Missouri Revised Statutes Title XI. Education and Libraries § 162.1130. Definitions

(1)“Appraisal”, an evaluation of a child's current level of performance in the context of cognitive skills and the ability to master academic skills of literacy such as reading, comprehension, composition and mathematics;

(2)“Blindness skills specialist in education”, any individual certified pursuant to rules of the department of elementary and secondary education who has reasonable knowledge of instructional techniques for the teaching of Braille reading and writing, orientation and mobility, assistive technology and other alternative skills of blindness;

(3)“Braille”, the six-dot, two-grade tactile system used by blind persons for reading and writing;

(4)“Eligible student”, any blind or visually impaired child, including any student who has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with conventional correction, or has a limited field of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angular distance not greater than twenty degrees, and who is eligible for special education services for the visually impaired as defined in the department of elementary and secondary education state plan;

(5)“IEP”, a plan or set of goals designed to meet the specific short- and long-term educational needs of a student and address academic, activities of daily living and transitional issues to enable a child to maximize his ability to function competently and independently;

(6)“Literacy”, an ability to read, write and speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and independently, to achieve one's goals and develop one's knowledge and potential;

(7)“Teacher assistant for the blind”, an individual, with knowledge of one or more alternative skills of blindness, including proficiency in the reading and writing of Braille, producing Braille materials or providing instruction in alternative techniques of blindness.