Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1529/S. 1918)

Issue—The cost of critically needed access technology is out of reach for most blind Americans.

Access technology enables blind Americans to participate in today’s workforce. Blindness is well-defined and measurable,¹ but affects each person differently and at different ages. Since individuals’ needs differ, manufacturers have designed various tools that enable each blind American to perform tasks that they were once unable to accomplish themselves due to their blindness. Braille note takers are frequently used in schools, screen reading software allows workers to check their email in the office, and screen magnification software can help seniors losing vision learn about community activities. Access technology equips blind Americans to seek employment and stay employed. For the 61.9 percent of blind Americans who are either unemployed or underemployed, it is a vehicle that facilitates the job seeking process.

The high cost of access technology creates a difficult economic reality. Most access technology ranges in cost from $1,000 to $6,000. For example, a leading screen reader is $900, a popular Braille note taker is $5,495, one model of a refreshable Braille display is $2,795, and a moderately priced Braille embosser is $3,695. According to the United States Census Bureau, 61.9 percent of working age blind Americans are either unemployed or underemployed.² Furthermore, one in four blind Americans live below the poverty line and therefore likely do not have sufficient financial resources needed to purchase these items.³ These financial barriers can ultimately lead to a loss of employment, insufficient education, or even isolation from community  activities.

Medical insurance will not cover the cost of access technology. Current definitions of “medical care,” “medical necessity,” and “durable medical equipment” within common insurance policies do not include access technology. These definitions were adopted in the 1960s “when medical care was viewed primarily as curative and palliative, with little or no consideration given to increasing an individual’s functional status.”⁴ Many states’ Medicaid programs and individual health insurance plans have adopted similar definitions and likewise will not cover the cost of access technology.⁵

Solution—Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA):

Makes access technology more affordable so that blind Americans can procure these items for themselves. It establishes a refundable tax credit for blind Americans in the amount of $2,000 to be used over a three-year period to offset the cost of qualified access technology. The credit created by ATAA will sunset after five years and will be indexed for inflation.

Provides flexibility for individuals to obtain access technology based upon their specific needs. Accessibility requires an individualized assessment of one’s own skills and needs. Therefore, blind Americans should be given the opportunity to procure access technology on their own to ensure that they are receiving the tools that are most useful for them.

Will save the government $315 million through increased federal income and FICA tax revenue. More blind Americans working means more people paying federal income taxes. It also means that those blind Americans who obtain gainful employment through this tax credit will no longer need to draw from federal programs such as Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance and will instead be paying into the Social Security Program through FICA taxes. This was demonstrated by a dynamic score calculated by Mathematica showing a $315 million cost savings over the lifetime of this legislation.⁶

Goal—Improve affordability of critically needed access technology necessary for employment and independent living.

To cosponsor the Access Technology Affordability Act in the House (H.R. 1529), contact:
Quinn Ritchie, Legislative Director for Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA-16) Phone: 202-225-5406 Email: [email protected].

To cosponsor the Access Technology Affordability Act in the Senate (S. 1918), contact:
Kathleen Bochow, Legislative Assistant for Senator John Boozman (R-AR) Phone: 202-224-4843 Email: [email protected].

For more information, contact:
Jesse Shirek, Government Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind
Phone: 410-659-9314, extension 2348, Email: [email protected], or visit www.nfb.org

Footnotes:

1. 26 U.S.C § 63(f)(4).
2. United States Census Bureau, American Community Survey, “Percentage of non-institutionalized persons, ages 21-64 years, with visual disability, in the United States, who were employed full-time/full-year in 2023.” www.disabilitystatistics.org.
3. United States Census Bureau, American Community Survey, “Percentage of non-institutionalized persons, ages 21-64 years, with visual disability, in the United States, who were living below the poverty line in 2023.” www.disabilitystatistics.org.
4. National Council on Disability, “Federal Policy Barriers to Assistive Technology,” (May 31, 2000) 8, http://www.ncd.gov/rawmedia_repository/c9e48e89_261b_4dda_bc74_203d5915519f.pdf.
5. Assistive Technology Industry Associates, “AT Resources Funding Guide,” https://www.atia.org/at-resources/what-is-at/resources-funding-guide/ (last accessed December 10, 2018).
6. Mathematica, “Dynamic Score of the Access Technology Affordability Act,” (November 19, 2024) 1.