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I would like to turn my attention now to a little more detailed information on title IV, section 404 of H.R. 8395, which provides for the establishment of a National Information and Resource Center for the Handicapped. Our association, the Alexander Graham Bell Association and the International Parent Organization and the Oral Deaf Adult Section individually and collectively endorse the concept of an improved facility for providing accurate and timely information for and about the handicapped.

We commend the committee and Senator Bob Dole for introducing legislation for a National Resource Center for the Handicapped. However, the Alexander Graham Bell Association has for more than 80 years served as an information and resource center for just one handicapping condition, the hearing impaired. However, we would like to make the following constructive suggestions. We feel that the title should be changed to a clearing house rather than center in order to reflect the intent of this as a service of coordination of public and private resources.

This is consistent with Senator Dole's statement in the Congressional Record on January 26 in which he said the center will not duplicate the function of any programs in either Government or private sectors.

No. 2, in this day and age when accountability is being so aggressively applied in educational circles, we would propose that an advisory committee be established for the purpose of guiding and evaluating the performance of the clearinghouse staff.

A single national clearinghouse at the level of the Office of the Secretary will not necessarily improve the delivery of information and services to handicapped citizens in the country. Whether the appropriation is $300,000 or $3 million a year, the clearinghouse should be held accountable for its use of its funds.

No. 3, the sum of $300,000 is a very modest one for a clearinghouse intended to provide an accurate and reliable response to all inquiries from disabled people anywhere in the United States. The mere updating of information is an enormous task in a period when programs and services are expanding, contracting, and even evaporating almost daily.

So, for this reason, we would very seriously question more than a token effort for this amount of investment. Also, No. 4, any clearinghouse must stand behind its products. The only alternative is to disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy of that which it disseminates. Thus there arises a judgmental factor as to what information is to be collected, how to judge its accuracy as well as its

currency.

We would submit that this matter has not been addressed in the legislation nor in the budget estimates for the staff and advisers.

Since 1887 the organization that I head now known as the Alexander Graham Bell Association has been providing information on deafness to anyone who seeks it, regardless of race, creed, or ability to pay. Countless parents, educators, and interested people have looked to us for information about existing facilities, training programs, clinical services, communication techniques, and many other facets of this program.

In 1971, our staff provided more than 15,000 requests for all kinds of information. The responses leaving our office range from sold books

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to loaned books, free copies of pamphlets, telephone calls, to solving difficult problems, personal visits, and so forth.

In my opinion, any real service-oriented center must have all these capabilities or access to them. The Bell Association has functioned in coordination with many other resources, private and Government sponsored, freely exchanging information and referring requests for information. We are proud of our accomplishments and of our independent status.

Our library ranges as one of the five acknowledged information centers on deafness in the world. With the establishment of a national clearinghouse, we would hope and expect that our collection and dissemination of information on deafness would be greatly enhanced.

To provide materials and to be a referral resource for such a clearinghouse is well within our own program. While we cannot speak for other privately supported information centers, we strongly feel that a ombined effort under a national clearinghouse with supportive funds would certainly tend to improve currently available information services.

So, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Reid, we are pleased to support these bills and are anxious to see them cleared so that all of us can go forward with the work of helping the hearing handicapped to become happy, healthy, tax-paying citizens.

(Prepared statement of Mr. Hoerr follows:)

STATEMENT OF CHRIS R. HOERR, III, PRESIDENT-ELECT, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF, INC.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am Chris R. Hoerr III, president-elect of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and president of its affiliated section, the International Parents' Organization.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf is a national organization of 7,000 members, and the International Parents' Organization has 14,000 affiliated members who are parents of deaf children. The Bell Association includes among its membership over 250 successful oral deaf adults, most of whom are college graduates and hold positions somewhat similar to those which they might have held if they had normal hearing. I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak on behalf of these members of the Bell Association for the proposed amendments and revisions to the Vocational Rehabilitation Service Act.

