S-4676 — Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Your MoneyCivil LibertiesWorkers & JobsTransparency & AccountabilityTargeted & Unrelated Provisions

More school services for deaf, blind, and deafblind students — and states that close their specialized schools would lose federal money.

Your Money

Sign language teaching — required for deaf students unless parents waive it

Deaf and hard-of-hearing students in special education would be taught in sign language. Parents can say no. Each state would have two years to file a plan showing how it does this.

Braille lessons — dropped only with testing and written parent consent

A school team can already decide Braille is not right for a blind student. This bill would also require formal vision and reading tests first, plus the parent's written agreement.

Services schools must provide — one-to-one deafblind aides and vision therapy

Two services would join the list schools must provide at no cost to families. One is a trained aide who works one-to-one with a deafblind child, called an intervener. The other is vision rehabilitation therapy.

Schools for the deaf and blind — closing one would cut federal aid

Say a state closes or merges its school for the blind. That would count as a cut in special education money. Such a cut breaks a rule tied to its federal funds.

Free accessible books — also for students on 504 plans

Schools give some students books in Braille, audio, or large print. Students who get help through a 504 plan rather than special education would now qualify for them too.

Civil Liberties

Written education plans — not required at schools for the deaf

A school for the deaf could show its teachers are trained to teach deaf students. It could then skip the written plan the law now requires. Families use that plan to hold a school to set goals.

Workers & Jobs

Interpreter training — federal money would prepare licensed interpreters only

Federal grants pay to train interpreters for schools. That money would go only to training licensed interpreters. Interpreters would help students, but not teach language.

Interpreter roles — other staff may not stand in for interpreters

The rules could not be used to put other staff in an interpreter's place. Aides with other job titles do not count.

Teacher training money — new targets for deaf, blind, and deafblind specialists

Federal grants pay colleges to train school staff. New job targets would be added. They cover teachers of deaf and deafblind children, one-to-one aides, and staff who work with babies.

Transparency & Accountability

Federal monitoring — Education Secretary must report state compliance to Congress

The Education Secretary would have to check how states follow the new rules on tests, class settings, and services. What the check finds would go to Congress.

New state counts — deaf and blind students listed under other labels

Many of these children are logged under a different disability. States would have to count them anyway. For deaf students, states would also report how each one gets sign language.

Federal guidance — must be updated at least every five years

The main guidance for teaching deaf students dates from 1992. The one for blind students dates from 2000. Both would be updated within a year, then at least every five years. New guidance would cover deafblind students.

Placement data — deaf and deafblind students dropped from separate-school counts

States now report how many students with disabilities learn apart from other kids. That means separate classes, separate schools, or live-in schools. Deaf and deafblind students would drop out of that count.

Open-meeting rules — waived for the new center's advisory board

The federal law that makes advisory boards meet in public and keep open records would not apply to this board. Up to 12 members would advise on the new center's plans and results.

Targeted & Unrelated Provisions

New center's contract — only a few groups could qualify to run it

The deal to run the center would last at least five years. A bidding team must have three set members. It needs a group that accredits training programs, a national nonprofit, and a long-time university program.

Center funding floor — must hold or rise for four more years

Whatever Congress first gives the new center, it could not spend less on it for the next four years. Up to 15 percent of one year's money could be carried into the next year.

More about this bill

Deaf, blind, and deafblind students would gain more school services and a stronger claim to them. States would have to find these children even when school files list a different disability. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students would get sign language teaching unless their parents waive it. Braille lessons could be dropped only after testing and written consent from a parent. Schools would owe two new services: one-to-one interveners for deafblind students, and vision therapy. Free books in Braille or audio would also reach students on a 504 plan, not just those in special education. States would face a new bar on closing schools for the deaf or the blind. Shutting or merging one would count as an illegal cut to special education money. Each state would also have to keep a full range of placements open, from regular classes to special schools. States would have to file three written plans with the Education Department within two years. Each plan must show how deaf, blind, and deafblind children are found, tested, and taught. One change cuts the other way. A school for the deaf could skip writing an individual education plan for most of its students. The bill would also push more trained staff into these classrooms. Federal training money would cover teachers of deaf, blind, and deafblind children, plus interveners. Federal grants would train only licensed school interpreters, and other aides could not fill in. A new Anne Sullivan Macy Center would sit inside the Education Department. A group of nonprofits and a university would run it under a contract of at least five years. Its funding would have to hold steady or rise for four years after the first year. Its advisory board would be exempt from federal open-meeting rules. The Education Department would have to track how states comply and report to Congress. It would also have to update its guidance for these families at least every five years.

Congressional Summary

Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act This bill expands special education and related services for children and youth who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind. For example, the bill requires states to more specifically identify and evaluate children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind to better allow for the provision of appropriate services. In addition, a state's closure of a specialized school serving children who are blind or deaf shall result in a reduction of its financial support for special education and related services. The bill also authorizes support, including grants for training special education personnel, to prepare individuals to become qualified teachers and early intervention specialists for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind. Finally, the bill establishes within the Department of Education the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence to better support students with visual disabilities receiving special education and related services.

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: Senate
Status: summarized
Action: Introduced in Senate
Action Date: 2026-06-03
Date Added: 2026-07-02
Source: Congress.gov →

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