On May 8, 2020, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) joined forces with eight other national organizations to pen a letter to the Chairs and the Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension and the House Committee on Education and Labor. The letter is a request to Congress to continue supporting children who are blind or have low vision by opposing waivers that would affect the services that children receive and by providing additional funding to support students’ access to their education.

The Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee (DKM) annually selects two rising leaders, one from east and one from west of the Mississippi River, to attend the national conference and convention for the first time as guests of the committee and ACB.

During the ACB & OrCam webinar on April 30th, we announced a special offer on OrCam products for ACB members. OrCam continues to develop its technology for the blind and visually impaired community. Recently, OrCam shared with us some great news - it has released the OrCam MyEye2 Pro and the OrCam Read.

The Audio Description Project (ADP), an initiative of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), aims to bring more meaning and enjoyment to entertainment, cultural, and educational experiences for blind and visually impaired people. ADP maintains a list of described DVDs, broadcast television, movies, performing arts, museums, and national parks on the ADP website, www.acb.org/adp.

The Audio Description Project (ADP) is a wide-ranging audio description promotion and production initiative with goals that include-

­ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 21, 2020) – The American Council of the Blind announced this week its partnership with Be My Eyes, an innovative app that provides real-time video assistance for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. Starting on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, ACB’s support staff will now be able to field calls from the Specialized Help Providers section of the app.

Alexandria, VA, April 21, 2020 - The American Council of the Blind, along with its New York affiliate and other disability advocacy organizations, has brought a complaint before the U.S. Department of Justice, Disability Rights Section. The complaint highlights the discrimination brought about by absentee voting. The right to vote via absentee ballot has long been a goal of the blind community, but has been amplified in light of the coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (NY) has taken tremendous steps to fight the virus and provide for his state during the crisis.

We’re taking the country by storm this year as the ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk sets its course to a neighborhood near you. As the ACB National Convention & Conference goes virtual the evening of July 5th, walkers all over America will be leading the way to start our festivities.

ACB has received many questions about the 2020 Recovery Rebate. Below you will find information about what the rebate is and other details about how you will receive your rebate.

ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 13, 2020 - On Friday, April 10, ACB and more than 75 national, state and local disability and civil rights organizations sent a letter urging Congress to protect the voting rights of people who are blind and disabled during the current pandemic.