Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s6128
Timestamp: 2019-07-23 18:04:42
Document Index: 533602170

Matched Legal Cases: ['§296', '§7', '§92', '§3', '§3230', '§326', '§336', '§6', '§49', '§108', '§223', '§ 2', '§ 3', '§ 4', '§ 7', '§  5', '§ 6', '§ 92', '§ 7', '§ 8', '§ 9', '§  10', '§  11', '§  12', '§ 13', '§ 14', '§ 15', '§ 16', '§  17', '§ 18', '§  223', '§ 19']

NY State Senate Bill S6128
senate Bill S6128
Changes references in law from "hearing impaired" to "deaf or hard of hearing"
Archive: Last Bill Status Via A7178 - Signed by Governor
Get Status Alerts for S6128
Aug 24, 2018 signed chap.221
3rd reading cal.152
substituted for s6128
Apr 30, 2018 substituted by a7178
Jan 09, 2018 1st report cal.152
S6128 (ACTIVE) - Details
Amd §§296, 374 & 378, Exec L; amd §7-e, Leg L; amd §92-a, Pub Serv L; amd §§3 & 53, Pub Bldg L; amd §§3230 & 4410, Ed L; amd §326-b, Soc Serv L; amd §§336-b, 798 & 799, Gen Bus L; amd §6, Civ Serv L; amd §49-gg, Work Comp L; amd §108, Ag & Mkts L; amd §223-b, Pub Hous L
S6128 (ACTIVE) - Summary
Changes references in law from "hearing impaired" to "deaf or hard of hearing".
S6128 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo
BILL NUMBER:  S6128
TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the executive law, the legislative
law, the public service law, the public buildings law, the education
law, the social services law, the general business law, the civil
service law, the workers' compensation law, the agriculture and
markets law and the public housing law, in relation to changing
references to "hearing impaired" to "deaf or hard of hearing"
To modify terminology throughout New York State law related to
This bill amends sections of the executive law, legislative law,
public service law, public buildings law, education law, social
services law, general business law, civil service law, workers'
compensation law, agriculture and markets law and public housing law
to change "hearing impairment" and "hearing impaired" to "deaf' or
"hard of hearing" throughout New York State laws.
According to National Association "hearing impaired" establishes the
standard that hindered or damaged in some way. The terminology
impaired" to deaf or hard of hearing provides us appropriately
describe a category of people with of the Deaf (NAD), the term a
person is impaired, change from "hearing with an opportunity to
to section 92-a of the public service law, made by section five of
this act, shall not affect the expiration and reversion of such
section, and shall expire therewith when upon such date section six of
S6128 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf
AN ACT to amend the executive  law,  the  legislative  law,  the  public
service  law,  the public buildings law, the education law, the social
services law, the general business law, the  civil  service  law,  the
workers'  compensation  law,  the  agriculture and markets law and the
public housing law, in relation to  changing  references  to  "hearing
impaired" to "deaf or hard of hearing"
Section 1. Subdivision 14 of section 296  of  the  executive  law,  as
amended  by  chapter  141  of  the  laws  of 2015, is amended to read as
procedures, including those defined in subparagraph  (iv)  of  paragraph
(d)  of subdivision two of this section or reasonable accommodations for
ing the use of an animal as a reasonable accommodation, it shall  be  an
unlawful  discriminatory practice for any person engaged in any activity
covered by this section to deny  access  or  otherwise  to  discriminate
against  a blind person, a [hearing impaired] person WHO IS DEAF OR HARD
OF HEARING or a person with another disability  because  he  or  she  is
accompanied  by  a dog that has been trained to work or perform specific
tasks for the benefit of such person by a professional guide dog,  hear-
ing  dog or service dog training center or professional guide dog, hear-
ing dog or service dog trainer, or to discriminate against such  profes-
sional  guide  dog,  hearing  dog or service dog trainer engaged in such
training of a dog for use by a person with a disability, whether or  not
accompanied by the person for whom the dog is being trained.
