Texas Border Business
Thanks in part to the advocacy of a McAllen ISD educator, a new law benefitting the deaf and hard of hearing community will take effect this fall.
Liza Lara, McAllen ISD’s Director for the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf, oversees a program that educates more than 300 students in all grade levels.
“Providing access to communication has always been a passion of mine,” Lara, a 23-year educator, said. “The more I studied about deafness and learned that there is so much more to being deaf than a beautiful language, the more I realized there is so much work and advocacy needed in this area.”
She testified in the Texas state legislature twice this spring in support of a new law which would benefit drivers who happen to be deaf or hard of hearing.
Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill (House Bill 3132) into law on June 10. The law, which becomes effective on Sept. 1, will provide drivers with the opportunity to indicate that they are deaf or hard of hearing on their license or ID card.
“This identification will aid in communication with police officers and first responders in emergency situations,” Lara said. “Police officers will know that they are not being ignored when attempting to communicate and that they need to provide an interpreter or use a written form of communication.”
The idea surfaced in January. Lara was part of the planning for the South Texas All Hazards Conference. She was there to provide input into how deaf-community protocols could be adjusted in hazardous situations or public emergencies.
The notion, which later evolved into HB 3132, came up and a colleague, Eddie Olivarez, the Chief Administrative Officer for the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department, contacted State Representative Bobby Guerra who took the lead at the legislative end.
“Mr. Olivarez is always working to improve the health and safety of our community,” Lara said. “I simply educated him and our lawmakers on the needs of our deaf community and they listened.”
She provided guidance and clarification on the wording of the bill which was filed on March 1. Lara travelled to Austin to testify before the House Committee on April 11 and again before the Senate Committee on May 17.
Interestingly, Lara had to interpret for a representative from the Texas School for the Deaf because state officials had no interpreter. When she returned for the Senate Hearing a month later, an interpreter was present.
HB 3132 passed in the House of Representatives on May 6 and in the Senate on May 19.
“Access to communication is life changing,” Lara said. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a child, who is deaf or hard of hearing, gain full access to our world through clear communication, whether it be via sign language, oral communication, enhancing their residual hearing with the newest technology in audiology, or educating others by spreading deaf awareness.”
Legislators who sponsored the bill included Representative Guerra, Representative Charles Anderson, Representative Sergio Munoz, Representative Mihaela Plesa, Representative Eddie Morales, Senator Sarah Eckhardt and Senator Juan Hinojosa.
Read more about HB 3132 here: https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB3132/2023
About Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD)
McAllen ISD serves more than 300 deaf and hard of hearing students in all grade levels in the Upper Rio Grande Valley from Mercedes to Roma. Escandon Elementary is home to elementary age deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Middle school age students go to Brown Middle School and high school age students go to McAllen Memorial High School. In addition, Roosevelt Elementary houses the RDSPD’s new oral program and qualifying RDSPD students may attend McAllen ISD’s STRIDES 18+ program.
