Legally blind12/29/2023 Statutory blindness is blindness as defined in sections 216(i)(1) and 1614(a)(2) of the Social Security Act.Ģa. Social Security Administration’s definition of legal blindness - also referred to as “statutory blindness” - can be found in the text of the Social Security Administration’s “blue book” on Disability Evaluation Under Social Security, Section 2: Special Senses and Speech, and reads as follows:Ģ. The term is not a functional definition rather, it describes an individual’s numerical results on particular vision tests. Legal blindness is a definition used by the United States Social Security Administration when determining a person’s level of disability and their eligibility to receive benefits and social services. This usable vision can be characterized as low vision, a term which most eye care professionals use to describe reduced vision that permanently interferes with a person’s daily activities and cannot be corrected with regular glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery. Most people determined legally blind still have some usable vision, according to the American Foundation for the Blind. Many people with severely reduced vision can still perceive the difference between light and dark or discern the general source or direction of a light. Only about 15% of all individuals with eye disorders are totally blind (meaning they can't see anything with either eye) the other 85% have some remaining sight. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 3.3 million Americans aged 40 years and older are legally blind or functioning with some degree of impaired vision. Visual impairment encompasses many conditions, describing both people who are blind and people with low vision. Statistics and Implications of Legal Blindness It can also help others understand the concerns and issues that legally blind people face every day. The guide also details issues affecting legally blind people, explores resources available to them, and provides links to access those resources and services.Ī thorough understanding of legal blindness and the regulations surrounding it can make it easier for legally blind people and their advocates to navigate governmental programs designed to offer aid. Information also includes causes and categories, as well as criteria and methods for establishing legally blind status according to federal regulations. This guide differentiates legal blindness from other terms that describe varying levels of visual impairment. Once you start to explore legal blindness, the term emerges as part of a wide and closely calibrated spectrum of visual impairment. What does the phrase really mean? If you or someone you care about has seriously impaired vision, you’ll want to learn specifics. You’ve heard some people say they’re “legally blind” - when, in reality, they do have some vision.
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