The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is the Commonwealth's primary department assisting deaf and hard of hearing people to maintain their independence and enhance their quality of life. The Commission provides specialized services for consumers and technical assistance for other departments. There are approximately 40,000 deaf individuals and 300,000 hard of hearing individuals in Massachusetts who are eligible for the Commission's services.

The Commission's programs include bilingual case management; information and referrals for consumers and their families; technical assistance to assist other departments in delivering services to deaf, late deafened, and hard of hearing clients; statewide interpreter and Computer Aided Real-time Technology (CART) referral service; after-hours emergency interpreter service for medical, mental health, and public safety emergencies; communication access and assistive technology training and consultation; and various independent living services, including skill training, peer mentoring, self-advocacy training, community education, and emergency intervention.

Objectives

In Fiscal Year 1999, the Commission will pursue the following objectives:

• create specialized case management services to provide parents of 100 deaf or hard of hearing young children with information and assistance to enable them to avert developmental and educational delays;
• expand the availability of assistive technology, including hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and visual home safety signal systems to 100 additional deaf and hard of hearing individuals; and
• increase the number of interpreter and referral staff to allow the Commission to fill 65% more of the requests that it receives annually for interpreter and CART services.

Budget Recommendations

The Fiscal Year 1999 recommendation includes additional funding of $100,000 for children's case management; $50,000 for assistive technology; and $500,000 for interpreter and CART services.

Budgetary Direct Appropriations

MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
4125-0100	For the operation of and services provided by the Massachusetts commission for the deaf and hard of hearing	4,399,727

Budgetary Retained Revenues

INTERPRETER SERVICES RETAINED REVENUE
4125-0101	The Massachusetts commission for the deaf and hard of hearing is hereby authorized to expend an amount not to exceed $105,000 for the provision of interpreter services, from charges received on behalf of said services and from monies received from private grants, bequests, gifts, or contributions; provided, that notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, for the purpose of accommodating timing discrepancies between the receipt of retained revenues and related expenditures, the commission may incur expenses and the comptroller may certify for payment amounts not to exceed the lower of this authorization or the most recent revenue estimate therefor as reported in the state accounting system	105,000

Intragovernmental Service Spending

INTERPRETER SERVICES INTRAGOVERNMENTAL CHARGEBACK
4125-0122	For the cost of interpreter services provided by staff of the Massachusetts commission for the deaf and hard of hearing; provided, that notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, for the purpose of accommodating timing discrepancies between the receipt of retained revenues and related expenditures, the commission may incur expenses and the comptroller may certify for payment amounts not to exceed the lower of this authorization or the most recent revenue estimate therefor as reported in the state accounting system	185,000
	Intragovernmental Service Fund 100%

Federal Grant Spending

MASSACHUSETTS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP
4125-0103	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Massachusetts Assistive Technology Partnership	675,557