LBD10196-02-7
S. 6128                             2
§ 2. Subparagraph (ii) of paragraph a and paragraph c of subdivision 9
of  section  374  of  the executive law, as amended by chapter 23 of the
laws of 1989, are amended to read as follows:
(ii)  three  members one of whom shall represent an organization which
serves as an advocate for the [hearing impaired] DEAF AND HARD OF  HEAR-
ING,  one of whom shall represent consumers of products designed for the
[hearing impaired] DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING, and one of whom  represents
an  institution of higher education with expertise in the area of assis-
tive listening technology, who shall be entitled to  be  reimbursed  for
necessary  travel  and incidental expenses out of monies appropriated to
the division of housing and community renewal.
c. In developing such recommendations the advisory  board  shall  take
into  consideration  the  costs of such systems, the standardization and
compatibility of such systems, if the technology permits, and the utili-
zation of such systems by the [hearing impaired] consumer WHO IS DEAF OR
HARD OF HEARING. Particular attention should be given to the ability  of
consumers  to utilize a single receiver which is compatible in a variety
of installations employing the same assistive listening device technolo-
§ 3. Subdivision 8 and the opening  paragraph  of  subdivision  10  of
section  378  of  the executive law, as renumbered by chapter 494 of the
laws of 1991, subdivision 8 as added by chapter 435 of the laws of  1986
and  the opening paragraph of subdivision 10 as amended by chapter 23 of
the laws of 1989, are amended to read as follows:
8. Standards for hotels, motels and lodging houses requiring (in addi-
tion to any other requirement) portable  smoke-detecting  alarm  devices
for  the  deaf  and  HARD  OF  hearing  [impaired] of audible and visual
design, available for three percent of all units available for  occupan-
cy,  with a minimum of one unit. If any other law or regulation requires
a central, closed circuit interior alarm system, such  device  shall  be
incorporated  into  or  connected  to  the system so as to be capable of
being activated by the system. Incorporation into  the  existing  system
shall  be in lieu of the portable alarms. Standards shall require opera-
tors of any such establishment to post conspicuously at the main desk or
other similar station a notice in  letters  at  least  three  inches  in
height  stating  that smoke-detector alarm devices for the deaf and HARD
OF hearing [impaired] are available. The council shall mandate  by  rule
and regulation the specific design of the smoke-detector alarm devices.
Standards   for  assistive  listening  systems  for  new  construction
commenced after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-one requiring the
installation of assistive listening systems  at  all  places  of  public
assembly so designated by the appropriate building and fire code for use
by  [hearing  impaired]  persons  WHO  ARE  DEAF  OR HARD OF HEARING who
require use of such a system to improve their reception of sound.
§ 4. Section 7-e of the legislative law, as added by  chapter  169  of
§ 7-e. Assistive  listening  system  for  the DEAF AND HARD OF hearing
[impaired]. (a) The temporary president of the senate and the speaker of
the assembly shall have the power and it shall be their individual  duty
to  equip  the  senate  chambers,  the assembly chambers and any hearing
rooms located in the legislative office building in Albany which  accom-
modate  more than one hundred persons with an assistive listening system
for use by the DEAF AND HARD OF hearing [impaired].
(b) For purposes  of  this  section,  the  term  "assistive  listening
designed  to  improve  the transmission and auditory reception of sound.
S. 6128                             3
Such system shall include but not be limited  to  the  use  of  standard
amplitude  modulation  (AM),  frequency modulation (FM), audio induction
§  5.  The  section  heading  and subdivision 1 of section 92-a of the
public service law, as amended by section 3 of part H-1 of chapter 62 of
the laws of 2003, are amended to read as follows:
Special telephone equipment for DEAF AND HARD  OF  hearing  [impaired]
persons.  1.   The commission shall require any regulated landline tele-
phone corporation providing local exchange  service  to  sell  or  lease
special  telecommunication  equipment  to  a person certified as DEAF OR
HARD OF hearing [impaired] where  the  addition  of  such  equipment  is
necessary to enable such person to access and utilize the local exchange
network.  The sale of such equipment shall be at an amount not to exceed
the actual purchase price by the  corporation  and  the  lease  of  such
equipment  shall  be  at  a rate to be determined by the commission. Any
person who leases such equipment shall be permitted to apply  the  lease
payments toward the equipment's purchase.
