Please fill in all information surrounded by asterisks.
SENT VIA EMAIL
*Date*
*State Secretary of Health’s name*
*Title*
*Department name*
*Address*
*Secretary’s email*
RE: Accessible At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits
Dear *Secretary*:
I write to applaud your efforts to distribute at-home COVID-19 test kits across our state and to insist that your department take steps to ensure that these tests can be used privately and independently by blind residents.
The National Federation of the Blind has reviewed the majority of the tests being distributed by the federal government, as well as other commercially available tests, and found that as of April 18, 2022, only two tests can be administered nonvisually with a smartphone. These are:
- Cue Health’s COVID-19 Test
- Ellume COVID-19 Home Test
The following at-home COVID-19 test kits in their current form require vision to administer and/or interpret test results and cannot be used independently by the blind; these tests do not offer equal access to blind residents:
- DiaTrust COVID-19 test
- InteliSwab COVID-19 Rapid Test
- BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test
- Intrivo Diagnostics, Inc.’s On/Go Rapid COVID Test
- BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test
- CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
- Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
- iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
- QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused previously unthinkable hardship and challenges, and this experience has been magnified for people living with disabilities, including blind individuals who have encountered access barriers with traveling to testing and vaccination sites, scheduling vaccines online, and securing usable at-home COVID-19 test kits. Without equal access to the COVID-19 resources readily available to our sighted neighbors, blind people face increased uncertainty about our health. Your office has the ability and opportunity to provide blind residents with equal access to COVID-19 tests and resources, and I urge you to do so. I am available to discuss with you my COVID-19 experience and to connect you with my colleagues at the National Federation of the Blind’s state and national organizations. Please contact me at *phone and/or email*.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
cc:
*Your NFB affiliate president*
National Federation of the Blind, [email protected]