October 19, 2020 - In a landmark agreement, advocates for people who are blind have obtained WarnerMedia’s pledge to increase the accessibility of HBO Max—the much-anticipated online streaming platform that was launched earlier this year. Among other commitments, the agreement provides that WarnerMedia will provide audio description on at least 1,500 hours of new and existing programming on HBO Max by the end of March 2021, increasing to 3,000 hours by the end of March 2022, and doubling again to at least 6,000 hours in total by the end of March 2023. 

2021 ACB Convention

WASHINGTON (October 15, 2020) — On the 56th commemoration of White Cane Safety Day, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) applauds all those who have advocated for independence through their work to promote the public visibility and equality of people who are blind and visually impaired by lifting up awareness to the meaning and purpose of the white cane.

Yesterday, October 8th, 2020, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). The CVAA, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 8, 2010, remains one of the greatest legislative achievements for Americans who are blind and visually impaired in the digital age.

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Clark Rachfal, crachfal@acb.org

This Notice has been approved by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

We’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) this Thursday, October 8th. Tune in to our Facebook Live feed by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yxhzlkvt at 10:30am ET as we welcome leaders from our community, congress and the private sector who were instrumental in passage of this landmark legislation. Our special guests will reflect on the power of collaboration, the progress made over the past ten years, and what opportunities rest just over the horizon.

ACB is pleased to share its annual report for 2019. The report highlights our key successes and provides an overall snapshot of ACB’s financial position at the end of 2019. The theme for the design is “Building Our Future,” highlighting the work undertaken in 2019, which has significantly helped in preparing ACB to weather the economic impact of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to Kelly Gasque for her work on the design of the document. Visit this link to view our 2019 annual report.

On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, the National Coalition for Accessible Voting (NCAV) launched a “Plan Your Vote” guide to assist voters in developing a plan to assist them vote in November and future election cycles. This how-to work sheet guides voters through the various stages of voting, as well as the different options voters have when determining how they will vote. The guide was written in an easy-to-follow manner and structure to assist all persons in the planning process.

As most members of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) know, our organization has been working on a lawsuit against the Department of the Treasury for 18 years now seeking a requirement that the federal government make paper currency accessible for blind and visually impaired people. Most recently, the government successfully argued that it could not fulfill a 2026 requirement to make a fraction of paper denominations accessible. The attorney representing ACB, Jeffrey Lovitky, in an appeal argued against that decision in front of an appellate court on Friday, September 18, 2020.