MANPOWER ACT OF 1965 In his April 26 signing of the Manpower Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-15), amending the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962, President Johnson emphasized that the MDTA program "has already proved itself decisively with a most impressive record," In three years, training has been authorized for 340,000 individuals, and another 67,000 have been made employable through special projects to help them overcome handicaps. principal provisions of the amendments are as follows: 1. The Act is extended from June 30, 1966 to June 30, 1969. The 2. Financing. Full Federal financing is extended to June 30, 1966. Thereafter the Federal Government will finance 90 percent of the training costs, and the States will pay 10 percent in cash or kind; allowance costs will continue to be 100 percent Federal support. The Act authorizes $454 million for costs up to June 30, 1966, and such sums as may be necessary thereafter. (Previously, full Federal financing was to expire June 30, 1965, and the following fiscal year two-thirds-one-third Federal-State matching provision was to go into effect.) 3. The maximum period for receiving training allowances is extended from 72 weeks to 104 weeks. The purpose of this extension is to work more effectively at both the lower and upper ends of the skill spectrum. At the lower end, the extremely disadvantaged need longer basic education time in their training; and for the high-skill technical positions more than one year is required for training. 4. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is tied specifically into Title I experimental and demonstration projects. The Secretary of HEW is charged with responsibility for the institutional training components of these important special projects. 5. Private Training Facilities. More and better use of private training facilities now is assured where such institutions can provide equipment or services not available in public institutions, or where they can, comparable cost, provide similar training. at Refresher or reorientation 6. Refresher training for professionals. education courses for unemployed professionals is authorized to qualify them for other employment in their professions. This legislative summary was prepared by Charles W. Phillips, Staff Assistant to the Under Secretary for Manpower Training, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Selected references are given at the end of the summary. Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, May 1965 7. Allowances for additional dependents. In addition to the basic allowance equal to the average weekly unemployment compensation in the State, the coverage of the allowance of $5 per dependent has been broadened from two to six dependents. 8. ARA training is now given its statutory base in the Manpower Act of 1965. Training projects in Area Redevelopment regions are now covered under MDTA. However, full Federal financing in ARA regions is not jeopardized. 9. Federal bonding support is authorized. Up to $200,000 in the year ending June 30, 1966, and up to $300,000 additional for the year ending June 30, 1967, may be used for experimental and demonstration projects in paying employers of institutions authorized to indemnify employers for losses due to infidelity, dishonesty, or default of trainees hired. (Previously it was not feasible to train persons with police records for jobs requiring bonding, because the trainees could not be bonded.) 10. Transportation and subsistence expenses are liberalized. Local transportation expenses by the most economical means are authorized, and if training is provided in facilities which are not within commuting distance of the trainee's regular place of residence, subsistence expenses for separate maintenance of the trainees are provided. 11. Mobility demonstration projects are authorized. During the period ending June 30, 1967, up to $5 million may be spent for pilot projects in a limited number of geographical areas to determine if unemployment may be reduced by grant or loan assistance for relocation of trainees. NATIONAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF Ralph L. Hoag and Patria G. Winalski On June 8, 1965, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Act became Public Law 89-36. The legislation provides for a residential facility to give post secondary technical training and education for the deaf to prepare them for successful employment. A twelve-member, ad hoc Advisory Board on the Establishment of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf will be appointed by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to advise him as to the location of the Institute. Approximately 3,000 deaf students above the age of 16 leave or graduate from State and local schools and classes for the deaf each year. Many wish to continue their education, but Gallaudet College is the only institution of higher education for the deaf in the United States. Gallaudet can accommodate less than half of those who apply for admission. Thus, a large number of deaf young adults who desire further education and training cannot obtain it. If these young people do not receive further education or training, they have little alternative to joining the ranks of the unskilled labor force. Education of the Deaf, a report to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, by his Advisory Committee on the Education of the Deaf, states that "five-sixths of our deaf adults work in manual jobs, as contrasted to only one-half of our hearing population. The National Technical Institute would help to prepare a higher proportion of deaf youth for more highly skilled jobs. As a prominent educator in the field, S. Richard Silverman, has noted, there are special problems in the education of the deaf. From infancy to early school age the main method of communication for the normal hearing child is auditory. The child hears others speak and learns to talk from what he hears. He learns how and what to communicate. For a child who cannot listen to language daily, its acquisition is difficult, and for some impossible, even with instruction. The teacher has the task of communicating language to a child who lacks the sensory system considered necessary for its acquisition. The educator must manipulate information so as to transmit it over whatever other sensory systems are available--vision, touch, and residual hearing. Dr. Hoag is Specialist, Educational Programs for the Deaf, Division of Handicapped Children and Youth, Office of Education, and Mrs. Winalski is Assistant to the Congressional Liaison Officer, Office of Assistant Secretary for Legislation, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, July 1965 President Johnson signs the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Act at a White House ceremony attended by Congressional leaders, Secretary Anthony J. Celebrezze and Under Secretary Wilbur J. Cohen of Health, Education, and Welfare, Commissioner of Education, Francis Keppel, and Commissioner of Vocational Rehabilitation, Mary E. Switzer. A young child with a severe or total hearing loss has a serious educational handicap. Educators have made concentrated efforts to accelerate the process of acquiring reading, language, and communication skills by deaf children. The objective has been to teach the basic language communication skills well enough at the elementary level so that the children can go on to further education or vocational training in colleges, universities, and vocational training facilities for normal hearing students. This goal is philosophically reasonable. Many educators are convinced that such preparation is the best way for a deaf child to participate fully-socially and economically--in a hearing world. Many individual success stories can be cited but adequate educational preparation has not been achieved for the general deaf population. Most residential schools for the deaf offer programs equivalent to eighth grade level. Few of the specialized day-school programs go beyond this level. Deaf students seeking further education are expected to enroll in a regular high school or vocational school for students with normal hearing. Placement in classes with the hearing is a commendable objective and should be encouraged wherever possible. But most deaf children do not communicate well enough to achieve educational success in this situation. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf will provide a broad, flexible curriculum suited to the individual needs of young deaf adults with potential for further education and training. Successful operation of such a technical training program for the deaf will depend upon the availability of adequately trained staff, resourceful and imaginative in meeting the challenge of the special problems involved. MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE LEGISLATION Size The Institute will enroll at least 200 students per year to a capacity of 600, with provisions for further expansion. Program Objective The principal objective of the Institute is the employment of the student upon his completion of a prescribed educational program. Location The National Technical Institute for the Deaf will be located in a large metropolitan industrial area to serve the special needs of deaf youth from any community. The area will have a wide variety of nationally representative types of industrial activities available for training experience that will prepare the student to return home for employment. The Institute will be affiliated with a major university for the administration of its program. Administration The Institute will be directed by a person with professional training and experience as an educator of the deaf. His staff will be proficient in dealing with deaf students from all geographical areas and with varied educational backgrounds. In formulating and carrying out the Institute's basic policies, the Director will consult with an advisory group appointed by the governing body of the institution with the approval of the Secretary. Curriculum The curriculum will be flexible enough to permit a variety of adaptations tailor-made for individual students, without having to conform to traditional accreditation standards. The program will be broad enough to include a basic remedial program, a supplementary curriculum of the social sciences and humanities, and a technical science curriculum. Admission Standards Admission to the Institute will be based on a comprehensive evaluation of a student's potential for successfully completing one of the courses of |