[Mn-abs] Text of Blind Persons Literacy Rights and Education Act

[Jordan Richardson]

Hey guys!  Here is the text of the Blind Persons Literacy Rights and
Education Act for tomorrow.

125A.06 BLIND PERSONS' LITERACY RIGHTS.

(a) Paragraphs (b) to (f) may be cited as the "Blind Persons' Literacy
Rights and Education Act."

(b) The following definitions apply to paragraphs (c) to (f).

"Blind student" means an individual who is eligible for special educational
services and who:

(1) has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting
lenses or has a limited field of vision such that the widest diameter
subtends
an angular distance of no greater than 20 degrees; or

(2) has a medically indicated expectation of visual deterioration.

"Braille" means the system of reading and writing through touch commonly
known as standard English Braille.

(c) In developing an individualized education program for each blind
student the presumption must be that proficiency in Braille reading and
writing is
essential for the student to achieve satisfactory educational progress. The
assessment required for each student must include a Braille skills
inventory,
including a statement of strengths and deficits. Braille instruction and
use are not required by this paragraph if, in the course of developing the
student's
individualized education program, team members concur that the student's
visual impairment does not affect reading and writing performance
commensurate
with ability. This paragraph does not require the exclusive use of Braille
if other special education services are appropriate to the student's
educational
needs. The provision of other appropriate services does not preclude
Braille use or instruction. Instruction in Braille reading and writing must
be available
for each blind student for whom the multidisciplinary team has determined
that reading and writing is appropriate.

(d) Instruction in Braille reading and writing must be sufficient to enable
each blind student to communicate effectively and efficiently with the same
level of proficiency expected of the student's peers of comparable ability
and grade level.

(e) The student's individualized education program must specify:

(1) the results obtained from the assessment required under paragraph (c);

(2) how Braille will be implemented through integration with other
classroom activities;

(3) the date on which Braille instruction will begin;

(4) the length of the period of instruction and the frequency and duration
of each instructional session;

(5) the level of competency in Braille reading and writing to be achieved
by the end of the period and the objective assessment measures to be used;
and

(6) if a decision has been made under paragraph (c) that Braille
instruction or use is not required for the student:

(i) a statement that the decision was reached after a review of pertinent
literature describing the educational benefits of Braille instruction and
use;
and

(ii) a specification of the evidence used to determine that the student's
ability to read and write effectively without Braille is not impaired.

(f) Instruction in Braille reading and writing is a service for the purpose
of special education and services under this section.

(g) Paragraphs (b) to (f) must not be construed to supersede any rights of
a parent or guardian of a child with a disability under federal or state
law.



See you tomorrow!
Jordan Richardson
mnabs president

-- 
Jordan Richardson
President, Minnesota Association of Blind Students
lilrichie411 at gmail.com
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
~*Frederick Douglass*<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/frederickd201574.html>