Action Center

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The 2026–2028 Policy Landscape

Public policy can change quickly. Congress may enact legislation, federal agencies may adopt or revise regulations, funding decisions may alter existing programs, and new technologies or community needs may create issues requiring attention.

DBCA’s Action Center identifies legislative, regulatory, funding, and other public policy matters that we believe deserve attention during the 2026–2028 period. This is a working agenda, not a fixed list for the next two years. Priorities may be added, revised, achieved, placed on hold, or retired as circumstances change.

Our objective is to help ensure that the experiences and needs of deafblind people are considered while decisions are being made. We believe unintended consequences can be prevented before policies have already taken effect.

Each priority may include related government documents, research, data, or other materials so visitors can learn more about the issue and the information informing DBCA’s work. Opportunities to take action will be added when public participation can make a meaningful difference.

Take Action

Policy-specific opportunities for action will appear as they become available. Depending on the issue, DBCA may ask supporters to contact policymakers, participate in public-comment proceedings, share relevant experiences, provide information, support coalition efforts, attend public meetings, or take other actions that can contribute to a specific policy objective. We will focus action alerts on situations in which public participation can contribute meaningfully to the policy process.

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Engage

Good public policy depends on meaningful participation and diverse perspectives. DBCA welcomes engagement from anyone who can help advance accessibility and equal opportunity, including deafblind people, family members, professionals, engineers, researchers, analysts, educators, service providers, advocates, businesses, organizations, and allies throughout the disability community.

You can support our work by sharing an accessibility experience, providing information or research relevant to one of our priorities, identifying an emerging issue, contributing professional or technical expertise, or participating in future advocacy and coalition efforts. Your experiences and expertise can help DBCA better understand emerging issues, evaluate policy options, and communicate the real-world impact of public policy.

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The policy environment can change rapidly. A proposal under consideration today may become law, be revised, or disappear within months. Federal agencies may open public-comment periods or adopt new policies with relatively short notice.

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Current Policy Priorities

Protect Special Education and Deafblind Services

Status: Active Monitoring and Advocacy

Last reviewed: July 2026

Overview

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides the foundation for special education and early intervention services for children with disabilities. Federal programs also support technical assistance, personnel development, research, family resources, accessible educational materials, and specialized services addressing the needs of children who are deafblind.

The federal education environment is undergoing substantial change. The U.S. Department of Education experienced significant staffing reductions beginning in 2025, and additional interagency arrangements announced in 2026 involve the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice in areas including special education, rehabilitative services, and civil rights enforcement.

DBCA supports strong and sustainable funding for special education together with preservation of the expertise, oversight, technical assistance, research, personnel development, and specialized resources necessary to serve students with disabilities effectively. Particular attention should be given to low-incidence populations, including children who are deafblind, whose specialized needs can easily be overlooked within broader systems.

DBCA is also monitoring federal funding specifically supporting State DeafBlind Projects and national technical assistance. Federal information for the FY2026 grant competition reports funding levels substantially different from those identified for the FY2023 competition. Additional analysis is necessary to understand the reasons for the difference and its practical effect on state and national deafblind services.

Organizational efficiency is a legitimate public objective, but efficiency should ultimately be measured by outcomes. Changes in federal administration should not weaken access to specialized expertise, effective implementation of IDEA, accountability, or the ability of states, educators, families, and students to obtain the support they need.

We are monitoring:

Federal restructuring affecting disability programs;
IDEA appropriations and implementation;
State DeafBlind Project and national technical-assistance funding;
Personnel preparation;
Research; and
Other developments affecting educational opportunities for students who are deafblind.

Learn more

U.S. Department of Education — State Technical Assistance Projects to Improve Services and Results for DeafBlind Children and National TA&D Center for DeafBlind Children

U.S. Department of Education — Annual Reports to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA

U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General — Review of U.S. Department of Education Changes in Staffing and Operations

U.S. Department of Education — Additional Partnerships Concerning Individuals with Disabilities Programs and Civil Rights Enforcement

Modernize Funding for iCanConnect

Status: Policy Development

Last reviewed: July 2026

Overview

The National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP), commonly known as iCanConnect, provides communications equipment and related services to eligible low-income people who are deafblind. Congress established the program in 2010 and authorized the Federal Communications Commission to provide up to $10 million annually from the interstate Telecommunications Relay Service Fund. That statutory annual ceiling remains $10 million.

