In light of the rapid and ongoing changes to the Department of Education, the American Council of the Blind, in coalition with other blindness organizations, has reached out to Secretary McMahon to schedule a meeting to discuss how such changes will impact the blind and low vision community. The initial outreach email was just sent out on Wednesday by the American Foundation for the Blind and included ACB and the National Federation of the Blind. We will now wait to hear back about scheduling a meeting. WE will keep you updated as to when we hear back.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 18, the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, held a White House press briefing to discuss new changes to the Department of Education. A myriad of current programs under the Department are being shifted to other federal agencies. For instance, elementary and secondary education, post-secondary education, and Indian education services will be shifted to other agencies.

On November 5, 2025, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing concerning the Older Americans Act, a bill that still needs to be reauthorized. The hearing examined how the Older Americans Act (OAA) supports families living with aging-related diseases and the need to reauthorize the law.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
Contact: Tabitha Kenlon  
Phone: 202-467-5081  
Email: tkenlon@acb.org  

Applications for the 2026 - 2027 school year are OPEN and are available for online submission from Saturday, November 1, 2025 to Saturday, February 14, 2026 11:59 pm (CST). 

PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA
Contacto: Tabitha Kenlon
Teléfono: 202-467-5081
Email: tkenlon@acb.org

“Los Oscares de la Accesibilidad”: La Gala de Premios de Audiodescripción 2025 regresa el 13 de noviembre para celebrar la innovación, la inclusión y la creatividad en los medios.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
 Contact: Tabitha Kenlon 
 Phone: 202-467-5081 
 Email: tkenlon@acb.org

ACB’s 2025 Audio Description Awards Gala Celebrates Innovation, Inclusion, and Creativity in Media 

As a result of the ongoing government shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were going to lose funding on Saturday, November 1. Several states sued the federal government to ensure ongoing funding for the program. A judge ruled that the executive branch was to use contingency funding to ensure that such services were not eliminated during this ongoing shutdown. However, some experts speculate that such contingency funds are still insufficient to pay for all needed SNAP services.

Tell Congress: Support the CONNECT for Health Act of 2025!

Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on where you live. The CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 would permanently expand access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries, ensuring people can receive care from their homes and other convenient locations.

This bipartisan bill would:

✅ Remove outdated geographic restrictions on telehealth

✅ Allow federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as distant sites