ACB is greatly alarmed by a bill that went before the Tennessee legislature on Thursday, April 17. An amendment was added to a Tennessee House bill that would have greatly weakened the state version of the Randolph-Sheppard Act. The Randolph-Sheppard Act gives priority to blind applicants for vending contracts for federal facilities. The Tennessee equivalent does the same for state and local facilities.
On March 25, President Trump issued another executive order related to how people receive money from the federal government. The executive order calls for the distribution of all benefits, such as Social Security benefits and tax refunds, to be issued electronically; paper checks will no longer be issued. As a result, recipients will have to have a bank account, debit card, or digital wallet. The order goes into effect on September 30, 2025. There is some nervousness about the quick six-month turn-around.
On Thursday, April 10, the House of Representatives voted in favor for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE). The bill, H.R. 22, was reintroduced in the 119th Congressional session by Congressman Chip Roy of Texas. The bill requires that people who are registering to vote, or updating their registration, must present documentation that proves U.S. citizenship. The documentation must be presented in person.
The Audio Description Project’s (ADP) People’s Choice Awards opens for nominations on April 12, 2025, and closes on April 27. The winners will be revealed during the 2025 ACB Audio Description Awards Gala, which will take place virtually on Thursday, November 13th, at 7:30 PM ET.
Alexandria, Va., March 25, 2025 — The American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the National Football League (NFL) are pleased to announce that ACB will now provide advisory services to the NFL in support of its longstanding commitment to accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision. This collaboration underscores the NFL’s ongoing efforts to provide all fans with a full and equal experience when enjoying the excitement of the game of football.
Alexandria, Va., March 19, 2025 — This week, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) hosted nearly 200 members at its annual DC Leadership Conference, where attendees participated in educational sessions, engaged with keynote speakers from the disability community, and met with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
The conference focused on advancing key legislative priorities to promote independence and improve the quality of life for people who are blind or have low vision. ACB and its membership call on Congress to:
On Tuesday, March 11, rumors about significant cuts to the Department of Education began to come out. ACB is still trying to learn which specific sections of the Department are being impacted. We will continue to track the announcements to know what programs are impacted and how it will directly impact blind and low vision people.
On March 6 at the quarterly meeting for the National Council on Disability (NCD), NCD put out a new report on tax classifications and their impact on the employee. Employees pay into a benefit system. However, depending on a worker’s status, for instance if they are classified as a rehabilitation client and not a full-time employee, they may not be eligible for all of the same employment benefits. Please check out the link to the NCD report below.
Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California affirmed ACB’s trial victory against Quest Diagnostics. In 2023, following a week long bench trial in Los Angeles, a federal court in California had found Quest Diagnostics in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and enjoined Quest from continuing to violate the ADA. Quest appealed that decision.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce has expunged three committees involved in the U.S. census process. The National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations (NAC), the 2030 Census Advisory Committee (CAC), and the Census Scientific Committee have been dismissed. Many advocates worry that such committees are still greatly needed with the next census being five years away.