26 M.R.S. §1413-A: Definitions

As used in this article, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.

1. Advisory council.

1-A. Commission. "Commission" means the Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened.

2. Deaf. "Deaf" means that the sense of hearing of an individual is nonfunctional for the purpose of communication and that individual must depend primarily upon visual communication.

3. Hard of hearing. "Hard of hearing" means a hearing loss in an individual that results in a functional loss, but not to the extent that the individual must depend primarily upon visual communication.

4. Statewide registry.

5. Late deafened. "Late deafened" means that the sense of hearing of an individual is nonfunctional for the purpose of communication and that the individual must depend primarily upon visual communication. The loss of the sense of hearing for a late-deafened individual occurs after the development of speech and language.