WASHINGTON––U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) introduced the bipartisan Access Technology Affordability Act to create a refundable tax credit to help blind Americans afford the technology and tools that can enhance their ability to perform daily, necessary functions.
According to the American Community Survey, 64 percent of blind Americans in 2022 were unemployed or underemployed, in part due to the expenses surrounding access technology that are often not covered by medical insurance. The Access Technology Affordability Act would create a tax credit to offset the cost of “qualified access technology,” which includes hardware, software and other information technology with the primary function of adapting information represented in visual formats unusable by blind Americans.
“As an optometrist, I know first hand how vital these tools are to the blind and visually impaired community – especially in an increasingly technical world,” said Boozman. “Providing financial support that helps put access technologies in their hands is a strong step forward in ensuring blind Americans can utilize them to not only secure gainful employment, but also live fulfilling, active lives.”
“Obtaining necessary technology is a life-changing opportunity for blind and visually impaired Americans – but high costs often stand in the way,” said Luján. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to make this essential technology more affordable and accessible. By removing financial barriers, we can ensure more Americans have a fair shot at education, employment, and staying connected.”
The Access Technology Affordability Act has been endorsed by the National Federation of the Blind.
“Blind Americans want to work among our non-blind peers. The Access Technology Affordability Act will provide more people access to the technology needed to compete equally in the workforce and it will shrink the staggeringly high ratio of the blind community who are not working or underemployed, which is currently 65 percent of our working-age population,” said President of the National Federation of the Blind Mark A. Riccobono.
