Increase Funding for Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind (OIB) Program 

Issue—Insufficient funding for the OIB Program undermines the right to live independently and the program’s goals.

Without increased and appropriate funding, older blind Americans are being denied resources that make independence possible.

As many Americans approach their golden years, they dream of retirement and living independently. Blind Americans are no different. However, with less than ten dollars allotted per eligible blind senior to receive independent living training, we receive little appropriate support.

Without this, many blind Americans may be forced to give up their independence, become severely isolated, or withdraw altogether from the broader community.

The OIB Program is intended to provide support services for blind Americans over the age of 55 to reach their independent living goals.

Created by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as part of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the goal of OIB is to focus on independent living for blind and low-vision Americans who are over the age of 55 and may need help learning how to live with their vision loss.

Critical aspects of OIB include orientation and mobility training, learning Braille, cooking, and training on access technology.1

Since the 2013 fiscal year, the OIB program has not been appropriated more than 33,317,000 dollars per year.

For more than a decade, despite above average inflation, general population growth, and a significant increase in the number of blind Americans aged 55 and older, the funding for the OIB program has remained nearly stagnate. This means that for an eligible population of 5,215,0002, each individual can only receive 6.38 dollars on average in independent living support. That’s not even enough to purchase a white cane for orientation and mobility training.

Solution—Increase Funding for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind Program

Allot appropriate funding for OIB programs and services.

To account for more than a decade of inflation and an increase in the eligible population, funding for the OIB program needs to be drastically increased.

An appropriation of 260,750,000 dollars would allow for 50 dollars per year per eligible individual. This still is not a tremendous amount, but it may provide for a few hours of training or help offset the cost of a mobility device or piece of access technology.

Increased funding for OIB will mean fewer blind seniors in nursing and assisted care facilities, saving the federal government millions of Medicaid dollars.

If more blind seniors are given the skills and independence training needed later in life, then we will not need to be placed in nursing and assisted care facilities while we can still care for ourselves. In 2026, the annual estimated median cost of assisted living in the US is 75,756 dollars3.

That means that if only a few thousand blind seniors are able to receive independent living training so they can continue to live in their homes, the decrease in Medicaid expenses will offset the increase in OIB funding.

Increased funding for OIB will lead to more independent and enjoyable outcomes for blind seniors.

With the appropriate training provided by OIB programs, blind seniors will be able to maintain their independence throughout their golden years.

This will keep them from feeling like a burden to family and friends, which will ultimately provide a more positive experience for older blind Americans.

GOAL—Ensure Older Blind Americans Have Access to Independence Tools and Resources

Support this request in appropriations and communicate your support.

References

  1. Rehabilitation Services Administration, US Department of Education. Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind. "About"page. https://rsa.ed.gov/about/programs/independent-living-services-for-older-individuals-who-are-blind. 
  2. Center for Research on Disability, University of New Hampshire. "Compilation and Expansion B: Statistics on the Blind and Low Vision Ages 55+ Population - Compendium (2026)." Table B.1. https://www.researchondisability.org/resource/2026-disability-statistics-compendium-adsc/compilation-expansion-b-statistics-blind-low-vision-ages-55-population-compendium-2026#table-b.1-demographics---civilians-with-vision-disabilities-by-demographic-2024.
  3. Seniorliving.org. "How Much Does Assisted Living Cost?"April 16, 2026. https://www.seniorliving.org/assisted-living/costs/.