Bill > HCR13

This Concurrent Resolution urges the Department of Education to create and put into action a plan to actively seek out and hire qualified blind professionals for roles such as orientation and mobility instructors, who teach visually impaired students how to navigate their environment, and other teaching positions. The resolution highlights that a specific training and credentialing process called the National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC) focuses on a "structured discovery" approach, developed from the experiences of blind individuals, which emphasizes non-visual techniques and the employment of blind instructors. This is contrasted with the previously favored "vision-centered" approach, which often led to the hiring of non-blind instructors and limited job opportunities for qualified blind professionals. The resolution also calls for the Superintendent of Education to report to the Legislature on the department's efforts and recommendations for increasing the employment of blind instructors.