With no Braille option, blind man fails citizenship exam

Lucio Delgado was excited when he went to the post office last month to pick up an envelope from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Enclosed were the results of a citizenship test that Delgado, a 23year-old green card holder from Mexico, thought he had aced. He and his sister, who accompanied him, opened the envelope in the post office.

The letter inside said he had failed the reading portion of the test and was ineligible for naturalization.

Delgado, who is blind, was crushed.

When he took his test in May, the reading section had not been available in Braille. At an appointment with federal agents months later, he explained the problem and thought they were prepared to help him.

He decided to share his story publicly.

“I thought, ‘Well, I doubt I am the only blind immigrant or immigrant with disabilities who has been denied his or her naturalization request due to a mistake,’” he said Friday.

The exposure seemed to work: Immigration authorities scheduled an appointment with Delgado for next week. But his lawyer,

Darcy Kriha, said publicity might not work for everyone trying to navigate the daunting bureaucracy that is often associated with immigration. Citizenship and Immigration Services has acknowledged its challenges in the past. The results of a self-evaluation in 2018 showed that individual employees had a “strong commitment” to accessibility for people with disabilities.

“Despite this commitment, USCIS identified gaps and barriers, many of them systemic or procedural in nature,” the report said.

It said there had been problems with accommodating requests efficiently and a lack of materials in Braille.

“USCIS has policies in place to ensure accommodations are provided for people with disabilities when requested and we make every effort to ensure that these policies are followed at all times,” the agency said in a statement Friday. “If USCIS becomes aware of an error in adhering to these policies, we make every effort to ensure corrections are made.”

The agency said it would provide Braille English tests for any blind or visually impaired citizenship applicant who requested them.

Taylor Glascock / New York Times Lucio Delgado of Pembroke Township, Ill., was deemed ineligible for naturalization after failing the reading portion of a citizenship test, which was not available in Braille. Delgado is blind.