I am the parent of a deaf child myself and, while my son is not yet of an age to concern himself with employment, I am personally interested in this subject on behalf of many parents whose children have reached the point of seeking a job. Thus I would like to express approval and support for the legislation amending the Vocational Rehabilitation Act to provide greater services for low- or underachieving deaf persons.

Because our interests center on the hearing impaired, and because there are present so many individuals prepared and competent to speak on the various proposals being considered, I will confine my remarks to those areas specifically concerning services for the deaf; that is, H.R. 5610 and pertinent sections of H.R. 8395.

In commenting on H.R. 5610 and Title IV Section 409 of H.R. 8395, we would suggest that, while a single national model educational program for the deaf offers good educational programs for a few deaf persons and may also serve research and development purposes, the ultimate goal of education or training for the masses of the hearing impaired population is scarcely touched by such programs. Let us not compound the problem of these people by legislating for a single National Rehabilitation Center for low- or under-achieving deaf. Such a center, as stated in H.R. 5610 and as described by a representative of Social and Rehabilitation Service, would in one to five years rehabilitate only 500 of the more than 100,000 low- or under-achieving deaf people in this country.

In a study of rehabilitation of under-achieving deaf persons recently completed by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf under a grant from the Social and Rehabilitation Service, it was found that among the limiting factors was the lack of maturity of the deaf job seeker. Vital to the correction of this limitation would appear to be the cooperation of the individual's family and friends-those who love him and generally maintain continuous contact with him even after his so-called rehabilitation is over. Thus it would appear consistent with the results of our study to maintain the rehabilitation process as close to the individual's own community as is possible to take advantage of this family and community contact.

Furthermore, we would suggest that a variety of opportunities as might be engendered by several regional centers would be most appropriate. Certainly such centers would want to relate to local industries to identify job situations and provide bases for in-service training, a practice that would be considerably enhanced by different regional settings. Also, as we have seen from the appearance of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf as the second large-scale postsecondary educational program for the deaf in the United States, competition among centers serving the handicapped tends to improve the quality of the services offered.

Essential to the greater rehabilitation of the handicapped is public awareness of both the problems and the solutions. Regional centers would enable the public in many communities across the country to become cognizant of what is being done, what can be done, and what they themselves can do to alleviate the tremendous human and economic loss to our society caused by the lack of habilitation of these low- or under-achieving deaf.

Certainly the proposed idea of a series of regional centers for low-achieving deaf persons is a project well worth the support of the more fortunate citizens of this country, and the organizations which I represent are pleased to encourage prompt action toward bringing them about.

I would like to turn attention now to Title IV Section 404 of H.R. 8395 which provides for the establishment of a National Information and Resource Center for the Handicapped. The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and its International Parents' Organization and its Oral Deaf Adults Section individually and collectively endorse the concept of an improved facility for providing accurate and timely information for and about the handicapped. Thus we compliment this Committee and Senator Bob Dole of Kansas for introducing legislation for a National Information and Resource Center for the Handicapped.

Based upon more than 80 years as an information and resource center for just one handicapping condition, however, we would like to make the following constructive suggestions:

1. The title should be changed to a "clearinghouse" rather than "center" to reflect the intent to have this a service of coordination of public and private resources. This is consistent with Senator Dole's statements in the Congressional Record on January 26, 1971, in which he said, "The center will not duplicate the function of any programs in either the Government or private sectors."

2. In this day and age when the term "accountability" is being so aggressively applied in educational circles, we would propose that an Advisory Committee be established for the purpose of guiding and evaluating the performance of the clearinghouse staff. Á single national clearinghouse at the level of the Office of the Secretary will not necessarily improve the delivery of information and services to handicapped citizens in the country. Whether the appropriation be $300,000 or $3,000,000 a year, the clearinghouse should be held accountable for its use of its funds.

3. The sum of $300,000 is a very modest one for a clearinghouse intended to provide an "accurate and reliable response" (Representative Bennett of Florida, Hearings on H.R. 18286, October 14, 1970) to an inquiry from a disabled person anywhere in the United States. The mere updating of information is an enormous task in a period when programs and services are expanding, contracting, and even evaporating almost daily. For this reason, we question more than a token effort for this amount of investment.

