Cali Bill Stirs Opposition

California's Senate is considering a bill that some advocates say would allow those with financial interests to dominate the process of giving parents information about deaf newborns. Bill AB 2072 was in introduced by Tony Mendoza. It is being opposed by the California Deaf Newborn Identification & Advocacy Stakeholder Coalition. The group advocates ASL and believes oralists are behind the legislation and it would discourage teaching ASL early. They say a brochure to be distributed to parents published by manufacturers and vendors of implants would steer them toward the devices by suggested children can easily learn to hear and speak through implants. The group also objects to the place given in the bill to audiologists, who would serve as first providers of information to parents of newly identified deaf children. Read more about the bill here and more about the opposition group here.