§ 4210. Aid for blind or deaf students. 1. a. Whenever a blind or deaf person, who is a citizen of this state and a student in actual attendance at a college, university, technical or professional school, including agriculture and technical institutes and state institutes of applied arts and sciences, located in this state and authorized by law to grant degrees, or licensed private career schools as defined in article one hundred one of this title and located in this state, other than an institution established for the regular instruction of the blind or deaf, shall be designated by the trustees thereof as a fit person to receive the aid hereinafter provided for, there shall be paid by the state for the use of such student a sum not to exceed four thousand dollars per annum, subject to terms and conditions prescribed by the commissioner in regulations and within the limits of the appropriation therefor, with which to provide such students with support to read, including the employment of persons to read to such student and/or the purchase of technology to assist the student in reading from text-books and pamphlets in his or her studies at such college, university or school, or to aid such student, in receiving instruction in such studies.

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b. The trustees of any institution meeting the requirements of this section shall submit reports in such form and at such times as prescribed by the commissioner identifying the number of students eligible to receive aid pursuant to this subdivision and shall estimate the funds needed to support such students as provided herein. The commissioner shall advance twice during the school year to each such institution such estimated amounts within the limits of the annual appropriation provided therefore.

c. At the conclusion of the academic year for which such funds are provided, each institution receiving funds pursuant to this subdivision shall submit to the commissioner a final accounting for the use of such funds and any additional reporting requirements prescribed by the commissioner in regulations and shall return any unspent funds.

2. Such moneys shall be paid annually, after the beginning of the school year of such institution, by the commissioner of taxation and finance on the warrant of the comptroller, to the treasurer of such institution, on his presenting an account showing the actual number of blind or deaf students matriculated and attending the institution, which account shall be verified by the president of the institution and accompanied by his certificate that the trustees have recommended the students named in said account as hereinbefore provided.

3. The trustees of any of the said institutions shall recommend no blind or deaf person, who is not regularly matriculated, and who is not in good and regular standing, and who is not working for a degree from the institution in which he or she is matriculated; and no blind or deaf person shall be recommended, who is not doing the work regularly prescribed by the institution for the degree for which he or she is a candidate. The moneys so paid to any such institution shall be disbursed for the purposes aforesaid by and under the direction of its board of trustees.

4. Funds appropriated in the two thousand seventeen–two thousand eighteen academic year and thereafter for the purposes of this initiative shall be allocated on a first-come, first serve basis based on the order of applications received by the commissioner, in a timeframe and manner prescribed by the commissioner in regulations.

5. Funds allocated pursuant to this section shall supplement not supplant any aid provided and/or devices currently used by the college, university, technical or professional school, including agriculture and technical institutes and state institutes of applied arts and sciences or licensed private career schools as defined in article one hundred one of this title, for the purposes of this section.