{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/51.5-111.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/51.5-111.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/51.5-111.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/51.5-111.html"}],"law_id":75420,"edition_id":1,"section_id":75420,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-111","catch_line":"Persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing defined and categorized","history":"1984, c. 670, \u00a7 63.1-85.3:1; 2002, c. 747.","full_text":"For the purposes of this chapter, persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing include those who experience hearing losses that range from a mild hearing loss to a profound hearing loss. They are categorized as follows:\n\n1\n\nPersons who are deaf are those whose hearing is totally impaired or whose hearing, with or without amplification, is so seriously impaired that the primary means of receiving spoken communication is through visual input such as lip-reading, sign language, finger spelling, reading or writing.2\n\nPersons who are hard-of-hearing are those whose hearing is impaired to an extent that makes hearing difficult but does not preclude the understanding of spoken communication through the ear alone, with or without a hearing aid.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":270738,"text":"For the purposes of this chapter, persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing include those who experience hearing losses that range from a mild hearing loss to a profound hearing loss. They are categorized as follows:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":270739,"text":"Persons who are deaf are those whose hearing is totally impaired or whose hearing, with or without amplification, is so seriously impaired that the primary means of receiving spoken communication is through visual input such as lip-reading, sign language, finger spelling, reading or writing.","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":270740,"text":"Persons who are hard-of-hearing are those whose hearing is impaired to an extent that makes hearing difficult but does not preclude the understanding of spoken communication through the ear alone, with or without a hearing aid.","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1"}},"ancestry":[{"id":16154,"edition_id":1,"name":"Department for the Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing","identifier":"13","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12761,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:07:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:07:33","permalink":{"id":236637,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16154,"identifier":"13","token":"51.5\/13","url":"\/51.5\/13\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12761,"edition_id":1,"name":"Persons With Disabilities","identifier":"51.5","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":236393,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12761,"identifier":"51.5","token":"51.5","url":"\/51.5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":64476,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-106","catch_line":"Board established; appointment, terms and qualifications of members; meetings; chairman","url":"\/51.5-106\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-106","metadata":false},{"id":70424,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-107","catch_line":"Powers and duties of Board","url":"\/51.5-107\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-107","metadata":false},{"id":69098,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-108","catch_line":"Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing continued","url":"\/51.5-108\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-108","metadata":false},{"id":84502,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-109","catch_line":"Director; appointment; compensation; qualifications","url":"\/51.5-109\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-109","metadata":false},{"id":85028,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-110","catch_line":"Powers and duties of Director","url":"\/51.5-110\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-110","metadata":false},{"id":75420,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-111","catch_line":"Persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing defined and categorized","url":"\/51.5-111\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-111","metadata":false},{"id":64180,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-112","catch_line":"Powers and duties of Department","url":"\/51.5-112\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-112","metadata":false},{"id":78530,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-113","catch_line":"Statewide interpreter service","url":"\/51.5-113\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-113","metadata":false},{"id":70098,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-114","catch_line":"Gifts and donations; disposition of moneys received","url":"\/51.5-114\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-114","metadata":false},{"id":83268,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-115","catch_line":"Telecommunications relay service; standards; funding","url":"\/51.5-115\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-115","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":85028,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-110","catch_line":"Powers and duties of Director","url":"\/51.5-110\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-110","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":64180,"structure_id":16154,"section_number":"51.5-112","catch_line":"Powers and duties of Department","url":"\/51.5-112\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-112","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/51.5-111\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1984. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 670 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1984 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2002, chapter 747<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":71254,"section_number":"3.2-6588","catch_line":"Intentional interference with a guide or leader dog; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6588\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":236659,"object_type":"law","relational_id":75420,"identifier":"51.5-111","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-111","url":"\/51.5-111\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/51.5-111\/","token":"51.5\/13\/51.5-111","dublin_core":{"Title":"Persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing defined and categorized","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 51.5-111","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

For the purposes of this chapter, persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing<\/span> include those who experience hearing<\/span> losses that range from a mild hearing<\/span> loss to a profound hearing<\/span> loss. They are categorized as follows:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Persons who are deaf are those whose hearing<\/span> is totally impaired or whose hearing<\/span>, with or without amplification, is so seriously impaired that the primary means of receiving spoken communication is through visual input such as lip-reading, sign language, finger spelling, reading or writing. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> Persons who are hard-of-hearing<\/span> are those whose hearing<\/span> is impaired to an extent that makes hearing<\/span> difficult but does not preclude the understanding of spoken communication through the ear alone, with or without a hearing<\/span> aid. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPERSONS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD-OF-HEARING DEFINED AND CATEGORIZED (\u00a7 51.5-111)\n\nFor the purposes of this chapter, persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing\ninclude those who experience hearing losses that range from a mild hearing loss\nto a profound hearing loss. They are categorized as follows:\n\n1. Persons who are deaf are those whose hearing is totally impaired or whose\nhearing, with or without amplification, is so seriously impaired that the\nprimary means of receiving spoken communication is through visual input such as\nlip-reading, sign language, finger spelling, reading or writing.\n\n2. Persons who are hard-of-hearing are those whose hearing is impaired to an\nextent that makes hearing difficult but does not preclude the understanding of\nspoken communication through the ear alone, with or without a hearing aid.\n\nHISTORY: 1984, c. 670, \u00a7 63.1-85.3:1; 2002, c. 747.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}