Sens. Markey, Capito, Reps. McGarvey, Rutherford Reintroduce Legislation to Expand Access to Educational Services for Students with Communications Disabilities

Bill Text (PDF)

Boston (June 5, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) today announced the reintroduction of the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act. The legislation would strengthen the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and expand access for blind, deaf, deafdisabled, and deafblind children to the educational support and services they need to succeed and thrive. The legislation is also being reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) and Congressman John Rutherford (FL-05).

"Every student deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in the classroom," said Senator Markey. "The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act upholds our promise to deliver the necessary resources and services to students who are hard of hearing, deaf, low vision, blind, deafdisabled, or deafblind, and enhance evaluation measures to guarantee that individuals can thrive in institutions of higher education. We must build a more inclusive education system that reaffirms the value that each student brings to the classroom and country."

"Accessing the appropriate services can help each student reach their fullest potential," said Senator Capito. "The Cogswell-Macy Act will help accomplish this goal by helping ensure deaf and blind students and their parents are aware of the services and specialized instruction available. I am proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation that will help thousands of students across the country."

"No disability should get in the way of a student's education, but right now too many students aren't getting the specialized support they need to get the same education as their peers," said Congressman McGarvey. "The Cogswell-Macy Act closes that gap for students who are deaf, blind, or deafblind so they don't miss out on critical information in the classroom and makes sure every child is set up for success."

"As Co-Chair of the Congressional Deaf Caucus, I have advocated for Deaf and hard of hearing Americans throughout my career in Congress, especially with the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine," said Congressman Rutherford. "My experience with Deaf and hard of hearing students across my district has taught me how valuable equitable access to education can be for individuals with disabilities. I am proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan, bicameral Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, which would improve education and services for children and youth who are blind, visually impaired, Deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind. Every student deserves to learn in an environment that suits their needs."

Specifically, the Cogswell-Macy Act would:

• Ensure that every blind or visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, or deafblind student is properly identified and served, regardless of the disability they are categorized under;
• Strengthen existing IDEA requirements regarding state-generated strategic plans to guarantee that students receive specialized instruction from qualified personnel and bolster accountability measures to ensure compliance;
• Assist parents and educators with up-to-date policy resources from the Department of Education; and,
• Establish a national collaborative organizational resource to proliferate evidence-based practices.

The legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06), Angie Craig (MN-02), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Henry "Hank" Johnson (GA-04), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Summer Lee (PA-12), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), John Mannion (NY-22), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Joe Morelle (NY-25), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Scott Peters (CA-50), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Josh Riley (NY-19), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Mark Takano (CA-39), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and George Whitesides (CA-27).

The Cogswell-Macy Act is endorsed by: Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals, Addis Ababa University's Department of Special Needs and Inclusive Education, American Council of the Blind, American Council of the Blind of New York, American Council of the Blind of Ohio, American Council of the Blind of Western New York, Inc., Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired South Carolina, Carroll Center for the Blind, CATT Program at AIDB, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth, Center of Vision Enhancement, Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD), Council of Citizens with Low Vision International, Cultivating Inclusion, DeafBlind Community of Texas, DeafBlind Community United, DGCKids, Golden Triangle Council of the Blind, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Haramaya University College of Education Behavioral Science's Department of Special Needs & Inclusive Education, Hawaii Association of the Blind, Hunter College CUNY's Programs in Blindness/Visual Impairment, Illinois Council of the Blind, Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc., Lavelle School for the Blind, Lighthouse Louisiana, Lighthouse of Central Florida, Louisiana Association for the Blind, National Intervener & Advocate Association, Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing, National Association of the Deaf, National Council on Independent Living, National DeafBlind Coalition, National Family Association for DeafBlind, New Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired, New York Institute for Special Education, Pennsylvania Council of the Blind, Pennsylvania Partnership for the DeafBlind, St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf, St. Joseph's School for the Blind, Statewide Independent Living Center of Hawaii, Success Beyond Sight, Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind, Tempe Elementary School District 3, Texas School for the Deaf, The Alliance of and for Visually Impaired Texans (AVIT), The Gibney Family Foundation, Vermont Association to the Blind and Visually Impaired, VIA Visually Impaired Advancement, VisAbility, Vision Interventions and Parental Supports (VIPS), Wayfinder Family Services, Westchester Council of the Blind of New York, and Xavier Society for the Blind.

"The ultimate purpose of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was and is to promote equitable access to education everywhere for children and youth with disabilities, and this bill will address some much needed updates and gaps especially when it comes to addressing the unique challenges in achieving age-appropriate language milestones among deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled and deafblind children, including ensuring their fundamental right to placement in educational environments that support their linguistic, academic and social development," said John Serrano, Superintendent of the Maryland School for the Deaf and President of CEASD.

"As the oldest educational administrator organization in the United States, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) is committed to ensuring equity in education, language and culture for all deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, and deafblind students, and this re-introduced version of the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act will be vital in achieving that," said Dr. Jennifer Herbold, Superintendent of the New Mexico School for the Deaf and President Elect of CEASD.

"Children with blindness, low vision, and deafblindness are among the smallest populations of young people nationally who need special education and related services, and so resources meeting their unique learning needs are scarce, and states often lack the support they need to deploy available resources most effectively," said Mark Richert, a principal architect of the Cogswell-Macy Act, head of International Programs at the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, and Legislative Committee Chair for the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). "Once enacted, the Macy bill will ensure that states are appropriately supported nationally to successfully meet the individual needs of each student with sensory disabilities who deserve an education worthy of each child's tremendous potential."

"Helen Keller, the most well-known individual with deafblindness, was able to learn, communicate, and progress because of the services of Anne Sullivan, who gave her access to information about people and things in her environment," said Linda Alsop, Co-Director of the National Intervener & Advocate Association. "Today, students who are deafblind have the same needs as Helen Keller. They require access to the information needed for learning and communication in educational environments, which is not naturally available to them because of their combined vision and hearing loss. This access can be provided by individuals called Interveners, who have training and specialized skills in deafblindness, and who are a critical part of a Free and Appropriate Public Education for students who are deafblind. The Cogswell Macy Act recognizes the critically important role of trained interveners as part of ensuring access to students who are deafblind as required by IDEA. This legislation will facilitate national awareness of the importance of intervener services, support systems change at state and local levels, and result in significant and life-changing benefits for children and youth who are deafblind and their families."

"Families strongly support the Cogswell-Macy Act and its vision of ensuring that children who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or DeafBlind receive the educational opportunities and specialized services necessary to thrive," said Jacqueline Izaguirre, Family Advocate with the National DeafBlind Coalition and National Family Association for DeafBlind. "For too long, our children with sensory disabilities have encountered barriers to qualified personnel, effective communication, specialized instruction, and educational settings that foster full participation and achievement. For students who are deafblind, access to trained interveners, teachers of the deafblind, teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility specialists, and other qualified professionals can mean the difference between isolation and active engagement in school and community life. We thank you for the reintroduction of the Cogswell-Macy Act; it provides the opportunity for our children to reach their full potential and lead a life of independence, communication, connection, and contribution."

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