# Plain Language Summary: Deafblind DATA Act

Right now, the U.S. Census Bureau collects information about people who are deaf and people who are blind, but it doesn't specifically track people who are both deaf and blind at the same time. This bill fixes that problem by requiring the Census Bureau to start identifying and counting deafblind individuals in America.

The reason this matters is that nobody really knows how many deafblind people live in the United States. Different organizations have wildly different estimates—ranging from 10,000 to 2.47 million people. This huge gap makes it nearly impossible for the government to plan services, funding, and support programs for this community. Deafblind individuals face unique challenges with communication and accessing information that require specialized support, but without knowing how many people need help, it's hard to provide it effectively.

Here's what the bill actually does: Starting in 2026, the Census Bureau will publish yearly reports that combine information from people who already answered survey questions about being deaf and blind. Instead of treating these as separate categories, the bureau will cross-reference the data to identify people who reported both disabilities. These reports will include basic information like age, sex, race, employment status, education level, and income—all organized by state. The bill specifically protects privacy by making sure no individual person can be identified from the published data.

Before jumping into full implementation, the Census Bureau has to submit a report to Congress within six months explaining whether this is actually feasible and whether they should expand their surveys to collect even more detailed information about deafblind individuals going forward.