Virginia Law

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Assessment" means the systematic evaluation or identification of the consumers' need for and ability to benefit from services.

"Blind person" 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, as defined in § 51.5-60 of the Code of Virginia.

"Deafblind person" means an individual:

1. a. Who has 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 the conditions;

b. Who has 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; and

c. For whom the combination of impairments described in subdivisions 1 a and 1 b of this definition cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychological adjustment, or obtaining a vocation; and

2. 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.

"Department" or "DBVI" means the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired.

"Financial needs assessment' means an assessment to consider the financial need of an individual who is applying for or receiving rehabilitation teaching and independent living services to determine the extent of the individual's participation in the costs of services.

"Independent living" means control over one's life based on the choice of acceptable options that minimize reliance on others in making decisions and performing everyday activities. This includes managing one's affairs, participating in day-to-day life in the community, fulfilling a range of social roles, making decisions that lead to self-determination, and the minimization of physical and psychological dependence on others.

"Reasonable expectation" means that rehabilitation teaching and independent living services are anticipated to significantly assist an individual to improve his ability to cope with blindness and function more independently.

"Rehabilitation teaching" means the process of guiding and instructing a blind, visually impaired, or deafblind person through an individualized plan of instruction designed to develop and raise the level of adaptive coping skills and functional independence.

Rehabilitation Teaching/Independent Living Program Plan" or "Plan" means a written program of rehabilitation teaching services identified during the assessment for each individual determined eligible for services by the Rehabilitation Teaching/Independent Living Program.

"Severely visually impaired" means vision less than 20/70 in the better eye with correction or a field restricted to 70 degrees or less in the better eye.