§ 4210 — Aid for blind or deaf students

§ 4210. Aid for blind or deaf students. 1. a. Whenever a blind or deaf\nperson, who is a citizen of this state and a student in actual\nattendance at a college, university, technical or professional school,\nincluding agriculture and technical institutes and state institutes of\napplied arts and sciences, located in this state and authorized by law\nto grant degrees, or licensed private career schools as defined in\narticle one hundred one of this title and located in this state, other\nthan an institution established for the regular instruction of the blind\nor deaf, shall be designated by the trustees thereof as a fit person to\nreceive the aid hereinafter provided for, there shall be paid by the\nstate for the use of such student a sum not to exceed four thousand\ndollars per annum, subject to terms and conditions prescribed by the\ncommissioner in regulations and within the limits of the appropriation\ntherefor, with which to provide such students with support to read,\nincluding the employment of persons to read to such student and/or the\npurchase of technology to assist the student in reading from text-books\nand pamphlets in his or her studies at such college, university or\nschool, or to aid such student, in receiving instruction in such\nstudies.\n b. The trustees of any institution meeting the requirements of this\nsection shall submit reports in such form and at such times as\nprescribed by the commissioner identifying the number of students\neligible to receive aid pursuant to this subdivision and shall estimate\nthe funds needed to support such students as provided herein. The\ncommissioner shall advance twice during the school year to each such\ninstitution such estimated amounts within the limits of the annual\nappropriation provided therefore.\n c. At the conclusion of the academic year for which such funds are\nprovided, each institution receiving funds pursuant to this subdivision\nshall submit to the commissioner a final accounting for the use of such\nfunds and any additional reporting requirements prescribed by the\ncommissioner in regulations and shall return any unspent funds.\n 2. Such moneys shall be paid annually, after the beginning of the\nschool year of such institution, by the commissioner of taxation and\nfinance on the warrant of the comptroller, to the treasurer of such\ninstitution, on his presenting an account showing the actual number of\nblind or deaf students matriculated and attending the institution, which\naccount shall be verified by the president of the institution and\naccompanied by his certificate that the trustees have recommended the\nstudents named in said account as hereinbefore provided.\n 3. The trustees of any of the said institutions shall recommend no\nblind or deaf person, who is not regularly matriculated, and who is not\nin good and regular standing, and who is not working for a degree from\nthe institution in which he or she is matriculated; and no blind or deaf\nperson shall be recommended, who is not doing the work regularly\nprescribed by the institution for the degree for which he or she is a\ncandidate. The moneys so paid to any such institution shall be disbursed\nfor the purposes aforesaid by and under the direction of its board of\ntrustees.\n 4. Funds appropriated in the two thousand seventeen--two thousand\neighteen academic year and thereafter for the purposes of this\ninitiative shall be allocated on a first-come, first serve basis based\non the order of applications received by the commissioner, in a\ntimeframe and manner prescribed by the commissioner in regulations.\n 5. Funds allocated pursuant to this section shall supplement not\nsupplant any aid provided and/or devices currently used by the college,\nuniversity, technical or professional school, including agriculture and\ntechnical institutes and state institutes of applied arts and sciences\nor licensed private career schools as defined in article one hundred one\nof this title, for the purposes of this section.\n