No Light Perception or NLP (ICO 2002). There is no clear definition of legal blindness in the Maldives. In North America and most of Europe, legal blindness is defined as visual acuity (vision) of 20/200 (6/60) or less in the better eye with best correction possible (SSA 2010). By June 2009, there were 220 persons registered as totally blind or legally blind (verbal communication). Hence, it is estimated that the government is spending about Rf4 million a year as financial assistance for blind people in the Maldives. The financial assistance for blind people is provided monthly by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury. For residents living in Male’ the allowance is given directly by Ministry of Finance and Treasury. For residents in Atolls, the allowance is paid through the Atoll Office or Island Office. The budget for this allowance is included under the “pensions component” of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury. 7.5 Assistive devices Wheelchairs, walkers or crutches were provided to people in need of such devices until 01 January 2010. An application form accompanied by a doctor’s certificate stating that a wheelchair/walker/crutch will improve mobility and that the device is needed permanently, was required to access an assistive device. The maximum financial assistance for a wheelchair was Rf ACTIVITIES ADDRESSING RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 2,500 and for a wheelchair rowing cycle was Rf 2,800. If the price of the wheelchair exceeded Rf ... 50 2,800 the balance had to be paid by the applicant. If there wass a prescribed need for crutches or walker for greater than six months, crutches or walkers were provided. The maximum financial assistance for crutches and walkers was Rf 750. The mobility related assistive devices were provided once a year for each person. The devices were then provided by the Medical Welfare Assistance Section, of the Ministry of Health and Family after making an assessment of the economic background of the person’s family. In order to make the economic assessment, the Ministry used the “Welfare Assistance Request Form”. If the applicant was resident in an island, then the applicant had to send a person to the Medical Welfare Assistance Section of the Department of Gender and Family Protection Services of the Ministry of Health and Family in Male’ to receive a note from the Ministry and was responsible for taking the aid from Male’ to the person on the island. In 2008 a total of 20 crutches, 26 walkers and 90 wheelchairs were provided (verbal communication).