interpreting assistants for deaf employees

interpreting assistants for deaf employees Sec. 302. (a) Section 3102 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) of subsection (a) as paragraph (5), by striking out “and” at the end of paragraph (3), and inserting after paragraph (3) the following new paragraph (4): “(4) ‘deaf employee’ means an individual employed by an agency who, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the head of the agency, establishes to the satisfaction of the appropriate authority of the agency concerned that the employee has a hearing impairment, either permanent or temporary, so severe or disabling that the employment of an interpreting assistant or assistants for the employee is necessary or desirable to enable such employee to perform the work of the employee; and ”; (2) in subsection (b), by inserting “and interpreting assistant or assistants for a deaf employee” after “or assistants for a blind employee”, and amending the last sentence to read as follows: “A reading assistant or an interpreting assistant, other than the one employed or assigned under subsection (d) of this section, may receive pay for services performed by the assistant by and from the blind or deaf employee or a nonprofit organization, without regard to section 209 of title 18.”; (3) in subsection (c) , by inserting “or deaf” after “blind”; and (4) by inserting at the end thereof the following new subsection: “(d) The head of each agency may also employ or assign, subject to section 209 of title 18 and to the provisions of this title governing appointment and chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of this title governing classification and pay, such reading assistants for blind employees and such interpreting assistants for deaf employees as may be necessary to enable such employees to perform their work.”. 92 STAT. 1146 (b) (1) The analysis of chapter 31 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking out the item relating to section 3102 and inserting in lieu thereof the following: “3102. Employment of reading assistants for blind employees and interpreting assistants for deaf employees.”. (2) The heading for section 3102 of title 5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: “§3102. Employment of reading assistants for blind employees and interpreting assistants for deaf employees”. (c) Section 410(b) (1) of title 39, United States Code, is amended by inserting after “open meetings)” a comma and “3102 (employment of reading assistants for blind employees and interpreting assistants for deaf employees),”.