After a multitude of challenges from many advocacy groups, the January 27 memo on federal funding freezes has been rescinded. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) put out their own statement to work to walk back the significant amount of misunderstanding that has occurred over the last few days. To our understanding, at this time, impacted programs will continue as expected. However, the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, emphasized that is was only a rescission of the memo, not the funding freeze policies.

Minutes before the funding freeze was to go into effect on Tuesday afternoon, Judge Loren L. Alikhan from the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia issued a stay until Monday, February 3, 2025, to determine next steps on a lawsuit against the presidential directive given on Monday, January 27. A temporary restraining order was brought by the National Council on Nonprofits to prevent the freezing of federal funding for numerous federal programs.

On Monday, January 27, President Trump released a two-page memo instructing federal agencies to temporarily cease all federal financial assistance and grant programs. According to one article, this includes diversity programs. Fortunately, numerous articles state that it will not include Social Security or Medicare benefits, as well as services provided directly to individuals.

Alexandria, VA., Nov. 7th, 2024  – The 2025 American Council of the Blind (ACB) Leadership Conference will be a hybrid event. ACB’s Board Meeting, Presidents’ Meeting, Legislative Seminar, and Capitol Hill visits will take place March 14th-18th, at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA.

Visit our conference page for details: https://www.acb.org/2025-acb-leadership-conference

No one knows the importance of audio description (AD) better than students who rely on it to make filmed media accessible. The Benefits of Audio Description in Education (BADIE) blog and essay contest is an exciting chance for students on the blindness spectrum to share their thoughts about AD.

When something is good, we tell our friends. When something is great, we tell the world. It’s time to nominate the best audio description you’ve encountered for an ADP Award so we can tell the world what great AD sounds like.