Tax credit for blind Americans' assistive tech—but only until 2030
S. 1918 — Access Technology Affordability Act of 2025 · Filed by John Boozman (R-AR) · 19 cosponsors · Introduced May 22, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a new federal tax credit allowing blind individuals (and their families) to deduct up to $2,000 in qualified access technology costs—such as screen readers, braille displays, or adaptive software—every three years. The credit expires after 2030 and adjusts for inflation starting in 2027.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to provide a targeted tax credit for blind individuals purchasing assistive technology. It is a straightforward disability-support measure with no hidden mechanisms or unrelated provisions.
What the text implies
- The $2,000 cap per 3-year period may be insufficient for high-cost adaptive devices (e.g., advanced screen readers, refreshable braille displays can exceed $5,000–$15,000), potentially limiting real-world benefit for those with greatest need.
- Sunset clause (expires Dec 31, 2030) creates uncertainty for long-term planning and may require reauthorization, leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to policy discontinuity.
- Credit is non-refundable (standard tax credit structure), meaning blind individuals with low or no tax liability may receive reduced or zero benefit, creating an equity gap.
Who it affects
Blind individuals and their families gain direct financial relief for essential adaptive technology that enables employment, education, and independence. The credit reduces out-of-pocket costs for assistive devices that are often expensive and not fully covered by insurance or other programs.
Who stands to gain
- assistive technology manufacturers
- screen reader software vendors
- braille display manufacturers
Named in the bill
Internal Revenue Code, Section 36C, blind individuals, qualified access technology, tax credit, Department of Treasury
Where it stands
19 cosponsors: 12 Democrats, 6 Republicans, 1 Independents.
- May 22, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- May 22, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Finance · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $20,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 12 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
John Boozman, the sponsor, reported $280,200 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- National Federation of the Blind — $20,000 on 2 filings
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 10, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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