71-4-2104 - Executive director Duties Compensation Qualifications.
71-4-2104. Executive director Duties Compensation Qualifications.
(a) The council for the deaf and hard of hearing shall employ an executive director and shall fix the executive director's duties and responsibilities. The executive director shall serve as executive officer and secretary to the council and shall be a full-time employee of the council. Compensation for the executive director shall be established by the council with the approval of the commissioner of personnel. All reimbursement for travel expenses shall be in accordance with the provisions of the comprehensive travel regulations as promulgated by the department of finance and administration and approved by the attorney general and reporter.
(b) The executive director, with the advice and consent of the council, may, to the extent of available funds, plan and oversee the establishment of service centers for the deaf and hard of hearing, as well as, or in addition to, support and coordinate the activities of the existing centers in cooperation with the local board of directors.
(c) The executive director, with the advice and consent of the council, shall:
(1) Promote accessibility of all governmental services to deaf and hard of hearing citizens in Tennessee including those deaf and hard of hearing persons with multiple disabilities;
(2) Identify agencies, both public and private that provide community services, evaluate the extent to which they make services available to deaf and hard of hearing people, and cooperate with the agencies in coordinating and extending these services;
(3) Encourage the mutual exchange of ideas and information on services for deaf and hard of hearing people between federal, state and local governmental agencies, and private organizations and individuals;
(4) Survey the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing population in Tennessee, and assist the council in the preparation of its report to the general assembly;
(5) Maintain, in cooperation with the Tennessee Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, a listing of persons qualified in various types of interpreting, and make this information available to local, state, federal, and private organizations;
(6) Promote the training of interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing; and
(7) Perform such other duties as may be required by law.
(d) In selecting an executive director, the council shall select an individual who is fluent in the American sign language of the deaf and otherwise qualified.
(e) The executive director is authorized to arrange for such clerical or other assistance as may be required and as approved by the council.
[Acts 1978, ch. 889, § 4; T.C.A., §§ 14-2504, 14-18-104; Acts 1987, ch. 6, § 3; 2001, ch. 174, § 16.]