§ 111‑6.1.  Rehabilitation center for the blind and visually impaired.

The Department of Health and Human Services shall establish and operate a rehabilitation center for the blind and visually impaired for the purpose of evaluating and providing instruction in specialized independent living, prevocational, and vocational skills to blind and visually impaired persons to prepare them for obtaining and maintaining employment.

The Commission shall make all rules necessary for this purpose and the Department of Health and Human Services may enter into any agreement or contract; to purchase or lease property, both real and personal, to accept grants and gifts of whatever nature, and to do all other things necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this rehabilitation center.

The Department of Health and Human Services may receive grants‑in‑aid from the federal government for carrying out the provisions of this section, as well as for other related rehabilitation programs for blind and visually impaired persons under the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pub. L. No. 93‑112, 87 Stat. 355, 29 U.S.C. § 701, et seq., as amended. Blind and visually impaired persons as defined in G.S. 111‑11, who are physically present in North Carolina may enjoy the benefits of this section or any other related rehabilitation benefits under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. (1945, c. 698; 1951, c. 319, s. 4; 1971, c. 1215, s. 2; 1973, c. 476, s. 143; 1997‑443, s. 11A.118(a); 2000‑121, s. 4.)