Subdivision 1. Scope. For the purposes of sections 256C.21 to 256C.30, the terms defined in this section shall have the meanings given them, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Subd. 1a. Culturally affirmative. "Culturally affirmative" describes services that are designed and delivered within the context of the culture, language, and life experiences of a person who is deaf, a person who is deafblind, and a person who is hard-of-hearing.
Subd. 2. Deaf. "Deaf" means a hearing loss of such severity that the individual must depend primarily on visual communication such as American Sign Language or other signed language, visual and manual means of communication such as signing systems in English or Cued Speech, writing, speech reading, and gestures.
Subd. 2a. Hard-of-hearing. "Hard-of-hearing" means a hearing loss resulting in a functional loss of hearing, but not to the extent that the individual must depend primarily upon visual communication.
Subd. 2b. Deafblind. "Deafblind" means any combination of vision and hearing loss which interferes with acquiring information from the environment to the extent that compensatory strategies and skills are necessary to access that or other information.
Subd. 2c. Interpreting services. "Interpreting services" means services that include:
(1) interpreting between a spoken language, such as English, and a visual language, such as American Sign Language;
(2) interpreting between a spoken language and a visual representation of a spoken language, such as Cued Speech and signing systems in English;
(3) interpreting within one language where the interpreter uses natural gestures and silently repeats the spoken message, replacing some words or phrases to give higher visibility on the lips;
(4) interpreting using low vision or tactile methods for persons who have a combined hearing and vision loss or are deafblind; and
(5) interpreting from one communication mode or language into another communication mode or language that is linguistically and culturally appropriate for the participants in the communication exchange.
Subd. 3. [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 6 art 1 s 54]
Subd. 4. [Repealed by amendment, 1996 c 392 s 1]
Subd. 5. [Repealed by amendment, 1996 c 392 s 1]
Subd. 6. Real-time captioning. "Real-time captioning" means a method of captioning in which a caption is simultaneously prepared and displayed or transmitted at the time of origination by specially trained real-time captioners.
Subd. 7. Family and community intervener. "Family and community intervener" means a paraprofessional, specifically trained in deafblindness, who works one-on-one with a child who is deafblind to provide critical connections to people and the environment.
1980 c 574 s 3; 1993 c 306 s 9-11; 1996 c 392 s 1; 1999 c 159 s 55; 1Sp2017 c 6 art 1 s 32-35; 2018 c 182 art 1 s 55; 2019 c 23 s 1
Structure Minnesota Statutes
Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities
Chapter 256C — Persons With Disabilities
Section 256C.02 — Public Accommodations.
Section 256C.025 — Housing Accommodations.
Section 256C.03 — Blind Or Deaf Pedestrians; Civil Liability.
Section 256C.04 — Proclamation By Governor.
Section 256C.21 — Deaf And Hard-of-hearing Services Act; Citation.
Section 256C.23 — Definitions.
Section 256C.233 — Duties Of State Agencies.
Section 256C.24 — Regional Service Centers.
Section 256C.26 — Employment Services.
Section 256C.261 — Services For Persons Who Are Deafblind.
Section 256C.28 — Commission Of The Deaf, Deafblind And Hard Of Hearing.