I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5831 

To require a demonstration program on the accession as Air Force officers 

of candidates with auditory impairments. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 15, 2018 

Mr. TAKANO (for himself, Mr. DELANEY, and Mr. LANGEVIN) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To require a demonstration program on the accession as 

Air Force officers of candidates with auditory impairments. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Keith Nolan Air Force 

5 Deaf Demonstration Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM ON ACCESSION OF 

7 CANDIDATES WITH AUDITORY IMPAIRMENTS 

8 AS AIR FORCE OFFICERS. 

9 (a) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Begin10 ning not later than 90 days after the date of the enactVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:54 May 31, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5831.IH H5831

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1 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall carry 

2 out a demonstration program to assess the feasibility and 

3 advisability of permitting individuals with auditory impair4 ments (including deafness) to access as officers of the Air 

5 Force. 

6 (b) CANDIDATES.— 

7 (1) NUMBER OF CANDIDATES.—The total num8 ber of individuals with auditory impairments who 

9 may participate in the demonstration program shall 

10 be not fewer than 15 individuals or more than 20 in11 dividuals. 

12 (2) MIX AND RANGE OF AUDITORY IMPAIR13 MENTS.—The individuals who participate in the 

14 demonstration program shall include individuals who 

15 are deaf and individuals who have a range of other 

16 auditory impairments. 

17 (3) QUALIFICATION FOR ACCESSION.—Any indi18 vidual who is chosen to participate in the demonstra19 tion program shall meet all essential qualifications 

20 for accession as an officer in the Air Force, other 

21 than those related to having an auditory impair22 ment. 

23 (c) SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air 

25 Force shall— 


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1 (A) publicize the demonstration program 

2 nationally, including to individuals who have 

3 auditory impairments and would be otherwise 

4 qualified for officer training; 

5 (B) create a process whereby interested in6 dividuals can apply for the demonstration pro7 gram; and 

8 (C) select the participants for the dem9 onstration program, from among the pool of ap10 plicants, based on the criteria in subsection (b). 

11 (2) NO PRIOR SERVICE AS AIR FORCE OFFI12 CERS.—Participants selected for the demonstration 

13 program shall be individuals who have not previously 

14 served as officers in the Air Force. 

15 (d) BASIC OFFICER TRAINING.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The participants in the dem17 onstration program shall undergo, at the election of 

18 the Secretary of the Air Force, the Basic Officer 

19 Training course or the Commissioned Officer Train20 ing course at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. 

21 (2) NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS.—Once individ22 uals begin participating in the demonstration pro23 gram, each Basic Officer Training course or Com24 missioned Officer Training course at Maxwell Air 

25 Force Base, Alabama, shall include not fewer than 


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1 four, or more than six, participants in the dem2 onstration program until all participants have com3 pleted such training. 

4 (3) AUXILIARY AIDS AND SERVICES.—The Sec5 retary of Defense shall ensure that participants in 

6 the demonstration program have the necessary auxil7 iary aids and services (as that term is defined in sec8 tion 4 of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 

9 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12103)) in order to fully partici10 pate in the demonstration program. 

11 (e) COORDINATION.— 

12 (1) SPECIAL ADVISOR.—The Secretary of the 

13 Air Force shall designate a special advisor to the 

14 demonstration program to act as a resource for par15 ticipants in the demonstration program, as well as a 

16 liaison between participants in the demonstration 

17 program and those providing the officer training. 

18 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The special advisor shall 

19 be a member of the Armed Forces on active duty— 

20 (A) who— 

21 (i) if a commissioned officer, shall be 

22 in grade O–3 or higher; or 

23 (ii) if an enlisted member, shall be in 

24 grade E–5 or higher; and 


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1 (B) who is knowledgeable about issues in2 volving, and accommodations for, individuals 

3 with auditory impairments (including deafness). 

4 (3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The special advisor 

5 shall be responsible for facilitating the officer train6 ing for participants in the demonstration program, 

7 intervening and resolving issues and accommoda8 tions during the training, and such other duties as 

9 the Secretary of the Air Force may assign to facili10 tate the success of the demonstration program and 

11 participants. 

12 (f) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air 

14 Force shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con15 gress a report on the demonstration program. The report 

16 shall include the following: 

17 (1) A description of the demonstration program 

18 and the participants in the demonstration program. 

19 (2) The outcome of the demonstration program, 

20 including— 

21 (A) the number of participants in the dem22 onstration program that successfully completed 

23 the Basic Officer Training course or the Com24 missioned Officer Training course; 


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1 (B) the number of participants in the dem2 onstration program that were recommended for 

3 continued military service; 

4 (C) the issues that were encountered dur5 ing the program; and 

6 (D) such recommendation for modifications 

7 to the demonstration program as the Secretary 

8 considers appropriate to increase further inclu9 sion of individuals with auditory disabilities 

10 serving as officers in the Air Force or other 

11 Armed Forces. 

12 (3) Such recommendations for legislative or ad13 ministrative action as the Secretary considers appro14 priate in light of the demonstration program. 

15 (g) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE16 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit17 tees of Congress’’ means— 

18 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

19 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen20 sions, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

21 Senate; and 

22 (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 

23 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep24 resentatives. 

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