The following words and terms, when used in this chapter,
shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly indicates
otherwise:
Blind person," as defined in § 51.5-60 of the Code of
Virginia, means an individual who has central visual acuity of 20/200 or less
in the better eye, as measured with best correction, or a limitation in the
field of vision in the better eye, such that the widest diameter of the visual
field subtends an angle of 20 degrees or less.
"DeafBlind Services" means special assistance and supports
person needs because of a combined loss of vision and hearing; including an
interpreter for a person who is deafblind; communication skills assessment and
training; and assessment of special aids and devices such as tactile or visual
signaling systems, telecommunication devices, and assistive listening devices.
"DBVI" means the Department for the Blind and Vision
Impaired.
"Department" means the Department for the Blind and Vision
Impaired.
"Persons who are deaf," as defined in subdivision 1 of §
51.5-111 of the Code of Virginia, means individuals whose hearing is totally
impaired or whose hearing, with or without amplification, is so seriously
impaired that the primary means of receiving spoken communication is through
visual input such as lip-reading, sign language, finger spelling, reading, or
writing.
"Persons who are deafblind," pursuant to 20 USC §
1905(2)(B) and 29 USC § 1905(2)(A), means individuals:
(i) who have central visual acuity of 20/200
or less in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a field defect such that
the peripheral diameter of visual fields subtends an angular distance no
greater than 20 degrees, or a progressive visual loss having a prognosis
leading to one or both of these conditions;
(ii) who have a chronic hearing impairment so
severe that most speech cannot be understood with optimum amplification, or a
progressive hearing loss having a prognosis leading to this condition;
(iii) for whom the combination of
impairments described in this definition cause extreme difficulty in attaining
independence in daily life activities, achieving psychological adjustment, or
obtaining a vocation; and
(iv) who,
despite the inability to be measured accurately for hearing and vision loss due
to cognitive or behavioral constraints, or both, can be determined through
functional and performance assessments to have severe hearing and visual
disabilities that cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily
life activities, achieving psychological adjustment or obtaining vocational
objectives.
"Persons who are hard-of-hearing," as defined in subdivision
2 of § 51.5-111 of the Code of Virginia, means those individuals whose
hearing is impaired to an extent that makes hearing difficult but does not
preclude the understanding of spoken communication through the ear alone, with
or without a hearing aid.
"Severely visually impaired" means vision no better than
20/70 in the better eye with correction or a field of vision restricted to 70
degrees or less in the better eye.
"Speech discrimination" means the ability to hear and
understand spoken communication.
Notes
22 Va. Admin. Code §
45-100-10
Derived from VR670-03-6
§1.1, eff. August 3, 1988; amended, Virginia Register Volume 6, Issue 11,
eff. March 28, 1990; Derived from VR670-03-6 § 1.1, eff. August 3, 1988;
amended, Virginia Register Volume 6, Issue 11, eff. March 28, 1990; Amended,
Virginia
Register Volume 37, Issue 13, eff.
4/1/2021.
Statutory Authority: § 51.5-60 of the Code of
Virginia.
