It was brought to ACB’s attention that the Department of Defense shared a letter with the Department of Education regarding Randolph-Sheppard venders on defense properties. Based on different resources, it is our understanding that the Department of Defense believes that blind venders cannot provide appropriate services and that the Secretary of Defense is seeking to replace current contracts held by blind vendors. ACB is reaching out to our sources to learn more about such rumors.

In July, the Department of Labor put out a notice of proposed rule-making (NPRM) requesting comments on the 7 percent utilization goal under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. The utilization goal, also seen as a benchmark, requires that businesses that receive federal contracts strive to have 7 percent of their employees be people with some kind of disability. Under this NPRM, the Department of Labor is asking to eliminate the 7 percent utilization goal.

The National Coalition on Accessible Voting (NCAV) has officially launched its website. To learn more about the work of NCAV, please visit the link below.

NCAV is a coalition of disability advocacy groups working toward full-access to accessible voting for people with disabilities. ACB has been a member since the beginning of NCAV’s founding.

www.ncavote.org

Please click on the link below to participate in a new campaign to ensure funding for the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). In many states, NLS services flow through state library programs that receive IMLS funding. Lets make sure library services get the funding they need so we can continue to access written materials.

https://speak4.app/lp/ou01jn56/?ts=1755873072

Posted on August 25th, 2025

The American Council of the Blind is pleased to announce that one of our partners, Waymo LLC, is the first company to ever receive the ADC testing permit from the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT). This permits Waymo to operate vehicles in parts of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn while in autonomous mode with a trained autonomous vehicle specialist behind the wheel. This is a first of its kind in NYC and brings accessibility and the future one step closer to New Yorkers.

On this day in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, establishing critical protections for voters with disabilities, including the right to receive help from a person of their choosing at the polls. This landmark law also outlawed discriminatory voting practices for all citizens.

Congress has reintroduced the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA). This bill works to ensure that people with disabilities are not paid subminimum wage under an almost 100-year-old piece of legislation that allows certain businesses with a specific certificate to do so. The bill will work to eliminate such working environments and help transition people currently in such settings into a more integrated work situation.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division

A bill previously supported by ACB was reintroduced in the House of Representatives.  The Disability Access to Transportation Act (DATA) works to improve paratransit services. Specifically, the bill calls for an intermediate stop to be available when making a trip through paratransit. For instance, a person could request a brief stop on their way home to pick their child up from daycare. This service would make transportation services more flexible and readily available. Please follow the link below to ask your Congressmember to support the bill.

Please see the email below ACB received from the Department of Transportation concerning air travel.

Dear Disability Advocates: