Cogswell-Macy Act Reintroduced in Congress

Deaf Culture Resources

The following text is shared from a press release from the American Society of Deaf Children and will be of interest to anyone who supports educational access for all students.

A blue circle in the center of the graphic reads: COGSWELL-MACY ACT. In the uppper left corner is a photo of a white girl with blond hair studying something in her hand. In the upper right corner is a photo of a girl with olive skin and black hair writing something. In the bottom left corner is a photo of a Black boy with close-cropped black hair. He is looking at a page that an adult is pointing to. In the bottom right corner is a picture of a white woman with blond hair who is smiling at a child whose face is obscured by the circle of text.

Named for the first deaf student to be formally educated in the U.S. and for Helen Keller’s beloved teacher, respectively, the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act was created to strengthen the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and improve services and education opportunities for deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind children, including those with additional disabilities.

We are proud to share the news that as of September 27, 2023, the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act has officially been reintroduced in both the U.S. House and Senate.

As a nation, we have come a long way in providing education for children who are deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired/blind, or deafblind. There is much to be proud of, and there are many success stories.

Still, many children continue to have unmet educational needs. The stories about opportunities lost are harder to share but deserve attention to improve your child’s future. If a child has a significant physical or intellectual disability, it is not uncommon for deafness, blindness, or deafblindness to be underreported and subsequently unaddressed. If we do not act, we accept that many students will continue to be underrepresented and underserved.

Key points of the CMA:

  • Increase training for teachers and other special education professionals so they are qualified to work with deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind students.
  • Require more appropriate and specific data tracking through appropriate evaluations and assessments, which will give us better data and information to best support our deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind students.
  • Encourage states to develop quality improvement services, such as requiring language goals to include measured progress in acquiring American Sign Language (ASL) as well as English, which leads to national expectations for quality services for deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind students.
  • Protection for special education placements for DHH and DB students, including deaf schools and deaf programs for DHH students.
  • Require interpreter training programs to prepare students for the educational interpreting field and move them towards educational interpreting licensure.

Educate everyone! Invite them to explore the full text of the Cogswell/Macy Act

Click here to learn how to advocate and show your support for this important legislation!

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