§ 6. Section 92-a of the public service law, as amended by chapter 487
§ 92-a. Special  telephone  equipment  for  DEAF  AND  HARD OF hearing
[impaired] persons. The commission shall require any regulated  landline
telephone  corporation providing local exchange service to sell or lease
special telecommunication equipment to a person  certified  as  DEAF  OR
HARD  OF  hearing  [impaired]  where  the  addition of such equipment is
network. The sale of such equipment shall be at an amount not to  exceed
the  actual  purchase  price  by  the  corporation and the lease of such
equipment shall be at a rate to be determined  by  the  commission.  Any
person  who  leases such equipment shall be permitted to apply the lease
§ 7. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 9 of section 3 of the public  build-
ings  law,  as  added  by chapter 169 of the laws of 1987, is amended to
(a) The commissioner of general services shall have the power  and  it
shall be his OR HER duty to equip that room in the state capitol custom-
arily utilized by the governor to brief the members of the working press
and  news  media  with an assistive listening system for use by the DEAF
AND HARD OF hearing [impaired].
§ 8. Subdivision 1 of section 53  of  the  public  buildings  law,  as
amended  by  chapter  23  of  the  laws  of  1989, is amended to read as
1. All new public buildings, construction  of  which  commences  after
January  first,  nineteen  hundred ninety-one, containing an auditorium,
theater, meeting hall, hearing room, amphitheater, or room used  in  any
similar capacity which are so designated by the appropriate building and
fire  code  shall  have  equipped  and  installed an assistive listening
system for use by [hearing impaired] persons WHO ARE  DEAF  OR  HARD  OF
HEARING  who require the use of such a system to improve their reception
§ 9. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 3230 of  the  education  law,  as
added  by  chapter  765  of  the  laws  of  1992, are amended to read as
1. The board of education or trustees of each  school  district  shall
ensure  that  at any meeting or activity which is conducted by the board
of education, trustees, school district or a district  school  which  is
specific  to  a child's educational program and which parents or persons
S. 6128                             4
in parental relationship who are  DEAF OR HARD OF hearing [impaired], as
defined by the commissioner, attend, the board of education or  trustees
shall  provide  interpreter  services  at  no  charge  to  such persons,
provided a written request therefor is made to the school district with-
in  a reasonable time prior to the scheduled meeting or activity. In the
event interpreter services are  requested,  the  school  district  shall
appoint  an  interpreter of the deaf to interpret the proceedings of the
meeting or activity.  In the event that an interpreter  is  unavailable,
other  reasonable accommodations shall be made which are satisfactory to
3. For the purposes of this  section  "meeting"  or  "activity"  shall
include  those  school-initiated meetings or activities which parents or
persons in parental  relationship  who  are  DEAF  OR  HARD  OF  hearing
[impaired] attend which are specific to the academic and/or disciplinary
aspects  of  their  child's educational program including parent-teacher
conferences and other such meetings and activities  as  defined  by  the
§  10.  Paragraph  c of subdivision 6 of section 4410 of the education
law, as added by chapter 581 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read  as
exemption in subdivision two of section eighty-two hundred seven of this
chapter shall apply  to  persons  employed  by  a  center-based  program
approved  pursuant  to  subdivision  nine of this section to perform the
duties of a speech-language pathologist,  audiologist,  teacher  of  the
speech and DEAF AND HARD OF hearing [impaired] or teacher of the deaf to
students enrolled in such approved center-based program in the course of
§  11.  Subdivision  3 of section 326-b of the social services law, as
amended by chapter 191 of the laws  of  1989,  is  amended  to  read  as
3.  The loan fund shall provide the disabled with the financial oppor-
tunity to purchase or replace essential equipment used by them for daily
living or vocational functioning  following  rehabilitation,  including,
but  not  limited  to,  prosthesis,  ramps,  wheelchairs, wheelchair van
lifts, telecommunication devices  for  the  deaf  and  HARD  OF  hearing
[impaired],  devices  which  allow  persons  who  are  blind or visually
impaired to discern printed materials and adaptive equipment to permit a
disabled person to operate a  motor  vehicle  but  not  to  purchase  or
replace a motor vehicle itself.
