Senate Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #958 Client Assistance Program
Requester:	Franklin Zevala-Velez		Organization:		Deaf Services Bureau
Project Title:	Client Assistance Program		Date Submitted:		01/27/2000 5:49:03 PM
District Member:	Daryl Jones		Service Area:		County
Counties Affected:	Dade
Recipient:	Deaf Services Bureau, Inc.		Contact:		Deborah McQuitter Ally
	1320 South Dixie Highway		Contact Phone:		(305) 668-4407
	Miami FL
Project Description:
The Deaf Services Bureau's Client Assistance Program provides the Deaf and Hearing Impaired community in South Florida information and referral services, Advocacy and Education for both the Deaf and Hearing communities, Interpreting and Relay Services and the Distribution of Communication Devices (TTY) for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired. Our objective is to continue providing, at no cost, these much needed Client Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
The passage in 1985, of the telecommunication Act for the Hearing Impaired in the Florida Legislature, had a tremendous impact on the need for the interpreting and relay-system services within the State of Florida. Since then, the Deaf Services Bureau, has been providing almost all of the interpreting services to State, County and City government and their agencies as well as relay-system services to the Hearing Impaired individuals in South Florida
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
In 1995 the general prevalence rates in the State of Florida for the Hearing Impaired was 8.6% and for the Deaf was 0.49% of the total population (Center for Assessment and Demographic Studies, Gadaullet University, Washington, DC) The latest figures from the Department of Labor indicates that there are close to 200,000 Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons ages 3 and above in Miami-Dade County alone. Five percent (10,000) are deaf and those numbers are growing due to the increasing number of immigrants moving to South Florida
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$400,000
Total cost of the project:		$400,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?					Unknown
Was this project previously funded by the State?					No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?					Yes
	Amount:	$400,000
	Purpose for future year funding:			Recurring Operations
	Will this be an annual request?				Yes
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?					No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?					No
Is there a documented need for this project?					No
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?					No