“Individuals with disabilities have a right to full participation in voting, including absentee voting,” stated Eric Bridges, Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind. “Persons with disabilities have fought for decades for their right to vote privately and independently. Now, especially in light of COVID-19, such persons are fighting for their right to vote via absentee ballot.”

On May 15, 2020, ACB filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Disability Rights Section, to emphasize the inaccessibility of absentee voting for persons who are blind and…

June 3, 2020 – New York, NY – A federal court has approved an agreement between the NYS Board of Elections (NYS BOE) and disability groups that provides voters a more accessible absentee ballot for the upcoming June 23 Primary Election. Following a lawsuit filed on May 22 by a disability rights coalition, the NYSBOE has agreed to email accessible absentee ballots to qualified voters with disabilities. Voters can access an Accessible Absentee Ballot Request Form on the NYS BOE website to request an accessible electronically-delivered absentee ballot.

By Cindy Hollis Van Winkle, Membership Services Coordinator, American Council of the Blind

I can remember as a little girl trying to color pictures that were dot to dot. The premise was to assist one in drawing the prescribed picture. Of course, I could never see the dots well enough to color the picture to look like anything recognizable, no less what it was supposed to be. But this was during a time in my life when we lived in a neighborhood of young families. Kids played together, schooled together, and grew up together. When a family was on vacation, others watched their home.…

The American Council of the Blind believes that every human deserves dignity and respect. During these times when our voices seem sequestered by the weight of social distance, we loudly affirm our core values, echoing the collective voice of like-minded organizations who labor daily to dismantle the structural barriers that stand in the way of equal opportunity and full inclusion in our society.

Our hearts cry out in pain for the family of George Floyd and for all those victims of social and racial injustice. ACB calls upon our leaders to exercise peace and justice in a manner that…

The American Council of the Blind is proud to partner with Aira to make visual interpreting services available to more people. To encourage ACB members to try their service, Aira is extending special ACB Membership pricing from June 1 through December 31, 2020.

Aira Plans for ACB Members:

ACB Member Intro Plan

Minutes: 30 per month
Price: $20.00 per month
Plan Share: no additional users 

ACB Member Enhanced Plan

Minutes: 140 per month
Price: $99.99 per month 
Plan Share: up to two additional users 

Plans are only…

For Immediate Release 

Lawsuit Filed May 22, 2020 in Federal Court – Full Complaint 

May 22, 2020 – New York, NY – Today, a coalition of disability organizations filed a lawsuit against the New York State Board of Elections (“NYS BOE”) for excluding New Yorkers with disabilities as their Absentee Voting program expanded in response to COVID-19. The lawsuit charges the state agency with discrimination against…

Congratulations to the 2020 ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows award winners! The ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows awards program annually recognizes five ACB members who have demonstrated leadership abilities. This year's award recipients are Regina Brink from Sacramento, CA, Sajja Koirala from Honolulu, HI, Meryl Shecter from Windsor Mill, MD, 
Koni Sims from Sioux Falls, SD, and Wanda Williford from Trenton, NJ. They will be honored this year during the virtual ACB Conference and Convention and also be able to participate in…

On May 8, 2020, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) joined forces with eight other national organizations to pen a letter to the Chairs and the Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension and the House Committee on Education and Labor. The letter is a request to Congress to continue supporting children who are blind or have low vision by opposing waivers that would affect the services that children receive and by providing additional funding to support students’ access to their education. Read the full…

Rehabilitation teachers and counselors, teachers of the visually impaired, low vision therapists, orientation and mobility instructors, and many others may earn continuing education credits at the 2020 ACB Virtual Conference and Convention.  Individuals working in vision and other fields may also earn professional development hours during the conference and convention. Content will be delivered through the power of ACB Radio and the Zoom platform; participate from home or office - no need to travel. CEC's are recognized by the Academy for Certification of Vision…

The Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee (DKM) annually selects two rising leaders, one from east and one from west of the Mississippi River, to attend the national conference and convention for the first time as guests of the committee and ACB.

2020 DKM First-Timers:

Merisa Musemic of Sterling Heights, Michigan is the 2020 DKM First-Timer from the East. She speaks four languages (Bosnian, Croatian, German and English). She is currently employed by Language Line Solutions, where she works as an interpreter for Bosnian language, which is her…