O F F I C E O F L E G I S L A T I V E R E S E A R C H
P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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PA 21-72—sHB 6637
Human Services Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING A MENTAL HEALTH BILL O F RIGHTS FOR
DEAF, DEAFBLIND AND HARD OF HEARING PERS ONS
SUMMARY: This act establishes a bill of rights for individuals in need of
mental health services who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing. It specifies that
the rights afforded these individuals must be available to them only to the extent
that they are implemented in accordance with the general statutes, federal law,
and the state and U.S. constitutions.
The act changes the name of the Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf or
Hard of Hearing to the Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Hard of
Hearing or Deafblind. It makes several minor and conforming changes in the
statutes governing the advisory board to:
1. allow board representation by service providers who work with
individuals who are deafblind;
2. expand the board’s duties to include considering and advocating for the
service needs of individuals who are deafblind (e.g., making legislative
recommendations; monitoring services; and discussing best practices with
agency heads); and
3. eliminate the requirement that the governor appoint the eight ex-officio
members, thus enabling their immediate board participation upon
assuming their outside positions.
The act also defines several terms related to the bill of rights and the duties of
the Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2021
MENTAL HEALTH BILL OF RIGHTS
The act establishes a bill of rights for individuals in need of mental health
services who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing under which an individual has
a right to:
1. culturally and linguistically affirmative mental health services that
accommodate his or her unique needs;
2. accessible mental health services delivered in his or her primary language
or communication mode or style;
3. specialized mental health services, when necessary, that provide
appropriate and fully accessible counseling and therapeutic options using
an appropriate oral, aural, or speech-based system tailored to his or her
unique needs;
4. express his or her opinion in determining the extent, content, and purpose
of mental health treatment or services that accommodate his or her unique O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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needs;
5. programs offering access to a full continuum of services, including all
modes of therapy and evaluations;
6. programs informed by appropriate research, curricula, staff, and outreach;
and
7. express his or her views on the development and implementation of state
and regional programs for his or her mental health service needs.
The act defines “culturally and linguistically affirmative mental health
services” as the provision of a full continuum of mental health services to a deaf,
deafblind, or hard of hearing person through an appropriately licensed mental
health professional fluent in the primary language, communication mode or style,
and cultural needs of the person requiring these services.
“Accessible mental health services” is defined under the act as the provision
of a full continuum of mental health services with the use of auxiliary aids and
services necessary for a deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing person to communicate
with appropriately qualified mental health professionals who are not fluent in the
primary language or communication mode or style of the person requiring these
services, including qualified interpreters using the language or communication
mode used by the person, written communications, or assistive listening devices.
BACKGROUND
Related Act
PA 21-151 makes the same changes to the Advisory Board for Persons Who
are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.