concentration has been on motion pictures. But existing films wear out or become obsolete, and new educational films for ordinary classroom instruction are needed. General purpose films are inadequate in that their "pacing" is too fast for the deaf to absorb the point of the action, the deaf require longer scenes and prolonged captions. Film footage with less "cutting" may prove helpful. Indicative of the analysis of needs that is going forward, one film company recently conducted a national survey of teachers of the deaf to identify kinds of films and specific subjects needed but not presently available. Filmstrips, transparencies, slides, and videotapes are also of importance for a comprehensive visually oriented program. Schools for the deaf are seriously underequipped in terms of projectors, recorders, and other essential apparatus including such items as group hearing aids and individual instructional devices. Combining these complicated and varied elements into a systematic whole capable of manipulation by the regular classroom teacher will be possible under P.L. 89-258. Continuing experimentation in media and in the development of teaching methods, possible under the training and research provisions of the Captioned Films for the Deaf Act, are necessary to reach deaf children beyond the elementary grades and to equip them for earning an adequate living. As yet, practically nothing has been done for the hearing impaired at the high school level, and there is nothing for those in college, except for one or two experimental films. As an example of what has been done and can be done for the deaf in the world of work, captioned films have been used successfully to train deaf keypunch operators, and a complete filmed course in typing is in the planning stage. SELECTED REFERENCES CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, 89th Congress, 1st Session Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, Report No. 649 to Accompany S. 2232. Special Subcommittee on S. 2232, Hearing, Loan Service of Captioned Films for the Deaf, House of Representatives Committee on Education, and Labor, Report, Captioned Films for the Deaf, September 20, 1956. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Office of the Under Secretary OTHER Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators "The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (P.L. 89-36)," July 1965. Council for Exceptional Children, National Education Association, Exceptional Children, Nov. 1965, special issue on recent federal legislation relating to programs for exceptional children. For information on the production or use of captioned films for the deaf, write to: Captioned Films Branch Bureau of Research Office of Education U.S. Department of Health Education, and Welfare Washington, D.C. 20202 NATIONAL VOCATIONAL STUDENT LOAN INSURANCE ACT OF 1965 (P.L. 89-287) The National Vocational Student Loan Insurance Act of 1965 is designed to encourage the establishment of loan insurance programs for students desiring vocational training in business, trade, technical, and other vocational schools. States and private nonprofit organizations are encouraged to establish and strengthen programs for insuring loans made by lending institutions to such students. Advances totaling $1.875 million will be allotted among the States on the basis of population aged 18-22. In the absence of State programs meeting the statutory standards, the bill provides for advances to the reserve funds of private loan insurance programs in order that all eligible students will have reasonable access to insured loans. If vocational students do not have such access, the Federal Government is authorized to insure commercial loans. In exceptional circumstances where students are unable to secure loans at reasonable interest rates, the legislation authorizes the Commissioner of Education to make loans directly to students in vocational schools. Appropriations of $1 million are authorized for these direct loans. The terms of loans made available to students in vocational schools under this legislation are similar to the student loan insurance provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965. A student may borrow up to $1,000 each year for a period of two years. All of the interest will be paid by the Federal Government while the borrower is pursuing his studies and three percent thereafter, if at the time the loan is made the family income of the borrower does not exceed $15,000. Repayment on the loan would begin from nine months to one year after the student ceases his studies in a vocational school. There is also established an Advisory Council on Insured Loans to Vocational Students, which will include representatives of the types of lending institutions and eligible schools covered by the legislation, to advise the Commissioner on policy matterns arising under the program. This summary was prepared in the Office of Program Analysis, Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, Dec. 1965 The participation of Federal Credit Unions in the program is facilitated by a provision permitting them to make insured loans up to five percent of their assets to student members in accordance with provisions of the Act. Congress did not appropriate any funds for this program before the adjournment of the 1st Session of the 89th Congress. STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT JOHNSON Economists tell us that improvement of education has been responsible for one-fourth to one-half of the growth in our nation's economy over the past half-century. As our population grows, the number of young people--the job seekers--will grow faster than any group among us, and employers will demand more of them. We must be sure that there will be no gap between the number of jobs available and the ability of our people to perform those jobs. This Act will help young people enter business, trade and technical schools--institutions which play a vital role in providing the skills our citizens must have to compete and contribute in our society. The $1,875,000 allotted to the states for insured loan programs under this Act will make possible almost $19 million in loans. We estimate that in the first year as many as 25,000 young people-receiving grants of up to $1,000--will enjoy its benefits. The amount they return to our economy with their new skills and training is far beyond counting. - This Act will enable the Commissioner of Education to assist in establishing adequate State and nonprofit loan insurance programs for students in these schools; - It will allow the Commissioner to insure eligible lending institutions against losses on such loans; --Finally, it will empower him to make direct loans where funds are not normally available through lending institutions. We have already done much toward providing full educational opportunity in the Nation. The benefits of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 have already begun to flow to the States. The Higher Education Act, which will soon be signed, will provide valuable new assistance to students in our colleges and universities. But fewer than half our young people go to college; the quality of life in our country--and the strength of our economy--cannot depend solely upon this minority. This act will be a source of encouragement to capable young people who need training to become useful and productive citizens. |