Have you experienced the beauty and awe of the incredible photos taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope? The scientists, writers, and educators from the Space Telescope Science Institute want to make space accessible for everyone, and have created vividly detailed alt text for every photo that has been released.

ACB’s second annual Audio Description Awards Gala, a virtual event, will take place on Nov. 29, 2022.

On June 23, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration launched a new initiative to expand the availability of testing options that are more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. Through the initiative, blind and low-vision users have been able to order Ellume COVID home tests, which are more accessible than other options. 

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) Mentoring Program will begin as a Pilot Program with 12 mentors and 12 mentees from September 2022 through June 2023. Applications will be accepted from Friday July 15, 2022 until August 15, 2022. The ACB Mentoring Team will review all submitted applications and carefully select the most qualified mentor candidates to pair with those who express interest in being mentored.

Selections will be formally announced to the ACB membership during early September and updates will continue to be made available.

On June 22, 2022, the federal government announced a new initiative to expand the availability of testing options that are more accessible for people who are blind or low vision and who use a smartphone. When connected to a smartphone application, these tests are capable of providing audible testing instructions and results to make the COVID-19 testing process more private and independent for people who are blind or low vision.

Greetings from the Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) Fund Committee:

“Home of the Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) Leadership Select Honor Society, DKM First-Timers award and the ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows award”

We are happy to present to you, the Class of 2022 ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows who have met all requirements to be considered for and selected as recipients of this prestigious honor.

Greetings from the Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) Fund Committee:

We are happy to present to you, the Class of 2022 DKM First-Timers who have met all requirements to be considered for and selected as recipients of this prestigious honor.

While honoring the legacy of ACB’s founding father, Durward K. McDaniel, since 1996, the Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) Fund Committee seeks to identify and honor two ACB members who demonstrate leadership potential, with the DKM First-Timers award on an annual basis, one from east and one from west of the Mississippi River.

The American Council of the Blind’s (ACB) Scholarship Program was established in 1982. The American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) have partnered together to offer educational scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 for legally blind students attending a technical college or who are an entering freshman, undergraduate or a graduate student. This program awards students with scholarships to help with post-secondary education financial needs such as tuition, fees, room and board and other additional costs associated with adaptive techno

By Kenneth Semien, Sr.

The Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) Fund Committee marks 2022 as a remarkable and historical year, with 3 classes of DKM First-Timers and ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows being given the privilege of attending the first-ever Hybrid ACB Conference and Convention and the first-ever induction ceremony of the Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) Leadership Select Honor Society officiated by Cindy Hollis, ACB Manager of Member Engagement.