Esta ley ordena al Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico a proveer teléfonos TTY (teletexto) en las escuelas públicas con estudiantes con problemas auditivos para facilitar la comunicación. También establece la necesidad de orientación y capacitación sobre el uso de estos equipos y la asignación de fondos para su adquisición y mantenimiento.
(Approved January 8, 2004)
To direct the Department of Education of Puerto Rico to provide the public schools of Puerto Rico with telephones for use by persons with hearing problems (known as "TTY").
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 148,000 persons with hearing problems, among which are the severely deaf, partially deaf, deaf and blind and persons with speech impediments. According to statistics from the Department of Education, up to December 2001, said agency attended nine hundred seventy-four (974) students with hearing problems. Of these, one hundred and one (101) students range from the ages of 3 to 5 years and eight hundred seventy three (873) students range from the ages of 6 to 22 years. Students with hearing problems need to have access to special services and equipment that allow them to communicate with family members, teachers and the personnel associated to their education. One of these special equipments, is a telephone that uses a system called teletext ("TTY") that allows them to communicate with people by regular phone, through operators trained in relay service or directly to another teletext phone. At present, no public school has this specialized equipment although this technology is available in the market.
There is also an undetermined number of fathers and mothers in Puerto Rico who are deaf, or partially deaf who would benefit from the approval of this Act, since they would be able to communicate with school officials.
This legislation establishes that the funds needed to acquire these resources shall proceed from the budget that the Central Government appropriates to the Department of Education in the Joint Resolution of the Budget.
It is the responsibility of the State to make available to its citizenry the necessary tools for them to aspire to reach their goals and aspirations. However, people with hearing disabilities of any category, have not been able to enjoy the benefits that every citizen should enjoy. Most of these people face an environment that excludes them. To continue the perpetual and unjustified isolation that this population has suffered for decades, does not contribute to their best academic achievements and, much less, to their integration into the school community.
This Act intends to make it compulsory for public schools where there are students with hearing problems, to be equipped with a telephone for use by these students.
Section 1.- The Department of Education of Puerto Rico is hereby directed to provide every school where one or more students with hearing problems attend, with at least one "TTY" teletext phone.
Section 2.- The Department of Education must orient and train the population with hearing disabilities and all personnel working in the school and who shall orient those student on the use, of the same by placing them in an accessible and safe place.
Section 3.- The funds for the financing and maintenance of phones for use by the deaf (TTY) shall be included in the budget resolution of the Central Government, as part of the item corresponding to the Department of Education.
Section 4.- Should the Department of Education be unable to make adjustments in its budget, the Office of Management and Budget shall identify and appropriate the funds needed for implementation.
Section 5.- This Act shall take effect on the school year following its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 20 (H.B. 3557) of the $6^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to direct the Department of Education of Puerto Rico to provide the public schools of Puerto Rico with telephones for use by persons with hearing problems (known as "TTY"), has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $11^{ ext {th }}$ of April of 2005.
Luis E. Fusté-Lacourt Director