On April 29, 2021, the FCC released a Public Notice seeking comment on TBS’s petition for limited waiver of the requirement to provide 87.5 hours of audio described programming per calendar quarter. WarnerMedia is requesting this waiver for TBS, because the audio description re-run rule does not adequately count the full quantity of audio description aired by TBS. This waiver request is similar to that sought by NBC-Universal for USA Network in 2019, with two clear differences.

TBS pledges to air at least 1,000 hours of described programming each quarter, equal to that of USA…

The American Council of the Blind is proud to announce the newest member of our team: Jennifer Flatt! On May 10th, Jennifer will join us as Manager of Communications. She will support Tony Stephens, Director of Development, with overseeing the creation and execution of a Content Management Strategy across all communications channels, designed to maximize cross promotion, expand ACB reach, and increase membership.  

Most recently, Jennifer worked as Senior Director of Communications & Engagement for South University. There, she led communications and media…

April 26, 2021

The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Chairman
U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
420-A Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Roger Wicker, Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
420-A Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Cantwell, and Ranking Member Wicker:

My name is Clark Rachfal, and I am the Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind (ACB). ACB is a nationwide member-driven advocacy…

Create Your ACB Account Now

We hope you will be joining us for our convention in July. To simplify our account process, we are asking you to create a new ACB account (whether you are a member or not). You will use this log in credential going forward. The first time you log in to https://members.acb.org/, you will be asked to create a new login, password, and provide your profile information. This will need to be done even if you have previously created other ACB accounts. If you…

The Commonwealth Agrees to Consent Decree to Include Electronic Ballot Marking beginning with the June 2021 Primary Election:

Media Contacts
American Council of the Blind: Clark Rachfal, crachfal@acb.org, 202-467-5081
disAbility Law Center of Virginia: Colleen Miller, colleen.miller@dlcv.org, (804) 225-204
National Federation of the Blind: Chris Danielsen, …

ACB Celebrates NATAD

ACB celebrated National Assistive Technology Awareness Day this week! ACB's advocacy team, Clark Rachfal and Swatha Nandhakumar, were joined by Matt Ater, Vice President of Vispero, and Don Barrett, ACB Member, to discuss assistive technology: what it is; why it is so important; and what role assistive technology will play in our lives going forward. Watch the presentation by visiting: https://youtu.be/-h3Jl3JjgvU. To listen to this presentation via podcast, visit:…

We hope you will be joining us for our virtual convention in July! If you registered for the convention in the past, you logged in using your convention username and password. ACB also has several other applications used in our organization and, with each application, users needed to remember another username and password. To simplify this process, we are asking you to create a new ACB account (whether you are a member or not). You will use this log in credential going forward.

The first time you log in to https://members.acb.org/…

Clubhouse is a free social networking app, available on iOS and Android, that provides a platform to interact with others and discuss various topics via audio in virtual chat rooms. To join you must receive an invitation from an existing user, or you may join and become a part of our ACB Club on Clubhouse by emailing community@acb.org. ACB’s presence on this app further expands the reach our community.

The ACB Club on Clubhouse is an extension of the American Council of the Blind, a non-profit…

For the People Act

The For the People Act (H.R. 1, S. 1) would eliminate accessible voting options & prevent innovation in election technology, barring accessibility gains in the future and silencing the voice of millions of Americans who are blind and visually impaired. The American Council of the Blind calls on Congress to protect the right to vote for Americans who are blind and visually impaired by removing threatening language in the For the People Act. Learn more by visiting:…

Alexandria, VA – The American Council of the Blind calls on Congress to protect the right to vote for Americans who are blind and visually impaired by removing threatening language in the For the People Act (H.R. 1; S. 1).

“The right to a private and independent vote stands as the cornerstone of our democracy,” said ACB President Dan Spoone. “The innovation in secure electronic voting during the pandemic showed us that there are accessible solutions that allow every voice to be heard.” 

While ACB agrees with the spirit of H.R. 1, and its…