TUCSON, AZ, September 05, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS), an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), is proud to announce a landmark nine-month partnership with Microsoft Corporation. This initiative will empower BITS members to directly influence the future of accessibility across Microsoft Narrator and M365 apps such as Word and Outlook — ensuring technology continues to break down barriers and open doors for people who are blind or have low vision.
At the heart of this collaboration is a shared belief that…
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Please follow the link below to tell Congress to ensure the rights of jurors with disabilities. Blind and low vision persons who are called to jury duty are constantly discriminated against. Federal law currently prohibits such discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as race and gender but does not include disability. This new law would do so. It would also ensure the court would provide necessary accommodations such as documents in braille. Please follow the link below and reach out to Congress.
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It was brought to ACB’s attention that the Department of Defense shared a letter with the Department of Education regarding Randolph-Sheppard venders on defense properties. Based on different resources, it is our understanding that the Department of Defense believes that blind venders cannot provide appropriate services and that the Secretary of Defense is seeking to replace current contracts held by blind vendors. ACB is reaching out to our sources to learn more about such rumors. ACB is a proud supporter of our affiliate RSVA and the Randolph-Shephard Program and believes in the…
In July, the Department of Labor put out a notice of proposed rule-making (NPRM) requesting comments on the 7 percent utilization goal under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. The utilization goal, also seen as a benchmark, requires that businesses that receive federal contracts strive to have 7 percent of their employees be people with some kind of disability. Under this NPRM, the Department of Labor is asking to eliminate the 7 percent utilization goal. Amongst other points, the NPRM argues that in order to collect necessary data, the companies must ask prospective employees (or…
The National Coalition on Accessible Voting (NCAV) has officially launched its website. To learn more about the work of NCAV, please visit the link below.
NCAV is a coalition of disability advocacy groups working toward full-access to accessible voting for people with disabilities. ACB has been a member since the beginning of NCAV’s founding.
Please click on the link below to participate in a new campaign to ensure funding for the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). In many states, NLS services flow through state library programs that receive IMLS funding. Lets make sure library services get the funding they need so we can continue to access written materials.
The American Council of the Blind is pleased to announce that one of our partners, Waymo LLC, is the first company to ever receive the ADC testing permit from the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT). This permits Waymo to operate vehicles in parts of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn while in autonomous mode with a trained autonomous vehicle specialist behind the wheel. This is a first of its kind in NYC and brings accessibility and the future one step closer to New Yorkers. ACB is proud to continue partnering with Waymo toward a future of greater independence and freedom of…
On this day in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, establishing critical protections for voters with disabilities, including the right to receive help from a person of their choosing at the polls. This landmark law also outlawed discriminatory voting practices for all citizens.
ACB continues to advocate for accessible voting at every stage of the process, from in-person voting to remote options. Our efforts build on the foundation laid by the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Help America Vote Act, to ensure that people who are blind or have…
Congress has reintroduced the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA). This bill works to ensure that people with disabilities are not paid subminimum wage under an almost 100-year-old piece of legislation that allows certain businesses with a specific certificate to do so. The bill will work to eliminate such working environments and help transition people currently in such settings into a more integrated work situation. To ask your member of Congress to support the bill, go to…