Deafblind DATA Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2947 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2947

To require the Bureau of the Census to collect information on deafblind
                  individuals, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 17, 2025

Mrs. McClain Delaney (for herself, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Cohen,
      Ms. Crockett, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. Doggett, Mr.
   Fitzpatrick, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Fields, Mr. Lawler, Mr.
  Mannion, Mr. McGarvey, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Norton, Mr. Takano, and Ms.
    Tlaib) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To require the Bureau of the Census to collect information on deafblind
                  individuals, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Deafblind Disabled
Americans Table Approximation Act'' or the ``Deafblind DATA Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Individuals who are deafblind experience concomitant
        hearing and vision loss that may prevent access to information,
        cause severe communication challenges, and interfere with
        social and emotional well-being. In children, deafblindness may
        impact development and educational attainment, while in adults,
        deafblindness may interfere with employment and other areas.
        The National Center on Deafblindness estimates 10,000 children
        and 40,000 adults are deafblind, the National Association of
        Regulatory Utility Commissioners estimates 70,000-100,000
        people are deafblind, and the Helen Keller National Center for
        Deafblind Youths and Adults estimates 2.47 million Americans
        have combined hearing and vision loss.
            (2) It is difficult to determine the precise number of
        individuals who experience combined hearing and vision loss,
        and estimates from various national counts offer radically
        different estimates.
            (3) An accurate, centralized count of all individuals who
        are deafblind in the United States is necessary to effectively
        serve the unique needs of this population. Without a
        comprehensive national picture of this population, individuals
        who are deafblind may not receive the support necessary to
        access information, communicate effectively, and better their
        social and emotional well-being.
            (4) The Bureau of the Census currently does not count
        individuals who experience combined hearing and vision loss.
        Through the American Community Survey, the Bureau does collect
        data on those who are deaf or have ``serious difficulty
        hearing'' and those who are blind or have ``serious difficulty
        seeing even when wearing glasses''. However, this data is not
        cross referenced to provide information about those who have
        both limitations.
            (5) Some people who experience combined hearing and vision
        loss identify as deafblind or as a part of the deafblind
        community.
            (6) By cross-referencing this existing data to establish a
        count of all respondents to the American Community Survey who
        experience concomitant hearing and vision loss, an estimate of
        the United States deafblind population may be calculated.

SEC. 2. REPORT AND PUBLICATION ON DEAFBLIND INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Bureau of the Census shall
submit to Congress a report on the feasibility of publishing the table
described in subsection (b) and the feasibility of expanding data
collection on individuals who experience combined hearing and vision
loss in the American Community Survey (or any successor survey).
    (b) Publication of Table.--
            (1)  In general.--Beginning in 2026 and each year
        thereafter, the Director of the Bureau of the Census shall
        publish, on the public website of the Bureau, a table
        summarizing respondents to the American Community Survey (or
        any successor survey) who answered ``Yes'' in such Survey to
        being both deaf and blind. The table shall include the
        following information, sorted by the State in which such
        respondent resides:
                    (A) The sex, race, and age of any such respondent.
                    (B) Economic characteristics of any such
                respondent, including employment status, educational
                attainment, earnings, and poverty status.
            (2) Limitation.--The Director shall ensure that no
        personally identifiable information of any individual is
        published under paragraph (1).
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