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The Washington Connection 10-22-26

Welcome to the Washington Connection, the legislative and information service of the American Council of the Blind. The Washington Connection is brought to you by the ACB national office. If you have any questions or comments on the information provided, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask to speak with Claire Stanley.

The Washington Connection is updated any time we have new information to share with you. The following articles are available as of October 22, 2026. Messages 4 and 5 are new.

Thank you for calling the Washington Connection.

Benefits of Audio Description in Education Contest Now Taking Entries

 

Once again, the American Council of the Blind’s Audio Description Project (ACB-ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) are co-sponsoring an exciting opportunity for blind and visually impaired young people, ages 7 to 21. This opportunity is the Benefits of Audio Description In Education (BADIE) contest. 

The young person chooses an audio-described film or video from the more than 6,000 educational titles available through DCMP — visit www.dcmp.org. They watch the film, and then write an evaluation of its audio description, commenting on the extent to which the description enhanced or detracted from their experience with the film. 

Contest winners receive first, second and third place prizes, and the grand prize winner is awarded an iPad mini, and the chance to read his/her winning essay at the American Council of the Blind's National Conference and Convention. Teachers of first-place winners also receive prizes. 

To register for the contest, find guidelines and prize information, learn how audio description is created, and get tips for writing a good review, visit www.badiecontest.org.

The deadline for contest entries is March 15, 2027. Winners will be notified in April.

 

Production of Accessible $10 Bill Pushed to 2027

 

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has filed their court-ordered semi-annual report on their efforts to make U.S. currency accessible. Unfortunately, the BEP asserts that they have run into additional testing and calibration needs for the accessible $10 note. Therefore, the note is now scheduled for production in 2027, instead of 2026. ACB is disappointed with this news.

Additional updates included in the report were that BEP continues to work with various entities across the United States to distribute currency readers to constituents, including libraries, Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Centers, and others. As of September 3, 2026, BEP states that the program has distributed more than 120,000 currency readers. Further, BEP continues to support mobile device applications which can function as currency readers. As of September 3, 2026, there have been more than 229,000 app downloads.

ACB will continue to keep members informed of progress on this issue.

 

GAO Report Released Regarding Disability Employment and Federal Contractors

 

At the request of Senator Gillibrand, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report regarding disability employment and federal contractors. Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits disability discrimination by federal contractors and also requires some contractors to take proactive steps to employ and promote people with disabilities. The Department of Labor (DOL) is responsible for oversight of federal contractors' compliance with Section 503. 

The GAO report found that since January of 2025, the DOL has pulled back on oversight activities regarding Section 503. For example, the workforce dedicated to compliance at DOL has been dramatically reduced, and audits of some contractors have been suspended entirely. According to the report, GAO made eight recommendations regarding the implementation and oversight of Section 503, and DOL agreed with six of the recommendations and neither agreed nor disagreed with the remaining two.

ACB will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as appropriate.

 

Federal Court Rules California Vote-by-Mail Program Discriminates Against Class of Voters with Print DisabilitiesFederal Court Rules California Vote-by-Mail Program Discriminates Against Class of Voters with Print Disabilities

Court holds that forcing voters to rely on others to return their ballots violates the ADA

Federal Court Rules California Vote-by-Mail Program Discriminates Against Class of Voters with Print Disabilities

Court holds that forcing voters to rely on others to return their ballots violates the ADA

Federal Court Rules California Vote-by-Mail Program Discriminates Against Class of Voters with Print Disabilities

Court holds that forcing voters to rely on others to return their ballots violates the ADA

Federal Court Rules California Vote-by-Mail Program Discriminates Against Class of Voters with Print Disabilities

Court holds that forcing voters to rely on others to return their ballots violates the ADA

(San Francisco, CA) — A federal court has ruled that California’s Vote-by-Mail Program violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and California Government Code section 11135. The program discriminates against blind voters and others with print disabilities by forcing them to depend on another person to return their ballots.

In an October 2, 2026 order in California Council of the Blind v. Weber, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim of the Northern District of California granted summary judgment to a statewide class of voters with print disabilities, which include disabilities that prevent a person from reading, marking, holding, or handling a paper ballot.

“Blind Californians have waited too long to cast a ballot that is truly our own. Every other voter marks a ballot, seals it, and sends it off without anyone looking over their shoulder. Today the court said we deserve exactly the same,” said Guillermo Robles, President of California Council of the Blind.

California lets these voters receive and mark their ballots electronically, using screen readers and other assistive technology on their own devices. But the State then requires them to print the ballot, sign and seal it in an envelope, and mail or deliver it on paper. Many cannot do those steps without help. The result is that a sighted assistant, a roommate, or even a print-shop clerk learns how they voted. As the Court noted, the problem is widespread: Disability Rights California (DRC), one of the organizations representing the class, regularly receives calls on its Voting Hotline from voters with print disabilities who cannot vote privately and independently through the Vote-by-Mail Program.

“I’ve been voting for years, and I’ve never once cast a truly private ballot. That’s not because I can’t make my own choices. It’s because the State’s system doesn’t let me finish the job myself. This decision is a step toward changing that,” said Russell Dawson Rawlings, a voter with a mobility disability and named plaintiff.

