The US Department of Education has announced that IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Part B and C program funds will receive an additional $144 million dollars this year. IDEA Part B covers special education and additional services for children and youth with disabilities ages 3 through 21. IDEA Part C covers early intervention services for children with disabilities from birth through age 2 and their families. The Department also released new guidance which allows states to use IDEA Part C funds for supporting expectant families of infants with disabilities.

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 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 technology.

Have Your Say in ACB’s Future

ACB Forward Initiative is ACB’s five-year strategic planning effort focused on listening, learning, and preparing the organization for the future. Previously known as the Legacy and Future Readiness Initiative, the project has a new name but the same purpose: to build on ACB’s strengths, preserve what members value most, and ensure the organization is ready for the next 10 years and beyond.

ACB is pleased to announce that Indiana has dropped out of the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit which aims to weaken the community integration mandate of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This lawsuit, originally called Texas v. Becerra, was first filed in 2024 by 17 states which asked the court to get rid of Section 504. In February of 2026, nine states filed an amended complaint targeting Section 504, and the case became known as Texas v. Kennedy.