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The Washington Connection 2-2-26

Welcome to the Washington Connection, the legislative and information service of the American Council of the Blind. The Washington Connection is brought to you by the ACB national office. If you have any questions or comments on the information provided, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask to speak with Claire Stanley.

The Washington Connection is updated any time we have new information to share with you. The following articles are available as of February 2, 2026. All eight messages are new.

Thank you for calling the Washington Connection.

Make Your Hotel Reservations for DCLC by Friday!

 

Important reminder: registration for the D.C. Leadership Conference is OPEN, and the hotel room block closes on February 6!

The 2026 Leadership Conference will be a hybrid event. The optional tour, ACB’s Board Meeting, Presidents’ Meeting, Legislative Seminar, and Capitol Hill visits will take place between March 6-10, 2026, at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA.

Registration is OPEN. You can register through the members site here: https://members.acb.org/. The registration fee for in-person attendees is $115. The registration fee is $30 for virtual attendees. Registration closes on February 28, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Central time. For more information on the D.C. Leadership Conference, visit https://www.acb.org/2026-acb-dc-leadership-conference.

Hotel reservations are available, but the room block cutoff date is this Friday, February 6, 2026. For details about how to reserve your hotel room, visit https://www.acb.org/2026-acb-dc-leadership-conference.

A schedule of events, including information on the optional tour, and information on the legislative imperatives, are also available on the conference webpage. 

 

Olympics, Paralympics to Be Audio Described in Stereo

 

NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be accessible to more viewers of all abilities than ever before, providing the excitement of the Olympic Games with enhanced closed captioning, audio description, and improved digital content accessibility.

Closed captioning will be available for all Olympic events airing across NBCU’s properties, as well as the Gold Zone whip-around show on Peacock. NBCUniversal will also provide closed captioning for digital livestreams with commentary across Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app for all live events and full event replays from linear coverage.

Audio description (AD) will be available on the second audio program (SAP) for viewers who are blind or have low vision. The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will provide more AD than any previous Winter Games. All coverage on the NBC network (including full event replays) and the Gold Zone whip-around show on Peacock will feature Audio Description.

In a first for a U.S. broadcaster for a Winter Olympics, audio description services for coverage on NBC will be provided in stereo, enhancing the quality of sound for viewers. NBC Sports’ Paralympic broadcast team of Tony Ambrogio, Adam Giardino, Pat McCarthy, Tony Simeone, and Norma Jean Wick will be providing audio description.

Additionally, improved web content accessibility, including keyboard navigation, color contrast and support for screen readers, will be available on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, and the NBC Sports app. Livestreams and replays which offer audio description will have English audio description as a language choice within the players on these digital platforms. To easily find all events with audio description, click here.

To read the full press release, visit https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbcuniversal-enhances-accessibility-its-coverage-milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics. 

 

Lawsuit Brought in Response to the Challenges Against the Randolph-Sheppard Program

 

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and several named plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education responding to the Notice put out by Secretary McMahon in December of 2025. The Notice, which ACB promptly responded to, placed a hold on Randolph-Sheppard vendors to prevent them from providing vending services in Army facilities. The lawsuit was just filed by NFB and related parties, and argues that the decision violates the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). ACB will follow the case closely and report back on what happens next.

 

Agreement about Accessible Credit Reports Ending

 

Dear ACB members: 

As many of you know, we have worked with the credit reporting companies off and on for many years to make sure your free credit reports are available in Braille, large print and audio, and accessible online. 

We started working with Linda Dardarian and Lainey Feingold on this issue more than 20 years ago using the Structured Negotiation process that they developed along with many of us in the blind community. 

Our most recent agreement about accessible credit reports ends at the end of January. (All settlement agreements, in both lawsuits and structured negotiations, have ending dates.)

We are confident that the credit report companies understand the importance of accessible credit reports and will continue to offer them after our agreement expires. 

Information on how to obtain them is below. If you encounter any problems, please contact us at ACB using this email address: advocacy@acb.org.

  1. For braille, large print, or audio format: To obtain your credit report from Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion in braille, large print or audio format, please call 877-322-8228. This is an automated system. You will have to enter your personal information before you have the option to choose braille, large print, or audio format.
  2. For online access to your credit report, visit the AnnualCreditReport website at annualcreditreport.com.     

Select "Request Yours Now" from the top level menu and follow instructions.

 

Support Building for CONNECT for Health Act

 

In April 2025, the CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 was introduced with strong bipartisan support. The bill’s purpose is to make Medicare telehealth services permanent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary flexibilities allowed millions of older adults and people with disabilities to safely connect with their doctors through virtual care. The CONNECT for Health Act would remove those temporary restrictions to allow beneficiaries to receive home-based care, expand provider types eligible to provide telehealth services, and ensure continued access to virtual healthcare.   

We continue to see support for the CONNECT for Health Act grow. The bill has now reached 200 co-sponsors, including 45 Republicans, showing strong bipartisan support in securing long-term access to telehealth. Several additional members have recently joined, including Representatives Jared Moskowitz, Dina Titus, Greg Stanton, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Veronica Escobar, Max Miller, Elise Stefanik, Maria Elvira Salazar, Sylvia Garcia, Michael Rulli, Adelita Grijalva, Nellie Pou, and James Clyburn. We continue to see momentum build as discussions continue around the future of Medicare’s telehealth policies.  

Though Congress prepares another temporary extension of current telehealth policies, work continues to build up the necessary support for a permanent solution. A number of additional offices have also expressed interest in the bill, and continued outreach from stakeholders will be important in keeping this progress moving forward.  

 

ACB Announces New Partnership with FreeWill

 

The American Council of the Blind is pleased to announce a new partnership with FreeWill, a free online tool that helps individuals create or update a legally valid will.

Through this partnership, ACB members and supporters can plan for the future at no cost while also choosing to leave a lasting gift to support ACB’s mission. A planned gift through FreeWill helps ensure that advocacy, access, and opportunity for people who are blind or low vision continue for generations to come.

FreeWill is easy to use, secure, and can be completed on your own schedule. There is no obligation to include a charitable gift, but many supporters choose to do so as a meaningful way to reflect their values and commitment to the ACB community.

More information coming soon — visit ACB Planned Giving.

 

Notice of Digital Accessibility Settlement Concerning https://www.effyjewelry.com/

 

A proposed settlement has been reached that would resolve the class action lawsuit Douglass v. Effy Worldwide, Corp., No. GD-25-No. 010640 (C.C.P. Allegheny). The settlement involves Effy's commitment to improve its accessibility features on its website and mobile apps. For a more complete summary of the terms of the proposed settlement, please visit https://www.effyjewelry.com/ADAsettlement.

 

ACB Staffers to Attend Super Bowl

 

Several members of the ACB team will be attending this year’s Super Bowl to help advise the NFL on delivering the best experience for fans who are blind or have low vision. We’re thrilled at the opportunity to experience the big game firsthand while providing expert guidance to the NFL on making their live events even more accessible.

ACB Executive Director Scott Thornhill was featured today in an Associated Press article highlighting a tactile device that will be used at the Super Bowl. The OneCourt tablet translates live gameplay into trackable vibrations synced with real-time audio, allowing fans to follow the action as it happens. Read the full article here: https://apnews.com/.../nfl-blind-fans-super-bowl...

Follow ACB on social media for more updates about our experience at this year’s #superbowl, which will be played on February 8 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.