(a) There is a need for West Virginia to adequately identify the
hearing-impaired population and provide efficient and effective
services to such population; (b) Hearing-impaired people need to
be more involved in the decisions and programs that affect their
lives by soliciting and seriously considering their collective
opinion on appropriate matters; (c) Cooperation among state and
local agencies must be facilitated in an effort to ensure that
adequate and appropriate services are available and provided;
(d) In order to further the aforementioned goals it is necessary
to determine what services exist and what services can be
developed in order to match services to individual needs; (e) A
rubella epidemic from one thousand nine hundred sixty-three to
one thousand nine hundred sixty-five caused a number of infants
in West Virginia to be born hearing-impaired. These individuals
are approaching the ages where they will no longer be eligible
for educational services, thus requiring services as young
adults. The L