I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3929 
To direct the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board 
to develop a minimum nonvisual access standard for home use medical 
devices, exercise equipment, and home appliances, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2019 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Mr. DESAULNIER, and Ms. BLUNT ROCH-
ESTER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board to develop a minimum nonvisual ac-
cess standard for home use medical devices, exercise 
equipment, and home appliances, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Greater Access and 
Independence through Nonvisual Access Technology Act 
of 2019’’ or the ‘‘GAIN Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Rapid advances in digital technology have 
led to increasingly complex user interfaces for every-
day products such as home use medical devices, 
home appliances, and exercise equipment. Many new 
devices in these categories utilize displays that can 
only be operated visually and require user inter-
action with on-screen menus and other interfaces 
that are inaccessible to consumers who are blind. 
(2) The use of interfaces which must be oper-
ated visually on exercise equipment such as tread-
mills and elliptical machines make these devices un-
usable by people who are blind. This lack of access 
is a potential threat to a blind person improving 
their health and a barrier to maintaining their phys-
ical well-being. 
(3) The use of interfaces which must be oper-
ated visually on home appliances such as laundry 
machines, dishwashers, and stoves make these de-
vices difficult, if not impossible, to use by people 
who are blind. This lack of access is a potential bar-
rier to independent living and overall quality of life. 
(4) Increasingly, home use medical devices are 
being utilized to lessen the cost of medical care for 
consumers. Devices such as blood pressure monitors, 
sleep apnea machines, and in-home chemotherapy 
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treatment devices generally lack nonvisual accessi-
bility. If a home use medical device is not accessible 
in a nonvisual manner, a blind person cannot use it 
efficiently and independently. The lack of nonvisual 
accessibility in these devices poses major health risks 
for blind consumers, including potentially life-threat-
ening consequences. 
(5) Screen access technology has become inex-
pensive and is in wider use than ever before. Many 
technology companies have incorporated screen ac-
cess technology functionalities into their products. 
Screen access technology is not the only mechanism 
by which home use medical devices, exercise equip-
ment, and home appliances can be made accessible 
to blind consumers. In some cases, tactile markings, 
audible tones, or cost-effective and widely available 
text-to-speech technology may be sufficient to make 
such devices fully accessible. Devices can be designed 
to work with nonvisual access technology used by the 
blind at little or no extra cost as long as such com-
patibility is taken into consideration at the begin-
ning of the design process. 
(6) Consumers who are blind must be able to 
operate home use medical devices, exercise equip-
ment, and home appliances in an equally effective 
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and equally integrated manner and with equivalent 
ease of use as consumers without disabilities. 
SEC. 3. MINIMUM NONVISUAL ACCESS STANDARD FOR COV-
ERED DEVICES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Access Board shall promul-
gate a minimum nonvisual access standard for each type 
of covered device that will ensure nonvisual access to such 
respective device by blind consumers. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—A minimum nonvisual access 
standard shall apply to a covered device that is manufac-
tured after the date that is 24 months after the date on 
which such standard is promulgated. 
SEC. 4. RULEMAKING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Architectural and Transpor-
tation Compliance Board established pursuant to section 
502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 792) 
(in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Access Board’’) shall con-
duct a review of nonvisual accessibility standards for home 
use medical devices, home appliances, and exercise equip-
ment. 
(b) RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION.—In conducting 
the review required by subsection (a), the Access Board 
shall— 
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(1) review all available research on methods by 
which blind consumers can acquire nonvisual access 
to covered devices; 
(2) commission such additional research as the 
Access Board considers necessary to fulfill its re-
sponsibility under subsection (a) of this section; 
(3) consult with groups representing blind con-
sumers; and 
(4) consult with manufacturers of covered de-
vices and organizations that represent such manu-
facturers. 
(c) RULEMAKING REQUIRED.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Access 
Board shall initiate rulemaking pursuant to section 3(a). 
(d) FINAL RULE.—Not later than 36 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Access Board shall 
issue the final rule. 
SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT. 
(a) EDUCATION OF MANUFACTURERS.—The Access 
Board shall conduct training to educate manufacturers of 
covered devices about the minimum nonvisual access 
standard and compliance with such standard. 
(b) POWERS AND DUTIES.— 
(1) HOME USE MEDICAL DEVICES.—The Food 
and Drug Administration is responsible for over-
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