[MD-AtLarge] VAN HOLLEN, HYDE-SMITH, PETERS, PORTMAN MAKE BIPARTISAN PUSH FOR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO USPS DELIVERY OF FREE MATERIALS FOR THE BLIND & PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED

[president at nfbmd.org]

VAN HOLLEN, HYDE-SMITH, PETERS, PORTMAN MAKE BIPARTISAN PUSH FOR INDEPENDENT
INVESTIGATION INTO USPS DELIVERY OF FREE MATERIALS FOR THE BLIND &
PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED


https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-hyde-smith-p
eters-portman-make-bipartisan-push-for-independent-investigation-into-usps-d
elivery-of-free-materials-for-the-blind-and-physically-handicapped

 

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.),
Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) sent a letter to the U.S.
Postal Service (USPS) Office of the Inspector General requesting that
Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb investigate the USPS Free Matter for the
Blind or Other Physically Handicapped Persons program. The Senators' request
follows testimony provided by a Marylander last year to the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government,
chaired by Senator Van Hollen, in which the Senator's constituent described
mail delays with materials she was supposed to receive from this program.
The Senators' letter notes that the National Federation of the Blind reports
these delays are widespread and are causing significant hardship for members
of the blind and physically handicapped communities. Senator Van Hollen is
the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services
and General Government; Senator Hyde-Smith is the Ranking Member of the
Committee; Senator Peters is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Senator Portman is the
Ranking Member of the Committee - all of which have jurisdiction over USPS
services. 

The Senators begin, "We are writing to request that you conduct a review of
USPS performance and operations with regard to Free Matter for the Blind or
Other Physically Handicapped Persons. This program enables mail to be sent
without charge if it is for the use of people who cannot read conventional
print due to a disability. While the Postal Service is generally funded by
revenues collected from postal customers, Congress appropriates a limited
amount of funding to the Postal Service Fund to support certain programs,
including free mail for the blind." 

"At a hearing of the Financial Services and General Government
Appropriations Subcommittee on July 13, 2021, Ms. Rania Dima testified about
delays she experienced with free mail for the blind that were significantly
worse than what she experienced for other mail, even though USPS is supposed
to process free mail for the blind like First-Class Mail. These delays
impeded Ms. Dima's process of relearning to read after she lost her sight,
including to read her own testimony at the hearing. According to the
National Federation of the Blind, these delays are a widespread problem
that, 'not only has a detrimental effect on the lives of blind and
print-disabled Americans, but is also creating a loss of taxpayer dollars
since digital players, Braille displays, and other valuable equipment are
stuck in the post office, never reaching the people who need it,'" they
continue.  

"For those reasons, we ask that you review the procedures used by USPS to
accept, process, and deliver Free Matter for the Blind or Other Physically
Handicapped Persons, and provide recommendations to fix any problems
identified by that review," the Senators close.

The full text of the letter is available
<https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20USPS%20OIG%20o
n%20Free%20Matter%20for%20the%20Blind.pdf> here and below. 

Dear Ms. Whitcomb:

We are writing to request that you conduct a review of USPS performance and
operations with regard to Free Matter for the Blind or Other Physically
Handicapped Persons. This program enables mail to be sent without charge if
it is for the use of people who cannot read conventional print due to a
disability. While the Postal Service is generally funded by revenues
collected from postal customers, Congress appropriates a limited amount of
funding to the Postal Service Fund to support certain programs, including
free mail for the blind.

At a hearing of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
Subcommittee on July 13, 2021, Ms. Rania Dima testified about delays she
experienced with free mail for the blind that were significantly worse than
what she experienced for other mail, even though USPS is supposed to process
free mail for the blind like First-Class Mail. These delays impeded Ms.
Dima's process of relearning to read after she lost her sight, including to
read her own testimony at the hearing. According to the National Federation
of the Blind, these delays are a widespread problem that, "not only has a
detrimental effect on the lives of blind and print-disabled Americans, but
is also creating a loss of taxpayer dollars since digital players, Braille
displays, and other valuable equipment are stuck in the post office, never
reaching the people who need it."

For those reasons, we ask that you review the procedures used by USPS to
accept, process, and deliver Free Matter for the Blind or Other Physically
Handicapped Persons, and provide recommendations to fix any problems
identified by that review. The Postal Service does not track delivery
performance for free mail for the blind separately from First-Class Mail, so
as part of this review, please conduct an analysis comparing the delivery
times for similar mail pieces sent via free mail for the blind and via
First-Class Mail.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

 

 

Ronza Othman, President

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

443-426-4110

Pronouns: she, her, hers

 

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not
the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

 

 

 

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