Today, HBO Max releases nearly 1500 hours of audio described content & significant screen reader access improvements based on a landmark agreement between the American Council of the Blind, Disability Rights Advocates, HBO, Bay State Council of the Blind, and Disability Law Center Inc. More to come over the next two years! Learn more by visiting: https://acb.org/HBO-Max-audio-…
March 26, 2021 – Advocates for people who are blind applaud WarnerMedia’s first delivery date of significant upgrades in the landmark agreement signed last October by WarnerMedia; the American Council of the Blind (ACB); the Massachusetts-based Bay State Council of the Blind (BSCB); and individual claimants Kim and Brian Charlson. These blind individuals and advocacy organizations were represented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national non-profit legal center…
The deadline to apply for the 2021 DKM First Timer awards and the JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows is fast approaching. Award recipients will get free access to our virtual convention in 2021, as well as our Omaha convention that will be held in person in 2022. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern time on April 5. Read on for more details.
Come along with us on a new leadership journey as we take things higher in 2021! We’re making exciting plans to join in solidarity to celebrate together throughout the 60th…
On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Verizon Media announced that they will be donating $5 million in media to a number of disability organizations, including the American Council of the Blind (ACB). ACB is excited to further our mission driven brand and message through the generous support of Verizon Media. Along with other nonprofits committed to expanding opportunity and equality for individuals with disabilities, the advertising grant provided through Verizon Media will allow ACB to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities at a time when the hardships of social isolation born out of…
ACB is celebrating a year of community! When the pandemic hit and everyone was told to shelter in place, we turned isolation into connection. From education, training, and information sharing, to peer support, socialization, and fun, learn what this growing community has meant to so many people in and outside of ACB over the past year by visiting https://youtu.be/0WLMr2V0rd8.
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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…
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…