House Bill 60: Terms
Associated With the Deaf Community
- Compiled & Written by Jodi Becker Kinner
Published in 2017
Updated in 2024
In 2017, Utah made history by becoming the first state in the country to change the term "hearing impaired" to "deaf and hard of hearing" in state law. On March 17, 2017, a Utah House Bill (HB) came into effect, achieving this. As a result, any instances of "hearing impaired" in the Utah State Code have been replaced with "deaf and hard of hearing."
The term "hearing impaired" is generally not accepted by the Deaf community. They find it disrespectful and offensive because it suggests something is broken and needs fixing. The Deaf community recognizes that Deaf culture has its own unique characteristics, such as language, tradition, values, and norms.
From 2007 to 2009, three Deaf representatives, Dennis R. Platt, Jill Radford, and Jodi Becker Kinner, were a part of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) Legislative Task Force. They attempted to change the term 'Hearing Impaired' to 'Deaf and Hard of Hearing' in the Utah House Bill (HB) 296 that regulates the USDB. Despite their efforts, the legislative workgroup, which consisted mostly of non-deaf individuals, decided that HB 296 should stay aligned with the federal term 'hearing impaired.' On March 25, 2009, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., signed the bill into law. The signing ceremony took place on April 30, 2009.
The term "hearing impaired" is generally not accepted by the Deaf community. They find it disrespectful and offensive because it suggests something is broken and needs fixing. The Deaf community recognizes that Deaf culture has its own unique characteristics, such as language, tradition, values, and norms.
From 2007 to 2009, three Deaf representatives, Dennis R. Platt, Jill Radford, and Jodi Becker Kinner, were a part of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) Legislative Task Force. They attempted to change the term 'Hearing Impaired' to 'Deaf and Hard of Hearing' in the Utah House Bill (HB) 296 that regulates the USDB. Despite their efforts, the legislative workgroup, which consisted mostly of non-deaf individuals, decided that HB 296 should stay aligned with the federal term 'hearing impaired.' On March 25, 2009, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., signed the bill into law. The signing ceremony took place on April 30, 2009.
In the 2017 legislative session, Stephen Persinger, the President of the Utah Association of the Deaf, Pamela Mower, the Vice President of the Utah Association of the Deaf, and W. David Samuelson, a deaf supporter, worked tirelessly to lobby and advocate for HB 60. Thanks to the support of Representative Norman Thurston, both the House of Representatives and the Senate approved HB 60. On March 17, 2017, Utah Governor Gary Hebert signed HB 60 into law, marking the successful culmination of their efforts.
Representative Thurston was a strong supporter of the Deaf community. During the 2016 legislative session, he sponsored Utah HB 325, which reorganized the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, including the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. These were transferred under the Department of Workforce Services. Representative Thurston worked collaboratively with Deaf leaders, including Stephen Persinger, Philippe Montalette, Pamela Mower, and W. David Samuelson, to ensure that the language used in HB 325 was appropriate and up-to-date. As a result of this positive working relationship, Representative Thurston was motivated to introduce HB 60, which aimed to replace the term "Hearing Impaired" in state statutes with "Deaf and Hard of Hearing."
On April 11, 2017, Governor Herbert signed House Bill 60 into law. The signing ceremony was attended by Representative Thurston, Marilyn T. Call, Stephen Persinger, Pamela Mower, W. David Sameulsen, Brandon Bowden, Brooke Budzinski Grossinger, Milika Grossinger (Brooke's 5-year-old daughter), and Jodi Becker Kinner.
Since the signing of HB 60, President Persinger of the UAD has been contacted by four states, with the possibility of more, who are considering following the same path. President Persinger has contacted them to learn more about how it was done (Persinger, UAD Bulletin, April 2017).
In the April 2017 UAD Bulletin, UAD President Persinger wrote, "This may seem minor, but this is something that can have a ripple effect from the top down instead of trying to teach people from the bottom up, which takes a lot more energy and work. This change helps show that we're not just something needing to be fixed, but humans with feelings, emotions, and thoughts, and that our group has a language and culture of our own that we are proud of" (Persinger, UAD Bulletin, Spring 2017, p. 1).
It is a significant achievement for the Utah Deaf community, and it could serve as a model for other states seeking to replicate its success.
Representative Thurston was a strong supporter of the Deaf community. During the 2016 legislative session, he sponsored Utah HB 325, which reorganized the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, including the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. These were transferred under the Department of Workforce Services. Representative Thurston worked collaboratively with Deaf leaders, including Stephen Persinger, Philippe Montalette, Pamela Mower, and W. David Samuelson, to ensure that the language used in HB 325 was appropriate and up-to-date. As a result of this positive working relationship, Representative Thurston was motivated to introduce HB 60, which aimed to replace the term "Hearing Impaired" in state statutes with "Deaf and Hard of Hearing."
On April 11, 2017, Governor Herbert signed House Bill 60 into law. The signing ceremony was attended by Representative Thurston, Marilyn T. Call, Stephen Persinger, Pamela Mower, W. David Sameulsen, Brandon Bowden, Brooke Budzinski Grossinger, Milika Grossinger (Brooke's 5-year-old daughter), and Jodi Becker Kinner.
Since the signing of HB 60, President Persinger of the UAD has been contacted by four states, with the possibility of more, who are considering following the same path. President Persinger has contacted them to learn more about how it was done (Persinger, UAD Bulletin, April 2017).
In the April 2017 UAD Bulletin, UAD President Persinger wrote, "This may seem minor, but this is something that can have a ripple effect from the top down instead of trying to teach people from the bottom up, which takes a lot more energy and work. This change helps show that we're not just something needing to be fixed, but humans with feelings, emotions, and thoughts, and that our group has a language and culture of our own that we are proud of" (Persinger, UAD Bulletin, Spring 2017, p. 1).
It is a significant achievement for the Utah Deaf community, and it could serve as a model for other states seeking to replicate its success.
A Slideshow of the
Ceremonial Signing of HB 60
April 11, 2017
Reference
Persinger, Stephen. “President’s Corner.” UAD Bulletin, April 2017.
Persinger, Stephen. “President’s Corner.” UAD Bulletin, April 2017.