AB 2480 — Rehabilitation services: persons with vision loss.

Summary

Existing law provides for various services for individuals who are blind, including authorization for the Department of Rehabilitation to appoint counselor-teachers to provide individual guidance and training that will enable adult individuals who are blind adjust to daily living in the home and the community. Existing law requires a counselor-teacher to teach an adult individual who is blind reading and writing of braille, typing, travel techniques, and household arts and crafts in accordance with the needs of the blind person. This bill would eliminate the requirement for a counselor-teacher to teach typing and household arts and crafts, and instead would require the counselor-teacher to teach independent living skills and to provide assistive technology training to an adult individual who is blind. Existing federal law establishes the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program, under which funds are awarded to states to provide independent living services to individuals who are 55 years of age or older and whose severe visual impairment makes competitive employment difficult to obtain, but for whom independent living goals are feasible. Pursuant to this federal program, the state Department of Rehabilitation administers the Older Individuals Who Are Blind program, which provides grants to specified organizations across the state to provide services to visually impaired individuals who are 55 years of age and older, to assist them to live independently. Other federal law, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, among other things, awards grants to states for vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities. This bill would require the department to establish a grant program to provide services to promote independent living to adults who are blind or have low vision, and who are not eligible to receive vocational rehabilitation services pursuant to the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The bill would require the department to award grants to private organizations with demonstrated expertise in serving adults who are blind or have low vision. The bill would authorize the department to select private organizations awarded grants under the most recent solicitation of grantees under the state's Older Individuals who are Blind program without using a competitive awards process. The bill would require the department to implement the program subject to an appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act or through the use of any other funds already made available for the purposes described by the bill. The bill would eliminate an obsolete funding requirement in a related provision.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 09/25/22 - Chaptered Current pdf September 25, 2022
• Enrolled 09/02/22 - Enrolled pdf September 02, 2022
• Amended 06/14/22 - Amended Senate pdf June 14, 2022
• Amended 04/20/22 - Amended Assembly pdf April 20, 2022
• Introduced 02/17/22 - Introduced pdf February 17, 2022
• AB2480 View text html

Action History

1. September 25, 2022

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 532, Statutes of 2022.

2. September 25, 2022

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 13, 2022

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

4. August 31, 2022

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0.).

5. August 31, 2022

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

6. August 31, 2022

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 5364.).

7. August 30, 2022

   Ordered to special consent calendar.

8. August 11, 2022

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

9. August 11, 2022

   From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (August 11).

10. August 02, 2022

    In committee: Referred to suspense file.

11. June 20, 2022

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (June 20). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

12. June 14, 2022

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

13. June 01, 2022

    Referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

14. May 24, 2022

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

15. May 23, 2022

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 4852.)

16. May 19, 2022

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

17. May 19, 2022

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (May 19).

18. May 19, 2022

    Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 4736.)

19. May 18, 2022

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

20. April 27, 2022

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 26). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

21. April 21, 2022

    Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.

22. April 20, 2022

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. Read second time and amended.

23. March 10, 2022

    Referred to Com. on HUM. S.

24. February 18, 2022

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 20.

25. February 17, 2022

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• Joaquin Arambula · Primary

Votes

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