[blindkid] Free Matter for the Blind Question

[Richard Holloway]

I suspect that “Free Matter for the Blind” is the sort of thing that could be fairly easily abused. We had to have a brief discussion with our post office to get our “Free Matter” service working properly some 10 or so years ago. After that we've had very few issues. After a few years, one particular mail carrier didn’t seem to like coming to our door to pick up the big braille books going back to NLS when we would leave a note at the box, but a simple mention at the post office solved that for good.

The posts made me curious to re-read the official postal documentation, so I did some searching. What it comes down to is that, per postal regulations, "The postmaster may extend the free matter privilege to an individual recipient based on personal knowledge of the individual’s eligibility.” 

Barring that, there are various ways to qualify, including being an NLS participant, or having any of a list of visual or other physical limitations. Any number of people from a medical doctor or nurse, all the way to a professional librarian can make such a certification.

In practice, one can probably get most any reasonable postal worker to comply, but (also per regulations) "The USPS may require individuals claiming entitlement to the free matter privilege to furnish evidence of eligibility consistent with the standards in 1.3 and 1.4, or verify by other means that the recipients are eligible to receive free matter.”

1.3 references the NLS participation, or other proof of blindness or other physical handicap qualification.
1.4 references the personal knowledge of the postmaster.

For more information here is a USPS pdf file:
http://pe.usps.com/Archive/PDF/DMMArchive0810/E040.pdf

The above is based on "DMM Issue 58 (8-10-03). I’m no postal expert, but that looks like it might mean the 2003 Domestic Mail Manual. There may be a newer version of the manual.
 A link to what appears to be somewhat newer (but I cannot find the year revision) is below, but the link jumps to a tag in the middle of a long page, so screen readers may start reading in the wrong place follows:

http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/703.htm#1113979

With a quick read, the 2003 pdf version and the web site link looked substantially similar. Given the various ways people can qualify, it is no small wonder that willingness to comply and assist qualifying postal patrons will vary from one post office to the next...