Kristy Stellato

My name is Kristy Stellato. I am a Deaf consumer of interpreting services, a Deaf Interpreter, and the President of New Hampshire Association of the Deaf. I am writing to oppose HB525 (2025) in regards to moving the Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (PDHH) and the NH Interpreter Licensure Board (NHILB) to the Office for Professional Licensure and Certification (OPCLC). PDHH was established in 1989 as part of the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation to focus on various specialties and services benefitting Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing students and adults, including developing interpreting standards and qualifications, and collaborating with various agencies. It is administered by a statewide coordinator who is an expert with this group of consumers. One of the cornerstones of PDHH was to promote the quality of interpreting through partnerships with training programs for interpreters and with the NHILB. NHILB was established in 2001 as a result of various federal laws* and to develop standards and competency for interpreters to follow in New Hampshire. One component that is unique is the cultural competency that board members have due to training and lived experience to provide interpreters a track with standards and consumers with better experience with communication access. If the PDHH and the NHILB are both moved to the OPLC, the cultural competency aspect will be removed as the mediation/investigation portion will be moved from the NHILB’s duties to the main investigation committee of the OPLC. The OPLC’s duties have never been involved with quality of standards for customer service beyond issuing licenses or reviewing applications, so the OPLC may experience a great deal of challenges with determining standards or reviewing consumer issues or concerns. To reiterate, I would like the committee to consider tabling the bill due to the fact that it would be extremely challenging for the OPLC to handle all the duties of the Program of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and the statewide coordinator belongs at the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation and handling the responsibility of implementing the State Plan to enhance vocational rehabilitation services for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing youth and adults. Thank you. *Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Communications Act of 1973 and its subsequent amendment Telecommunications Act of 1996, for example