# Title 25 — Mental and Physical Illness or Disability

## Chapter 25-06 — Education of Blind Persons

### § 25-06-01. North Dakota vision services - school for the blind - Maintained - Location.

There must be maintained at Grand Forks, in Grand Forks County, a statewide service,
resource, and referral center for the education and training of all residents of this state who are
blind or have a visual impairment and to serve as the national instructional materials access
center authorized user for the purpose of facilitating access to and conversion of accessible
instructional materials in alternate formats for use by blind individuals, individuals with visual
impairment, and students with other print disabilities, which must be known as the North Dakota
vision services - school for the blind.
### § 25-06-01.1. Definitions.

For purposes of this chapter:
1. An individual who is blind means an individual who is totally blind or whose central
visual acuity does not exceed twenty/two hundred in the better eye with corrective
lenses, or the widest diameter of the visual field is no greater than twenty degrees;
2. An individual with a visual impairment means an individual with an impairment in vision
which, even with correction, adversely affects the individual's functional ability; and
3. A student with print disabilities means a student enrolled in elementary or secondary
school who has an individualized education program, which includes documentation of
either an inability to read or use standard printed material as a result of physical
limitations or a reading disability resulting from an organic dysfunction that has been
certified by competent authority to be of sufficient severity to prevent reading of printed
material in a normal manner.
### § 25-06-02. Duties and responsibilities of North Dakota vision services - school for the

blind.
Within the limits of legislative appropriation, North Dakota vision services - school for the
blind shall:
1. Provide vision-specific services that include consultations, evaluations, information,
training, and educational services, including instruction in orientation, mobility, braille,
braille music, daily living skills, technology, career and technical education training,
and recreation.
2. Collect and distribute information on vision services and resources available in the
state.
3. Coordinate loans of adaptive devices, equipment, and materials.
4. Maintain a database of residents who are blind or have a visual impairment.
5. Facilitate collaboration with agencies and programs providing services to individuals
who are blind or have a visual impairment.
6. Assist residents to access appropriate services, including services available from the
vocational rehabilitation division, independent living centers, infant development
programs, developmental disabilities programs, the state library, local education
programs, and advocacy programs.
7. Serve as the national instructional materials access center authorized user for the
purpose of facilitating access to and conversion of accessible instructional materials in
alternate formats for use by blind individuals, individuals with visual impairment, and
students with other print disabilities.
### § 25-06-02.1. North Dakota vision services - school for the blind - Appointment of

superintendent, budget, staff, and reporting structure.
The superintendent of the North Dakota vision services - school for the blind is appointed by
and reports to the superintendent of public instruction. The North Dakota vision services -
school for the blind must have a separate budget and separate staff from the department of
public instruction.

### § 25-06-02.2. Superintendent - Special duties.

The superintendent of the North Dakota vision services - school for the blind may also be
the superintendent of the school for the deaf.
### § 25-06-03. Superintendent to possess certain qualifications.

The superintendent of the North Dakota vision services - school for the blind must possess
those qualifications, educational and otherwise, as in the opinion of the superintendent of public
instruction may qualify that person to instruct and minister to the needs of blind persons.
### § 25-06-03.1. Criminal history record checks.

The school for the blind may require any employee, final applicant for employment, or any
individual otherwise providing services to the school to submit to a statewide and nationwide
criminal history record check. The nationwide criminal history record check must be conducted
in the manner provided in section 12-60-24. The school for the blind may assess all costs
associated with obtaining a criminal history record check to the individual upon whom the
criminal history record check is conducted.
### § 25-06-04. Qualifications for admission to school for the blind - Residents of state

entitled to free education.
Repealed by S.L. 2001, ch. 257, § 5.
### § 25-06-05. Services to nonresidents.

Individuals who are blind or have a visual impairment who are not residents of this state
may receive services from North Dakota vision services - school for the blind if the individuals
pay the cost of the services as determined by the superintendent of public instruction.
Nonresidents may not receive services to the exclusion of residents of this state.
### § 25-06-06. Transportation of indigent persons.

Repealed by S.L. 1979, ch. 336, § 3.
### § 25-06-07. Instruction at school for the blind.

Repealed by S.L. 2001, ch. 257, § 5.
### § 25-06-08. Accounts for clothing - How collected.

Repealed by S.L. 1997, ch. 244, § 4.
### § 25-06-09. Blind persons - Duty to report.

Repealed by S.L. 2001, ch. 257, § 5.
### § 25-06-10. Purchase and resale of vision-specific adaptive aids, devices, and

appliances - Revolving fund - Continuing appropriation.
A revolving vision aids, devices, and appliances fund is hereby established in the state
treasury to be used by the North Dakota vision services - school for the blind to purchase and
resell vision-specific adaptive aids, devices, and appliances to be used by blind and visually
impaired persons resident in this state. The North Dakota vision services - school for the blind
may apply service charges when needed to cover the cost of purchasing, invoicing, and
shipping, and all revenue from the sale of aids, appliances, devices, and shipping and postage
fees must be deposited in the fund. The North Dakota vision services - school for the blind may
receive gifts, grants, and donations for deposit in and use by the fund. All moneys in the
revolving fund are hereby appropriated to the North Dakota vision services - school for the blind
on a continuing basis for expenditure for the purposes of this section.
### § 25-06-11. School for the blind fund.

The school for the blind fund is a special fund in the state treasury. All moneys received
pursuant to section 2 of article IX of the Constitution of North Dakota, revenues received from

services and leases, and contributions must be deposited in the fund. Moneys in the fund are to
be used pursuant to legislative appropriation for the provision of services under this chapter.