For the 2025–2026 program year, the FCC set aside $250,000 for national outreach and $150,000 for maintenance of the centralized database, leaving $9.6 million available to reimburse certified programs throughout the United States for equipment and authorized related services. The statutory ceiling has remained unchanged while the costs of equipment, training, travel, labor, technology, and program administration have changed substantially. Communications technology has also become considerably more complex since the program was created.

DBCA believes the 2026–2028 period provides an appropriate opportunity to evaluate whether the NDBEDP’s funding structure remains adequate for its mission. Any review should consider inflation, changing equipment and service costs, demand for individualized assessment and training, geographic differences in service delivery, emerging communications technologies, and the needs of consumers who may require extensive training and support. Modernization should focus not merely on increasing a number, but on ensuring that the program has sustainable resources to provide meaningful communications access as technology and costs continue to evolve.

What we are exploring

Legislative options for modernizing the NDBEDP funding authorization, including whether future funding should account for changes in costs over time.

Learn more

U.S. Code — 47 U.S.C. § 620, establishing the NDBEDP and its annual funding ceiling

Federal Communications Commission — 2025–2026 Allocations for the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program

Federal Communications Commission — NDBEDP Permanent Program Order

Invest in Accessibility Research and Development

Status: Policy Development

Last reviewed: July 2026

Overview

Equipment distribution and technology development serve different purposes. A program can help people obtain accessible technology only when appropriate technology already exists. Some accessibility needs affect populations too small to generate sufficient commercial investment on their own. Other needs may require specialized research, engineering, testing, or collaboration before a practical product can reach the market. Rapid changes in artificial intelligence, mobile technology, Braille access, haptics, navigation, communications, and other emerging technologies create both new opportunities and new risks.

The need for research and development is not new. During development of the NDBEDP, the FCC expressly considered whether program funds should support R&D and acknowledged gaps in existing communications technologies for people who are deafblind. The Commission ultimately declined to allocate the program's limited funds for R&D, in part because doing so would reduce funding available to distribute existing equipment and because additional information about technology gaps and research needs was necessary. That underlying challenge remains important: distributing existing equipment and developing new accessibility solutions are different public policy objectives.

DBCA supports exploring dedicated public and private investment in research and development addressing communications and accessibility needs of deafblind people. Such investment could encourage collaboration among deafblind consumers, engineers, researchers, universities, technology companies, accessibility professionals, and other organizations. Accessibility policy should support both access to technology that exists and development of technology that does not yet exist.

DBCA will explore:

Federal funding mechanisms,
Competitive research grants,
University and industry partnerships,
Public-private collaboration, and
Other approaches capable of encouraging accessibility innovation without unnecessarily reducing resources available for existing accessibility programs.

Learn more

Federal Communications Commission — 2011 NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, including discussion of Research and Development

Federal Communications Commission — NDBEDP rulemaking materials discussing technology gaps and R&D

Federal Communications Commission — NDBEDP Permanent Program Order

Advance Recognition of Support Service Providers

Status: Policy Development

Last reviewed: July 2026

Overview

Support Service Providers (SSPs) can provide visual and environmental information, orientation and navigation support, informal communication assistance, and other forms of human assistance that enable deafblind people to participate more fully in everyday life. Some state and local governments already provide different levels of SSP services, recognizing the essential role SSPs play in ensuring equal participation in society.

Federal disability policy recognizes many forms of accessibility, including auxiliary aids and services, reasonable modifications, accessible design, and assistive technology. The U.S. Department of Justice has also specifically recognized the important role SSPs play for deafblind people. Its guidance on effective communication explains that SSPs provide mobility, orientation, and informal communication services and describes them as an important means by which deafblind people independently access the broader community. The Department has not, however, classified SSP’s themselves as auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

DBCA believes this leaves an important policy question. Human assistance may sometimes be the most effective, efficient, practical, or feasible means of providing meaningful access, yet SSP services do not always fit neatly within traditional accessibility frameworks. During the 2026–2028 period, DBCA intends to explore approaches that could provide stronger recognition and support for SSP services without diminishing existing accessibility obligations or substituting SSPs for accessible technology and inclusive design where those solutions are appropriate.

DBCA will explore:

Legislative recognition of SSP services
Federal and state funding models
Research regarding effectiveness and outcomes
Collaboration with disability organizations
Best practices and model programs

Learn more

U.S. Department of Justice — ADA Requirements: Effective Communication

U.S. Department of Justice — 2010 ADA Title II Regulations and Guidance

Last Updated: July 2026