(a) All residents of this state, regardless of age, who, because of blindness or impaired vision, require specialized vision-related educational programs, goods and services, on the signed recommendation of the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services, shall be entitled to receive such instruction, programs, goods and services for such length of time as is deemed expedient by said commissioner. Upon the petition of any parent or guardian of a child who is blind or visually impaired, a local board of education may provide such instruction within the town or it may provide for such instruction by agreement with other towns as provided in subsection (d) of section 10-76d. All educational privileges prescribed in part V of chapter 164, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, shall apply to the pupils covered by this subsection.

(b) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall expend funds for the services made available pursuant to subsection (a) of this section from the educational aid for children who are blind or visually impaired account in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may adopt, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, such regulations as the commissioner deems necessary to carry out the purpose and intent of this subsection.

(1) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall provide, upon written request from any interested school district, the services of teachers who instruct students who are visually impaired, based on the levels established in the individualized education or service plan. The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall also make available resources, including, but not limited to, the braille and large print library, to all teachers of public and nonpublic school children. The commissioner may also provide vision-related professional development and training to all school districts and cover the actual cost for paraprofessionals from school districts to participate in agency-sponsored braille training programs. The commissioner shall utilize education consultant positions, funded by moneys appropriated from the General Fund, to supplement new staffing that will be made available through the educational aid for children who are blind or visually impaired account, which shall be governed by formal written policies established by the commissioner.

(2) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may use funds appropriated to said account to provide specialized books, materials, equipment, supplies, adaptive technology services and devices, specialist examinations and aids, preschool programs and vision-related independent living services, excluding primary educational placement, for eligible children.

(3) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may, within available appropriations, employ certified teachers who instruct students who are visually impaired in sufficient numbers to meet the requests for services received from school districts. In responding to such requests, the commissioner shall utilize a formula for determining the number of teachers needed to serve the school districts, crediting six points for each child learning braille and one point for each other child, with one full-time certified teacher who instructs students who are visually impaired assigned for every twenty-five points credited. The commissioner shall exercise due diligence to employ the needed number of certified teachers who instruct students who are visually impaired, but shall not be liable for lack of resources. Funds appropriated to said account may also be utilized to employ additional staff in numbers sufficient to provide compensatory skills, evaluations and training to children who are blind or visually impaired, special assistants and other support staff necessary to ensure the efficient operation of service delivery. Not later than October first of each year, the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall determine the number of teachers needed based on the formula provided in this subdivision. Based on such determination, the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall estimate the funding needed to pay such teachers’ salaries and related expenses.

(4) In any fiscal year, when funds appropriated to cover the combined costs associated with providing the services set forth in subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection are projected to be insufficient, the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may collect revenue from all school districts that have requested such services on a per student pro rata basis, in the sums necessary to cover the projected portion of these services for which there are insufficient appropriations.

(c) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may provide for the instruction of adults who are blind in their homes, expending annually for this purpose such sums as the General Assembly may appropriate.

(d) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may expend up to ten thousand dollars per fiscal year per person twenty-one years of age or older who is both blind or visually impaired and deaf, in addition to any other expenditures for such person, for the purpose of providing community inclusion services through specialized public and private entities from which such person can benefit. The commissioner may determine the criteria by which a person is eligible to receive specialized services and may adopt regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this subsection. For purposes of this subsection, “community inclusion services” means the assistance provided to persons with disabilities to enable them to connect with their peers without disabilities and with the community at large.

(e) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may, within available appropriations, purchase adaptive equipment for persons receiving services pursuant to this chapter.

(1949 Rev., S. 1610; 1949, 1953, 1955, S. 1002d; March, 1958, P.A. 17, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 582; 591; 1961, P.A. 539, S. 4; 1963, P.A. 386, S. 3; 577; February, 1965, P.A. 289, S. 1, 2; 574, S. 12; 1967, P.A. 462, S. 1, 2; 1969, P.A. 159, S. 1, 2; 580, S. 1, 2; 767, S. 2; 1971, P.A. 567, S. 1; 1972, P.A. 212, S. 1; P.A. 73-469, S. 1, 2; P.A. 74-260, S. 1, 2; P.A. 78-211, S. 1, 2; 78-218, S. 201; P.A. 79-525, S. 1; P.A. 81-378, S. 1, 2; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 138, 165; P.A. 98-252, S. 26, 80; P.A. 03-219, S. 1; P.A. 04-16, S. 1; P.A. 05-156, S. 6; P.A. 08-133, S. 1; P.A. 11-44, S. 8; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 40; P.A. 13-234, S. 70; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 369; P.A. 16-118, S. 2; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 80; P.A. 17-202, S. 26.)