The Court held that meaningful access to vote by mail includes the right to vote privately and independently. It pointed to the California Constitution’s command that “voting shall be secret” and found that requiring help from another person “is antithetical to voting in secret.” The Court rejected the Secretary of State’s argument that voters’ right to choose an assistant was enough, explaining that being allowed to have help is very different from being required to have it.

“Every election, I’ve had to decide whether to vote in secret or vote at all. No voter should face that choice. I’m grateful the Court recognized that my ballot should be mine alone,” said Chris Gray, a blind voter and named plaintiff.

The Court will next determine the remedy. Plaintiffs are asking the Court to require an accessible electronic ballot return option so that voters with print disabilities can complete the entire vote-by-mail process privately and independently. “The technology to let blind voters mark and return a ballot privately already exists, and other states already use it. This ruling makes clear that California cannot stop halfway. We look forward to working toward a remedy that gets this done before the next major election,” said Mark Riccobono, President of National Federation of the Blind.

Plaintiffs are represented by Disability Rights California, Disability Rights Advocates, and Brown, Goldstein & Levy LLP.

 

Social Security Announces 3.6 Percent Benefit Increase for 2027

 

Baltimore, MD - The Social Security Administration (SSA) today announced a 3.6 percent benefit increase for 2027. Social Security benefits include Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by $75 per month.

Nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) beginning in January 2027. Increased payments to about 7.3 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2026. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security benefits and SSI).

“Social Security will implement this cost-of-living adjustment for 76 million Americans, giving them greater financial stability,” said Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano. “Under President Donald J. Trump, Social Security is delivering better, faster, higher-quality service for the American people."

Individuals with personal my Social Security accounts can view their COLA notice online starting in late November—up to three weeks earlier than receiving a paper notice in the mail. Account holders can also choose to receive text or email alerts when a new message, including their COLA notice, is available in their personal my Social Security account’s Message Center. Individuals who do not have a personal account will need to create one and enroll in paperless notices by November 18 to see their COLA notice online. Create an account today at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

Individuals who have not enrolled in paperless notices in my Social Security will receive their COLA notice by mail in December.

Social Security beneficiaries will receive a simplified, one-page COLA notice, which uses plain and personalized language, and provides exact dates and dollar amounts of an individual’s new benefit amount and any deductions.

Information about Medicare changes for 2027 will be available at www.medicare.gov. For Medicare enrollees, the 2027 premium amount will be available via my Social Security Message Center starting in late November. Individuals who have not opted to receive messages online will receive their COLA notice by mail in December.

The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as determined by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For more information, visit www.ssa.gov/cola.

Supreme Court Blocks New Policy to Restrict Mail Ballots for 2026 Midterm Elections

We are very happy to announce that the Supreme Court has blocked a new policy which attempted to restrict mail ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. This decision means that states can continue sending out and accepting mail ballots for the upcoming midterm elections as they have done in years past, which is a win for the disability community. 

The mail ballot restrictions would have included a requirement for all states to have the same envelope style and to submit lists of eligible voters in an online portal, which was still not operational less than two months out from the midterm elections. The Postal Service could then refuse to deliver ballots to states who did not comply and could toss out millions of ballots if there was even a single barcode error. ACB previously submitted comments in opposition to these proposed restrictions, which can be found at the following link: ACB Comments to the USPS Regarding Access to Mail Ballots (Word doc)

The Supreme Court's decision protects voting by mail for the 2026 midterm elections. 

An article from AP News covering this story is linked here: https://apnews.com/article/trump-mail-voting-executive-order-lawsuit-78a4fbeb48d9c5fd27d1c865529fc65f

 

Urge Congress to Reaffirm the Integration Mandate

 

In response to the recent challenges to community integration, a bipartisan House Resolution reaffirming the right of disabled people to live in their homes and communities has been introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. H.Res.1586 maintains that the Congressional intent of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act was affirmed in the Supreme Court decision of Olmstead v. L.C. This resolution clearly states that the integration mandate is the law, and that unnecessarily segregating people with disabilities into institutions is a form of discrimination. This resolution also details the history of the integration mandate and its firm placement in the law today. It calls on all levels of government to champion policies that promote community integration for people with disabilities.

ACB applauds this resolution in the House and calls on the Senate to put forward a similar resolution. To reach out to your House representatives and encourage them to sign onto this resolution and affirm disability rights, you can use our Speak4 campaign at this link: https://speak4.app/lp/at01eszb?ts=1790867190

To read the full text of the resolution, please use this link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/1586/text?s=1&r=1&hl=hres1586

 

Notice of Digital Accessibility Settlement Concerning www.cookunity.com

 

A proposed settlement has been reached that would resolve the class action lawsuit Douglass v. CookUnity Inc., Case No. 2:25-cv-01270 (W.D. Pa.). The lawsuit alleges that CookUnity violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101, et seq., by failing to take the necessary steps to ensure its website and mobile apps do not discriminate against individuals who are blind and/or who have a visual disability. 

CookUnity strongly disagrees with the claims made in the lawsuit, but has agreed to settle this lawsuit to avoid additional cost and time with respect to the lawsuit. Under the settlement, CookUnity agrees to make its website and mobile apps accessible to individuals who are blind and/or who have a visual disability.

For a more complete summary of the terms of the proposed settlement, please visit https://www.cookunityADAsettlement.com. Have questions? Contact East End Trial Group at https://eastendtrialgroup.com.