(a) the department shall mean the New York State Education Department;
(b) academic institution shall mean 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 a licensed private career school as defined in article 101 of New York State Education Law and located in New York State, other than an institution established for the regular instruction of the blind or deaf;
(c) academic year shall mean the regular school year beginning September 1st and ending August 31st;
(d) eligible student shall mean a blind or deaf student who is a citizen of this State and attends an academic institution as defined in this section;
(e) technology shall mean equipment, machinery or tools that are used to provide students with supports to read or to assist the student in reading textbooks and/or pamphlets and/or improve the student’s ability to read in order to receive instruction in his or her academic studies.