History: 1959 acts required that child and either parent or guardian have resided in state for three years immediately preceding application for aid and increased maximum payment by the state; 1961 act further increased maximum payment, increased the maximum additional sum payable, added the provision for blind children with other severe physical handicaps or mental retardation or emotionally maladjusted children, reduced the residence requirement from three years to one year and added Subsec. (c); 1963 acts increased the state’s maximum payment and changed the name of the board; 1965 acts increased maximum payment for instruction in Subsec. (a) from $2,100 to $2,700 per year and increased maximum payment in Subsec. (b) from $4,500 to 5,000 per year and substituted Sec. 10-75g for reference to repealed Sec. 10-81 in Subsec. (a); 1967 act increased maximum payment in Subsec. (a) to $2,900 and in Subsec. (b) to $5,500; 1969 acts amended Subsec. (a) to require recommendation of director rather than affirmative vote of three board members for special instruction, to require director to submit names of those recommended to the board, to substitute Sec. 10-76d for Sec. 10-75g, to increase maximum payment for instruction to $3,400, to increase clothing payments from $60 to $100, to add provisions re reimbursement for transportation costs and to extend provisions to those with impaired vision, amended Subsec. (b) to require bona fide residency for eligibility rather than three years’ residency, to increase maximum payment to $6,000 and to extend provisions to those with impaired vision; 1971 act made provisions applicable to persons regardless of age, increased maximum payment in Subsec. (a) to $4,000 and in Subsec. (b) to $7,000; 1972 act increased maximum payment in Subsec. (a) to $4,800 and in Subsec. (b) to $8,400; P.A. 73-469 increased payment in Subsec. (a) to $5,400; P.A. 74-260 increased payment in Subsec. (a) to $6,400 and in Subsec. (b) to $9,400; P.A. 78-211 increased maximum payment in Subsec. (b) to $12,000; P.A. 78-218 included regional boards of education in transportation reimbursement provisions in Subsec. (a) and removed masculine personal pronouns in Subsec. (b); P.A. 79-525 added Subsec. (d) re expenditures for persons 21 or older who are both blind or visually impaired and deaf; P.A. 81-378 raised maximum expenditure per year per child from $12,000 to $14,000 in Subsec. (b); June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring a local or regional board of education to request reimbursement by the first of June for expenses incurred during the preceding first of July through the thirty-first of December and by the first of December for expenses incurred during the preceding first of January through the thirtieth of June, amended Subsec. (b) by decreasing the amount of funds the board may expend for sending certain children to specialized facilities from $14,000 to $11,000, and added Subsec. (e) allowing the board to purchase adaptive equipment and specifying the cost limits of such purchases, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-252 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute referral by a local or regional board of education for referral by the State Board of Education for purposes of providing instruction to children with vision greater than as defined in Sec. 10-294a, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 03-219 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting “specialized vision-related educational programs, goods and services” for “special educational programs”, making conforming change, and deleting provisions re submission of names by director to the board, “educable” child, $6,400 per person instructional spending limit, $100 per person clothing allowance, $300 per person transportation allowance, and services to a child with vision greater than as defined in Sec. 10-294a, amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provisions re $11,000 per fiscal year per child instructional spending limit for children with multiple handicaps, adding provision re $6,400 per fiscal year per child instructional spending limit and adding Subdivs. (1) to (6) re educational resources and teachers provided by the Board of Education and Services for the Blind to school districts, establishment of formula to determine the number of teachers needed to serve a district, and establishment of pro rata formula for distribution of funds from educational aid for blind and visually handicapped children account, effective July 9, 2003; P.A. 04-16 made technical changes; P.A. 05-156 amended Subsec. (b)(1) to provide that agency may cover actual cost for paraprofessionals to participate in agency-sponsored Braille training programs, amended Subsec. (b)(3) to authorize use of account funds to employ rehabilitation teachers, rehabilitation technologists and orientation and mobility teachers, amended Subsec. (b)(5) to add requirement that costs of retaining teacher for the visually impaired are reimbursable provided such teacher has participated in not less than five hours of professional development training on vision impairment or blindness during school year, amended Subsec. (b)(6) to provide for distribution of funds contingent on school district submitting an annual progress report for each eligible child, amended Subsec. (d) by substituting “providing services through specialized public and private entities” for “sending such person to a specialized public or private facility within the state” and making conforming changes and amended Subsec. (e) to delete provision re maximum cost that board could expend for purchase of adaptive equipment; P.A. 08-133 amended Subsec. (b)(3) to permit 5% of funds appropriated to account to be used to employ special assistants to the blind and other support staff, effective July 1, 2008; P.A. 11-44 replaced “Board of Education and Services for the Blind” with “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” or “director of the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 replaced “director of the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” and “director” with “Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services” and “commissioner”, respectively, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-234 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provision re fiscal year maximum payment of $6,400, deleting former Subdivs. (5) and (6) re remaining funds in educational services account to be returned to school districts and making technical changes, effective July 1, 2013; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (b)(3) by replacing “rehabilitation teachers, rehabilitation technologists and orientation and mobility teachers” with “additional staff”, deleting provision re up to 5 per cent of appropriation may be utilized to employ special assistants, and deleting “benefits” re commissioner’s estimate of funding, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 16-118 amended Subsec. (d) by adding “in addition to other expenditures for such person”, adding reference to community inclusion and adding definition of “community inclusion services”; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 amended Subsec. (b)(2) to replace “shall” with “may” in provision re funds appropriated to account, and to delete provision re per child statutory maximum, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 17-202 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “blind child or a child with impaired vision” with “child who is blind or visually impaired”, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing references to blind and visually handicapped children with references to children who are blind or visually impaired, and replacing “of the visually impaired” with “who instruct students who are visually impaired” in Subdivs. (1) and (3), and made technical and conforming changes.