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…

During the ACB & OrCam webinar on April 30th, we announced a special offer on OrCam products for ACB members. OrCam continues to develop its technology for the blind and visually impaired community. Recently, OrCam shared with us some great news - it has released the OrCam MyEye2 Pro and the OrCam Read.

Currently, OrCam offers ACB members a 10% discount off the MyEye2, and now until the end of May, OrCam is offering…

The Audio Description Project (ADP), an initiative of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), aims to bring more meaning and enjoyment to entertainment, cultural, and educational experiences for blind and visually impaired people. ADP maintains a list of described DVDs, broadcast television, movies, performing arts, museums, and national parks on the ADP website, www.acb.org/adp. As the only repository of all audio described titles on DVD and the three video streaming services (Amazon Prime Video, iTunes…

The Audio Description Project (ADP) is a wide-ranging audio description promotion and production initiative with goals that include-

• Building advocacy on behalf of audio description.
• Offering a range of educational resources and working to establish nationally acknowledged user-focused guidelines for quality description in its various genres as well as a professionally recognized certification program for audio describers.
…

­ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 21, 2020) – The American Council of the Blind announced this week its partnership with Be My Eyes, an innovative app that provides real-time video assistance for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. Starting on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, ACB’s support staff will now be able to field calls from the Specialized Help Providers section of the app.

“We’ve been working over the years to strengthen our internal structure to field calls from consumers faced with challenges and barriers toward independence,” said ACB executive director…

Alexandria, VA, April 21, 2020 - The American Council of the Blind, along with its New York affiliate and other disability advocacy organizations, has brought a complaint before the U.S. Department of Justice, Disability Rights Section. The complaint highlights the discrimination brought about by absentee voting. The right to vote via absentee ballot has long been a goal of the blind community, but has been amplified in light of the coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (NY) has taken tremendous steps to fight the virus and provide for his state during the crisis. But…

We’re taking the country by storm this year as the ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk sets its course to a neighborhood near you. As the ACB National Convention & Conference goes virtual the evening of July 5th, walkers all over America will be leading the way to start our festivities.

Our goal this year is $90K, and we’re excited to have this memorial walk help usher in a convention that will be within the reach of every American who is blind and visually impaired. The theme for this year’s virtual conference is ACB: Path to the Future, and we hope that path will be quite weathered…

ACB has received many questions about the 2020 Recovery Rebate. Below you will find information about what the rebate is and other details about how you will receive your rebate.

2020 Recovery Rebate Details

One element of the third stimulus bill passed by Congress about two weeks ago includes a monetary recovery rebate, also known as the 2020 recovery rebate. Through this rebate, Americans will receive a one-time monetary amount from the government. The purpose of the rebate is to revitalize the economy. Americans who receive the money can spend it in any…

ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 13, 2020 - On Friday, April 10, ACB and more than 75 national, state and local disability and civil rights organizations sent a letter urging Congress to protect the voting rights of people who are blind and disabled during the current pandemic. The letter, which is available here, urged Congress to mandate an accessible online absentee voting system to…

A recording of this webinar is available at: https://youtu.be/wKXp7XYD7N0

Please join the American Council of the Blind (ACB) for a collaborative webinar with OrCam on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 7:30pm ET. ACB Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, Clark Rachfal, joins panelists Dr. Bryan Wolynski, practicing low vision optometrist, and Fitzville Martin, ACB member, music producer, and OrCam MyEye user, for a conversation about assistive technology, the OrCam MyEye 2, and an introduction of OrCam's…