Bill > H1927

This bill mandates that pharmacies in Massachusetts provide prescription labels in accessible formats for individuals with print reading disabilities, which include those with blindness, low vision, dyslexia, language barriers, or vision loss due to age or developmental disabilities. State-funded agencies serving people with disabilities, such as the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) and Independent Living Centers (ILCs), are required to collaborate with pharmacists to establish best practices for accessible labeling, starting with pilot programs within 120 days of the bill's enactment and expanding to all pharmacies within one year. These accessible formats are to include large print, Braille, and audible options, utilizing currently available technology. Small pharmacies with fewer than 15 employees are exempt until it becomes economically feasible, defined as those with gross profits of $1,000,000 or more annually. State-funded agencies that fail to collaborate risk losing 5% of their funding. Rehabilitation centers and special needs schools receiving state funding must also acquire technology to demonstrate accessible labeling to their clients or students. Furthermore, these agencies are tasked with hiring engineers, doctors, nurses, and blind programmers to develop more cost-effective technology for accessible labeling, including innovative vial designs and barcode systems, within two years of the bill's effect.