4. Any clearinghouse must stand behind its "products". The only alternative is to disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy of that which it disseminates. Thus there arises a judgmental factor as to what information is to be collected-how to judge its accuracy as well as its currency. We would submit that this matter has

not been addressed in the legislation nor in the budget estimates for staff and advisors.

Since 1887, the organization now known as the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf has been providing information on deafness to anyone who seeks it regardless of race, creed, or ability to pay. Countless parents, educators, and other interested people have looked to us for information about existing facilities, training programs, clinical services, communication techniques, planning assistance, and encouragement in their own programs. In 1971, for example, our staff processed more than 15,000 requests for all kinds of information. The responses leaving our office range from sold books to loaned books, to free copies of pamphlets, to personally researched answers to difficult problems, to telephone calls, and to personal visits. In my opinion, any really service-oriented center must have all these capabilities or access to them.

The Bell Association has functioned in coordination with many other resources, private and government-sponsored, freely exchanging information and referring requests for information. We are proud of our accomplishments and our independent status. Our library ranks as one of five acknowledged information centers on deafness in the world. With the establishment of a national clearinghouse, we would hope and expect that our own collection and dissemination of information on deafness would be greatly enhanced. To provide materials and to be a referral resource for such a clearinghouse is well within our own program. While we cannot speak for other privately-supported information centers, we strongly feel that a combined effort under a National Clearinghouse with supportive funding would certainly tend to improve currently available information services.

Mr. Chairman, we are pleased to support these bills and are anxious to see them cleared so that all of us can go on with the work of helping the hearing handicapped to become happy, healthy, tax-paying citizens.

Thank you.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Thank you very much. We are grateful to you for having come and for your patience and for your excellent statement. Mr. Reid?

Mr. REID. I would merely like to thank you for your testimony and what the Alexander Graham Bell Organization you head has done over the years. It has been an important national endeavor and contribution.

I hope we can expand some of the means to help you
Thank you.

Mr. HOERR. Thank you very much, sir.

in your work.

Mr. BRADEMAS. The subcommittee is adjourned until tomorrow in this room, 2261, at 2 p.m.

(Whereupon, at 12:25 p.m., the committee recessed to reconvene at 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 1, 1972.)

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES TO

THE HANDICAPPED

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1972

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR,
SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION,

Washington, D.C.

The select subcommittee met at 2:10 p.m., pursuant to recess, in room 2261, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. John Brademas (chairman of the subcommittee), presiding.

Committee member present: Representative Brademas.

Staff members present: Jack G. Duncan, counsel, and Martin LaVor, minority legislative coordinator.

Mr. BRADEMAS. The Select Subcommittee on Education will come to order.

Today our subcommittee commences our second day of hearings to consider legislation to extend the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, which expires on June 30, 1972. The Chair wishes to apologize to witnesses who have been scheduled to testify this morning but, as you may be aware, the full Committee on Education and Labor was called into session for the purpose of considering and reporting out, which we did, the legislation extending the Office of Economic Opportunity.

We are looking today at a program which is one of the most effective illustrations of Federal-State cooperation, working toward achievement of a national goal which, in this particular case, is to help physically and mentally handicapped persons have an equal opportunity to achieve as useful and productive life as do those who are not handicapped.

We are all aware of the growth of this program which has served over 3 million disabled people since it was enacted in 1920. With one of every five Americans either physically or mentally handicapped, clearly we must give careful consideration to new means of providing adequate and better services to handicapped citizens.

The number of proposals presently before our committee represents a healthy interest in this field. Although the administration has not yet presented its proposal, which the Chair is distressed to have to observe is nearly 2 years late, it is my own hope that this subcommittee will, nevertheless, take prompt action to act on this very important and essential legislation.

The first witness before our subcommittee is one who is held in high esteem by members of this subcommittee. He knows well the

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