§  12.  Subdivision 1 of section 336-b of the general business law, as
added by chapter 190 of the laws of 1991, is amended to read as follows:
1. Each telephone corporation  doing  business  in  this  state  which
provides  public  pay telephones, including those owners or providers of
customer owned currency operated telephones (COCOT's), shall provide  at
least  twenty-five  percent of its public pay telephones installed on or
after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-three with  volume  control
equipment to enable DEAF OR HARD OF hearing [impaired] persons to access
and  utilize  telecommunications  services.  The  telephones with volume
control equipment shall be distributed evenly among the public pay tele-
phones provided by the corporation. Each public  pay  telephone  with  a
volume  control  shall  have  signage  either on the telephone or in the
immediate vicinity thereof, identifying that telephone as being equipped
with a DEAF OR HARD OF hearing [impaired] volume control.
S. 6128                             5
§ 13. Subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 13 of  section
798  of  the general business law, as amended by chapter 301 of the laws
(ii)  and  the  physician  certifies  in  writing  that, in his or her
professional judgement, at the time the dispensing occurred the purchas-
er had either a DIAGNOSIS OF DEAFNESS OR BEING HARD OF hearing  [impair-
ment]  for  which  a  hearing  aid  provides no benefit or had a medical
condition which contraindicates the use of a hearing aid, and
§ 14. Paragraphs (n) and (q) of subdivision 2 of section  799  of  the
general  business  law,  paragraph  (n) as amended by chapter 133 of the
laws of 1999 and paragraph (q) as added by chapter 599 of  the  laws  of
1998, are amended to read as follows:
(n)  no hearing aid dispenser, registrant or hearing aid trainee shall
state or imply that the use of any hearing aid will restore  hearing  to
normal, or preserve hearing, or prevent or retard the progression of [a]
DEAFNESS  OR BEING HARD OF hearing [impairment] or any false or mislead-
ing or medically or audiologically unsupportable  claims  regarding  the
efficacy or benefits of hearing aids.
(q) making any predictions or prognostications as to the future course
of [a] DEAFNESS OR BEING HARD OF hearing [impairment], either in general
terms  or  with  reference  to  an  individual person, except where such
predictions and prognostications are made by  a  hearing  aid  dispenser
licensed pursuant to the provisions of article one hundred fifty-nine of
the education law and consistent with such law.
§ 15. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 6 of the civil service
law,  as  amended by chapter 265 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read
York  state commission for the blind as legally blind or certified by an
examining physician or licensed optometrist as legally blind,  as  mani-
fested  by  visual  acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with best
correction or visual field of 20 degrees or less,  and  individuals  who
[have a] ARE DEAF OR HARD OF hearing [impairment] manifested by a speech
discrimination  score  of  forty  percent or less in the better ear with
appropriate correction as certified  by  an  examining  physician  or  a
S. 6128                             6
training,  up  to a maximum of twenty-six days in any one calendar year;
§ 16. Subdivision (e) of section 49-gg of  the  workers'  compensation
law,  as  amended by chapter 415 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read
(e) proper deductions for presbycusis and other non-industrial  causes
of DEAFNESS AND BEING HARD OF hearing [impairment], and
§  17.  Subdivision  21  of section 108 of the agriculture and markets
law, as amended by chapter 536 of the laws of 2014, is amended  to  read
21.  "Hearing dog" means any dog that is trained to aid a person [with
a] WHO IS DEAF OR HARD OF hearing [impairment] and is actually used  for
such  purpose, or any dog during the period such dog is being trained or
bred for such purpose.
§ 18. Section 223-b of the public housing law, as amended  by  chapter
536 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
§  223-b. Discrimination against a person [with a] WHO IS DEAF OR HARD
OF hearing [impairment] who has a hearing dog. No person who [has a]  IS
DEAF  OR  HARD  OF  hearing  [impairment] shall be denied occupancy in a
dwelling in any project or be subjected to eviction from any such dwell-
ing on the sole ground that such person owns a hearing dog as defined in
section forty-seven-b of the civil rights law, provided,  however,  that
if  after  occupancy a health hazard results on account of such dog, the
public health officer having jurisdiction may take such corrective meas-
ures as may be appropriate.
§ 19. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend-
ments to section 92-a of the public service law, made by section five of
this act, shall not affect the expiration and reversion of such section,
and shall expire therewith when upon such date section six of  this  act