Urge Congress to Cosponsor and Pass the DATA Act, HR 1697

This week, Representatives Jim Langevin and Dina Titus reintroduced the Disability Access to Transportation Act (DATA) as H.R. 1697, which would expand and improve transportation, especially paratransit programs, for people with disabilities. ACB members advocated for reintroduction of the DATA Act as one of our legislative imperatives during the ACB Leadership Conference. ACB urges our members to follow up with your Representatives to ask them to cosponsor and pass H.R. 1697. Read the full press…

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 10, 2021)—The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the American Council of the Blind (ACB) applaud Representatives Jim Langevin and Dina Titus for reintroducing the Disability Access to Transportation Act (DATA) as H.R. 1697, which would expand and improve transportation, especially paratransit programs, for people with disabilities. The bill was originally introduced in the 116th Congress and included in the House surface transportation legislation in July 2020…

ACB Board of Directors Moves Forward with Remote Voting for 2021 Convention 

The ACB board of Directors voted during its Feb. 20th meeting to move forward with an outside vendor who will provide remote voting for the 2021 National Conference and Convention. The decision comes after a Voting Taskforce provided recommendations on how to conduct voting during a virtual convention. The decision was necessary under ACB’s governing rules filed in the District of Columbia, which previously required in-person voting of officers, but has allowed for a waiver for…

In 2020 and 2021 the American Council of the Blind (ACB) Board of Directors voted to hold our regular in-person conference and convention virtually because of the health risks presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. This move to a virtual conference and convention was made to ensure the health and wellness of our members during this national emergency. While the current conference configuration does provide greater opportunity for more members to participate in conference sessions our ability to conduct in-person elections was impacted in 2020. In 2020 the 5 members of the Board of Directors…

Alexandria, VA — On Friday, February 19, 2021, the American Council of the Blind sent the following letter to Secretary Yellen and the U.S. Treasury regarding the proposed Harriet Tubman redesign of the $20 bill.

According to recent press reports, as well as statements from the White House Press Office, the Biden Administration is considering accelerating the redesign of the $20 bill to incorporate a picture of Harriet Tubman. The Council welcomes such a redesign, provided that the newly redesigned bill incorporates an accessibility feature for the blind and…

2021 ACB Leadership Conference

Thanks to everyone who participated in this past week’s ACB 2021 Leadership Conference. For those able to lead delegations for virtual visits with your member of Congress, please be sure to complete the Capitol Hill feedback form on Survey Monkey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021HillFeedback, or download the form in Word format …

On March 1st, Jo Lynn Bailey-Page will join ACB as our Audio Description Project Coordinator & Grant Writer. She will be supporting Tony Stephens, Director of Development, with coordinating all aspects of the Audio Description Project as well as preparing and submitting grant proposals to potential funders. For the last five years, Jo Lynn served as a Grant Writer Contractor for ACB. Her accomplishments include securing funding opportunities for ACB’s Online Community Engagement and “Get Up and Get Moving” initiative, creating the Grants Power Grid to target…

On March 1st, Swatha Nandhakumar will join the ACB team as an Advocacy and Outreach Specialist. She will be supporting Clark Rachfal, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, with monitoring, responding to and researching government agendas, as well as providing information, referral and peer support to incoming callers. Swatha is a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude. Her background includes multiple legislative internships, including ones with the office of Senator Richard J. Durbin, Illinois state…

We’re all geared up this weekend for the 2021 Leadership Conference. Visit the conference website to access the agenda, and conference materials. There’s even still time to register. The following provides additional ways you can tune in to the conference.

How to Access the Event Via Live Video Stream:

A live video feed of the event will be carried over ACB’s YouTube channel, and via our …

DC Leadership Conference Materials

This year’s DC Leadership Conference will be held virtually from February 21st-23rd, bringing together affiliate leaders and advocates from across the country. Visit https://acb.org/2021-leadership-conference to access the conference agendas, materials, legislative imperative documents, and legislative imperative community event podcasts. Register for the DC Leadership Conference by visiting http://weblink.donorperfect.…