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Committee advances bill to require braille assessment options; department and National Federation of the Blind seek aligned language
Summary
Lawmakers passed HD1 for HB 620, which would require braille-related assessments be considered for eligible blind students and create a braille literacy resource center; DOE recommended aligning the bill to Senate language and the National Federation of the Blind urged keeping assessments to ensure braille access.
The House Committee on Education passed HB 620 (braille literacy) with amendments and asked the Legislature to consider language aligned to an existing Senate bill (SB 530). The bill requires the Department of Education to assess blind students’ reading and writing abilities and provide braille instruction, and it would establish a braille literacy resource center.
The Department of Education supported the bill but recommended replacing HB 620’s text with the Senate draft to align with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and DOE practice. Anne Horiuchi of the Attorney General’s Office cautioned that the bill’s language requiring the assessment to be included in every IEP/Section 504 plan may conflict with federal law (IDEA) because IEP teams must consider assessments and services on a student‑by‑student basis.
James Gashel, representing the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, urged the committee to retain the provision mandating an assessment for blind students, citing 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d) (IDEA) and federal guidance that, for a child who is blind, the IEP team must provide for braille unless ruled out by evaluation. Multiple parents and blind advocates described personal experience: Marie Koudhoft and parent Tabitha Mitchell shared how early braille instruction materially improved educational outcomes.
Why it matters: Advocates said early braille instruction builds literacy and independence; DOE and NFB have worked toward common language, but the Attorney General advised narrowly tailoring the statutory language to avoid conflict with federal IEP requirements.
Next steps: The committee passed HB 620 with HD1 and noted the related Senate bill; chairs said they were inclined toward the Senate language for alignment but moved HB 620 forward with amendments and the effective date defected to 07/01/3000.
