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Press Room 2021

2021

December 2021

November 2021

October 2021

September 2021

August 2021

  • Absentee and Vote by Mail Barriers for Voters with Disabilities: EAC Commissioner Ben Hovland was joined by ACB Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs Clark Rachfal, Office of the Ohio Secretary of State ADA Coordinator Brett Harbage, California Assistant Secretary of State, Help America Vote Act State Director, and Counsel for the Secretary of State Susan Lapsley, California Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee Coordinator Reina Miller, and Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman to discuss absentee and vote by mail barriers as a part of the Serving Voters with Disabilities series.
  • Social Security Administration Notices: ACB, along with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), Justice in Aging and other disability advocacy organizations, sent a letter to the general counsel of the Social Security Administration to express concerns with a new policy that will make it more difficult for SSA clients to receive documents in an accessible format.
  • 2021 ACB Awards: ACB’s annual awards recognizes individuals, organizations, and affiliates who have contributed to the blindness community.
  • Newly Elected ACB Officer and Board Members: ACB Advocacy team interview with ACB officer and board members who were newly elected in ACB’s first-ever virtual elections this July.
  • Call to Action: Disability Access to Transportation Act, H.R. 1697
  • ACB Introduces Get Up and Get Moving Campaign

July 2021

June 2021

  • ACB Encourages State Assembly to Pass H-6004 Equal Access to Voting for Voters with Disabilities
  • Washington Post Accessible Currency Article: ACB Executive Director Eric Bridges shared that “the combination of Harriet Tubman adorning the first piece of accessible currency would make a powerful statement” in this article.
  • ACB 2021 Virtual Convention: Building on the success of the ACB virtual 2020 Conference & Convention, ACB will be hosting its 60th annual convention virtually, from July 16 through July 23, 2021, providing the opportunity to feature an exciting series of speakers, networking events and learning opportunities with ACB members and conference participants.
  • ACB Alexa Skill Update: ACB Media Network launched a new Alexa skill called ACB Media on June 27, 2021 that replaced the previous ACB Alexa skills. To access the new skill from your Alexa-enabled device first enable the skill by saying: "Alexa, enable ACB Media". Then you can launch the skill by saying "Alexa, open ACB Media".

May 2021

April 2021

  • Virginia Agrees to Provide Accessible Absentee Voting Option for Voters with Print Disabilities: The Commonwealth of Virginia will permanently make its elections accessible and safe for voters who cannot mark a paper ballot privately and independently due to disabilities such as blindness, beginning with the June 2021 Primary Election   . In 2020, we filed suit together with a coalition of disability advocates to make this change possible.
  • ACB Urges Congress to Amend H.R. 1 and S. 1, Securing Access to Accessible Voting: 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 New $20: A Chance for Accessible Currency: ACB President Dan Spoone had an engaging opinion piece calling for accessible currency published this week in The Hill. The commentary bridged two leading voices for equality who lived an ocean apart two centuries ago, but now are brought together by the opportunity for a new $20 bill.
  • ACB Celebrates NATAD: 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.
  • ACB Spring Update Video: Spring has definitely sprung and there is a lot on the horizon for ACB! Learn more about the exciting work currently underway.
  • Cogswell Macy Act: ACB Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs, Clark Rachfal, moderated a panel discussion to mobilize advocates in support of the reintroduced Cogswell Macy Act.
  • Donor Update Call: During this presentation we discuss all the amazing things underway at ACB, all possible due to the wonderful support of our donors. We share our past accomplishments and what is on the horizon, and most importantly give thanks to our supporters.
  • American Council of the Blind Letter Supporting S. 1260: Eliminating barriers to transportation and enhancing independent travel are critical to ensuring people with disabilities are integrated in our communities and have equal opportunities to move freely. For these reasons, ACB strongly supports the inclusion and passage of S. 1260 as an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act as offered by Senators Peters and Thune, which would incentivize American companies to test and develop accessible autonomous vehicles. 

March 2021

  • HBO Max Rolls Out Audio Described Content: HBO Max released nearly 1500 hours of audio described content and significant screen reader access improvements, with more to come over the next two years, 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.
  • Verizon Media Announces $5M Media Donation for ACB and Other Disability Organizations: On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Verizon Media announced that they will be donating $5 million in media to a number of disability organizations, including ACB.
  • AFB and ACB Applaud Reintroduction of the Disability Access to Transportation Act: ACB urges our members to follow up with your Representatives to ask them to cosponsor and pass H.R. 1697.
  • ACB Quoted in WSJ Article on Accessible Currency: The Wall Street Journal published an article on accessible currency, spotlighting Britain’s newest tactile denomination and drawing attention to the United States failure to find a similar solution for accessible currency a generation after ACB filed its law suit. ACB Executive Director Eric Bridges is quoted in the article.
  • Air Carrier Access Amendments Act: U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) reintroduced the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act on March 9, to protect the rights of airplane passengers with disabilities, improve air travel safety and close service gaps that passengers with disabilities frequently encounter in air travel. For 35 years, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) has prohibited discrimination based on disability in air travel. Despite this effort, too many travelers with disabilities encounter significant barriers—such as damaged assistive devices and wheelchairs, delayed assistance, ineffective communications, and lack of seating accommodations.
  • ACB Celebrates 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.

February 2021

January 2021

  • Accessibility in Tech Improved in 2020, But More Must Be Done: The year 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and many of the biggest tech companies updated their products to improve accessibility. But the work to foster an inclusive industry that doesn’t overlook an underrepresented community is never done, and there are still areas that need attention. An article by Engadget, which includes a quote from ACB Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs Clark Rachfal, reflects on tech’s progress in 2020.
  • Inauguration with Audio Description: The audio described Inauguration festivities that were streamed on YouTube and ACB Radio Live Event are available as a podcast on our ACB Events feed.
  • ACB Statement Concerning the Events of January 6, 2021


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