13-55-11. Residents with visual impairment--Tuition and fee exemption--Credit hours to which entitled--Qualifying degree of impairment.

Any resident of this state with a visual impairment who possesses the entrance requirements for admission to any educational institution under supervision of the Board of Regents shall be permitted to enter and pursue any course or course of study offered by such institution, including distance education courses not subsidized by the state general fund, without payment of tuition, library fees, registration fees, or any other fees that other students are required to pay directly to such institution until the resident with a visual impairment has received two hundred twenty-five semester hours of credit or its equivalent. Any person shall be deemed to be a person with a visual impairment within the meaning of this section who cannot, with use of correcting glasses, see sufficient to perform ordinary activities for which eyesight is essential.

Source: SL 1939, ch 52, §§ 1, 2; SL 1957, ch 48; SDC Supp 1960, § 15.0717-1; SL 1970, ch 110, § 1; SL 2021, ch 82, § 1.

13-55-11.1. Certification of visual impairment of beneficiary.

Before any person shall secure the benefits of §§ 13-55-11 to 13-55-13, inclusive, the Division of Rehabilitation Services shall certify in writing to the registrar of the educational institution involved, that based upon medical information on file with the Division of Rehabilitation Services such person is visually impaired to the extent specified in said sections.

Source: SL 1970, ch 110, § 2; SL 1975, ch 128, § 346.

13-55-11.2. Exclusion from tuition and fee exemption.

The exemption provided by § 13-55-11 does not apply to any visually impaired resident of this state who is entitled to receive tuition and fee support from the Department of Human Services.

Source: SL 1980, ch 147; SL 1989, ch 21, § 46.