Georgia CommonsSB 133: "Blind Persons' Braille Literacy Rights and Education Act"; enact
Last action February 11, 2025 · Senate Read and Referred
A Georgia Senate bill would create the "Blind Persons' Braille Literacy Rights and Education Act," requiring schools to evaluate blind and visually impaired students for Braille instruction and building that instruction into their individualized education programs.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law currently does not spell out specific requirements for evaluating whether blind or visually impaired students need Braille instruction. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's education code (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-152.3) that defines who counts as a blind or visually impaired student and requires a certified special education teacher to evaluate that student's reading and writing needs before deciding whether Braille belongs in the student's individualized education program, or IEP (a legally required plan for students with disabilities). Unless the IEP team decides Braille instruction is not appropriate based on that evaluation, the student's IEP must include a timeline, session frequency, and competency goals for Braille. If the team decides against Braille, it must document the reasoning and evidence. The bill also requires textbook publishers selling to Georgia schools or districts to provide electronic versions of materials formatted for conversion into Braille or synthesized speech, and starting July 1, 2025, it requires teachers licensed to instruct blind or visually impaired students to show Braille competence through a course, certificate, or test.
What the bill does
- Creates a legal definition of "blind or visually impaired student" tied to visual acuity, field of vision, or a medically expected decline in vision.
- Requires a certified special education visual impairments teacher to evaluate a blind or visually impaired student's reading and writing needs before the IEP team decides on Braille instruction.
- Requires a student's IEP to include a Braille instruction start date, session length and frequency, and measurable competency goals unless the team finds Braille instruction is not appropriate.
- Requires the IEP team to document its reasoning and supporting evidence when it decides not to include Braille instruction.
- Requires publishers selling textbooks and instructional materials to Georgia schools or districts to supply electronic versions formatted for Braille translation or synthesized speech.
- Requires teachers licensed to teach blind or visually impaired students, starting July 1, 2025, to complete a Braille course, hold a recognized Braille certificate, or pass a Braille test to get or renew their license.
Who it affects
Blind and visually impaired public school students in Georgia and their families, special education teachers certified in visual impairments, IEP teams, the Professional Standards Commission, local boards of education, and publishers that sell textbooks and instructional materials to Georgia schools.
Why it matters
The bill would change how schools decide whether a blind or visually impaired student learns Braille, requiring documented evaluations and specific goals rather than informal judgment calls. It could also affect which textbook materials schools can buy and what training teachers of visually impaired students must complete to keep their license.
Key provisions
- Subsection (b) defines key terms including "blind or visually impaired student," "Braille," "individualized education program," and "textbooks and other instructional materials."
- Subsection (d) requires a certified special education visual impairments teacher to evaluate a student's reading and writing needs before the IEP team decides on Braille instruction.
- Subsection (e) lists what the IEP must contain when Braille instruction is included, such as start dates, session frequency, and competency benchmarks, and what it must contain when Braille is excluded, including supporting evidence.
- Subsection (f) requires textbook and instructional material publishers selling to Georgia schools or districts to provide electronic versions formatted for Braille translation or synthesized speech.
- Subsection (g) requires, starting July 1, 2025, that the Professional Standards Commission condition licenses to teach blind or visually impaired students on completing a Braille course, holding a Braille certificate, or passing a Braille test.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.
From the bill
“provisions shall be made for instruction in Braille and the use of Braille except when the student's IEP team expressly determines that such instruction is not appropriate for the student based on the outcome of an evaluation”
“All publishers of textbooks and other instructional materials sold to the state or to any local board of education in this state shall furnish an electronic version in which the content is encoded in text suitable for conversion into Braille or synthesized speech”
“the Professional Standards Commission shall not issue or renew a license to teach academic instruction to blind or visually impaired students unless the educator has, as part of his or her standard renewal requirements”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
- Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
- Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
- Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
- Sally Harrell (D, SD-040)
- Ed Harbison (D, SD-015)
- Michael Rhett (D, SD-033)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
- Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)
- Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
- Nikki Merritt (D, SD-009)
- Jason Esteves (D, SD-035)
- Donzella James (D, SD-028)
Topics
- Braille instruction
- special education
- blind and visually impaired students
- teacher licensing
- education law