This bill tells the Census Bureau to study and publish counts of people who are both deaf and blind. Within 180 days of the law taking effect, the Bureau must report to Congress on whether it is feasible to publish a specific table and to expand data collection in the American Community Survey (or a successor survey). Beginning in 2026 and each year after, the Bureau must publish a table on its website that summarizes ACS respondents who answered “Yes” to being both deaf and blind. The table must be sorted by State and include each respondent group’s sex, race, age, and economic information such as employment status, educational attainment, earnings, and poverty status. The bill requires that no personally identifiable information be published. The bill text also notes that current ACS questions cover hearing and vision separately and that existing estimates of the number of deafblind people vary widely.
No publicly available information.
Supporters say people who are deafblind face combined hearing and vision loss that can block access to information, create communication challenges, and affect education, employment, and well-being. They note existing national estimates vary widely and that the Census Bureau does not currently cross-reference hearing and vision responses. Proponents argue a centralized, accurate count — including demographic and economic details — is necessary to better serve the needs of this population and that cross-referencing ACS responses could provide an estimate.
No publicly available information.