The Hidden Costs of Blindness — Beyond What Meets the Eye
By Kendra Brown, DCM Independent Living Specialist
Living with blindness or low vision has costs far beyond what many people notice at first glance. For a parent raising kids, those costs can intensify and affect nearly every aspect of daily life: from routine expenses (transportation, healthcare, assistive devices) to less obvious ones (lost income, extra care time, limited mobility).
The economic weight of vision loss and blindness in the United States is substantial, reaching an estimated $134.2 billion annually according to research cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This staggering total is primarily driven by $98.7 billion in direct costs, which encompass essential medical care, specialized vision services, and the expenses associated with nursing home care.
Beyond these immediate medical expenditures, the nation incurs an additional $35.5 billion in indirect costs. These figures represent the broader economic impact of the condition, including lost productivity due to reduced labor force participation and the significant value of unpaid or informal care provided by family and friends. When viewed on an individual scale, these collective expenses translate to an average annual burden of approximately $16,838 for every person living with vision loss or blindness.
Extra Financial Strain for Blind or Low-Vision Families (“The Disability Squeeze”)
One report from the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) describes what they call the “disability squeeze” — the economic strain many blind or low-vision (BLV) people experience: (The American Foundation for the Blind)
In a 2023 survey of 288 BLV people, 80% reported having out-of-pocket disability-related expenses, with the average annual out-of-pocket cost around $6,743. (The American Foundation for the Blind)
Many respondents reported unmet needs: 68% had at least one unmet disability-related need (e.g., assistive devices, accessible transport), and 39% said they struggled to make ends meet because of disability-related costs. (The American Foundation for the Blind)
Around 25% said they cut back on essentials — like food — because of these costs, and 26% reported going into debt because of disability-related expenses. (The American Foundation for the Blind)
For a family with children, such financial strain can be even harder: when a substantial portion of income goes to disability-related costs, there’s less left for children’s needs — school supplies, healthy food, clothing, childcare, emergencies, etc.
Why Raising Kids as a Blind or Disabled Parent May Cost Even More
When a parent is blind or visually impaired and raising kids, several overlapping cost factors emerge or increase:
Assistive technologies and aids: Devices, mobility aids, screen readers or other adaptive tech, and regular maintenance — many blind adults rely on these long-term.
Health and supportive services: Frequent medical or optometric and ophthalmologic visits, possible home care, special services for children (transportation, supervision), etc.
Reduced ability to work or lower earnings: As documented, blindness often leads to reduced labor force participation or employment at fewer hours, less pay, or unemployment — which reduces household income. (CDC)
Informal caregiving burden: For children especially, the parent or other family members may need to spend additional time or hire help for childcare — which adds costs or reduces available time for paid work.
Household-level income shortfall plus extra expenses means less disposable income to meet both disability-related and children-related needs.
One broader analysis, not limited to blindness but to disability in general, estimates that households with a disabled adult need on average 28% more income —~$17,690 more per year — to maintain the same standard of living as a comparable household without a disabled member. (The Century Foundation) This helps illustrate the gap many disabled families face.
Government Support — Helpful, But Often Not Enough
There are programs meant to help, but data suggests they often fall short of fully covering the real added costs.
For working-age adults who are blind and receive disability benefits via Social Security Administration (SSA), the average monthly benefit amount (per data from December 2023) is around $1,537 per month (mean), median $1,410/month. (researchondisability.org)
Even with SSI/SSDI and other support, many BLV families still report out-of-pocket disability-related expenses and unmet needs. (The American Foundation for the Blind)
Given how frequently BLV respondents in surveys report spending ~$6,700 each year out-of-pocket — or cutting back on essentials — it becomes clear that government support often does not fully offset the added cost burden of blindness and parenting.
What These Challenges Mean in Real Life — For Blind Parents Raising Children
Based on the data and reports cited above, a blind or visually-impaired parent might realistically face a relentless financial squeeze that ripples through every aspect of a family’s life. It begins with the heavy burden of extra out-of-pocket expenses, where specialized medical care and essential assistive devices can drain hundreds or even thousands of dollars from the budget each year. This strain is further intensified by a reduced capacity to earn, leaving the household with significantly less income to cover basic living costs and children’s expenses.
As a result, parents are frequently forced into making impossible choices, weighing the need for life-altering specialized equipment against fundamental essentials like food, clothing, and school supplies. This precarious balance creates a high risk of debt, food insecurity, and housing or hygiene hardships, leaving many basic needs unmet for both the parent and the child. Ultimately, the constant cycle of stress and financial instability does more than just deplete a bank account; it can deeply impact children’s long-term well-being, limiting their educational opportunities, extracurricular activities, and the overall stability they need to flourish.
Why It’s More Than Just Money
Beyond these direct costs, the impact of living with a visual impairment extends into the very fabric of daily life, beginning with the significant time investments required for routine tasks. Blind parents often find that activities others might take for granted—such as navigating new environments, preparing children for school, or coordinating specialized care—demand much more time and meticulous planning. This lack of time is often compounded by limited professional flexibility; work hours may be fewer or less stable, which makes long-term financial planning and career progression significantly harder to achieve.
The intersection of this financial strain and the demanding nature of caregiving responsibilities often takes a profound mental and emotional toll. The resulting chronic stress can diminish a parent’s overall quality of life and their capacity to provide emotional support, creating a heavy burden for the entire family. Furthermore, these challenges frequently limit access to the broader community. Due to mobility barriers, the high cost of specialized services, or a lack of accessible transportation and childcare, both parents and children may miss out on the extracurricular activities and social opportunities that are vital for development and connection.
What Could Help — Policy Implications and Community Support
Given these challenges, several steps could significantly improve the situation for blind parents with children:
Increase financial supports — disability benefits sometimes don’t match real costs; more targeted subsidies for assistive technologies, childcare, transport would help.
Accessible childcare and education services — ensuring local childcare, after-school programs, and schools are accessible and can support parents with disabilities.
Employment supports and accommodations — programs like the Ticket to Work Program (through SSA) aim to help blind and disabled adults re-enter the workforce under more flexible terms. (Choose Work!)
Awareness and community resources — many needs go unrecognized; communities, nonprofits, and social agencies can help by offering adaptive parenting resources, peer support, and financial counseling.
Policy reforms to better reflect real costs — analyses like the one showing BLV households spending 27% of income on disability-related expenses suggest that cost-of-living adjustments for disability benefits are overdue. (The American Foundation for the Blind)
Final Thoughts: A Reality Often Unseen
Being a parent is challenging for anyone — but when a parent is blind (or otherwise visually impaired), those challenges can multiply in often invisible ways. Beyond the love, care, and dedication required to raise children, blind parents may also carry the burden of extra expenses, reduced income, and hard trade-offs that many don’t see or understand.
Yet, with clearer awareness of the numbers — the $134.2 billion national burden, the $6,700 average out-of-pocket costs for BLV people, the need for 28% more income for disabled households just to maintain a standard of living — we can begin to understand just how steep the climb can be.
If we care about equity and supporting families, we must recognize: raising kids under disability isn’t just a personal challenge — it’s a structural issue that calls for better policies, community support, and real investment.
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