Shenango Valley News

U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly and Mike Thompson have reintroduced the Access Technology Affordability Act, also known as H.R. 1529. The legislation aims to provide a refundable $2,000 credit for blind and vision-impaired individuals to purchase necessary equipment for employment.

Rep. Kelly highlighted the challenges faced by blind Americans in the workforce, stating, "Every American deserves the chance to earn a productive living. Unfortunately, almost 70 percent of blind Americans are either underemployed or unemployed due to the high cost of computer access technologies." He emphasized that this legislation would make essential tools more accessible and enable more blind Americans to participate fully in the job market.

Rep. Thompson echoed these sentiments, noting that "blind individuals deserve the same access to economic opportunity through employment as anyone else." He pointed out that technologies such as screen readers and Braille note takers can be prohibitively expensive, which is why he supports this bipartisan effort with Rep. Kelly.

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, expressed support for the act: "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."

The bill seeks to address a significant issue within the blind community where currently 65% of working-age individuals are not employed or are underemployed.