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The Washington Connection 6-23-25

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 June 23, 2025. Message 8 is new.

Thank you for calling the Washington Connection.

ACB’s New Advocacy Tool

 

ACB is excited to utilize a new tool called Speak4. This software will enable us to quickly and easily reach out to Congress and others about important advocacy issues we are working on in the national office. The software allows the national office to create action alerts we can then share with everyone to easily send emails to your congressmembers, or federal agencies, to advocate for legislation or other governmental activity. Participation can be as easy as entering your zip code and pressing send to reach out to your elected officials. The posts will commonly be sent out through the announce email list. There will also be an episode of the ACB Advocacy Update podcast that will talk about the new program. We encourage members to look for action alerts and participate by reaching out to advocate for these important advocacy needs.

 

D.C. Council of the Blind Sues the District of Columbia Over Lack of Accessible Pedestrian Signals

 

On May 28, 2025, three civil rights organizations — Disability Rights Advocates, Relman Colfax PLLC, and The Washington Lawyers’ Committee — filed a class action lawsuit against the District of Columbia on behalf of the D.C. Council of the Blind and five named plaintiffs, including our Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs at the American Council of the Blind, Claire Stanley.  

One of the most walkable cities in the United States, the complaint claims blind and low-vision pedestrians have encountered significant challenges navigating the District’s complex streetscape, which incorporates numerous traffic circles, skewed intersections, diagonal crosswalks, and median refuge islands. While D.C. has installed more than 1,600 visual pedestrian signals, the lawsuit alleges only a fraction of those devices include Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) that provide auditory, tactile, and vibrotactile cues. Of this small number of APS signals, many have been plagued with installation issues, improper programming, and poor maintenance, making them largely ineffective, according to the complaint. 

Without functional APS devices, the lawsuit highlights how blind or low-vision pedestrians must expend extra time, energy, and money to navigate the District safely, forcing them to pay a “blindness tax” to participate fully in daily activities.  

The complaint argues this systematic failure on the part of the District of Columbia violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act. The D.C. Council of the Blind and the five named plaintiffs are seeking injunctive relief from the courts to require the city to install and properly maintain more APS devices so blind and low-vision pedestrians can move about the District safely and independently. 

 

Direct Final Rule from Department of Energy on Construction of Buildings

 

On June 16, comments were due through the Federal Register for people to weigh in on a new Direct Final Rule (DFR) from the Department of Energy. The DFR concerns Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The proposal by the Department of Energy asks that entities constructing buildings covered by the Department of Energy can have more flexibility in how they make buildings accessible for people with disabilities; they argue that specific regulations are unnecessary. The DFR argued that constructing entities can deem on their own what is needed to make a building accessible for people with disabilities.

ACB wrote comments in response to this strongly arguing that the Section 504 regulations must remain in place; they have been successful for multiple decades. ACB is hopeful that its comments, and the comments of many disability advocates, will postpone the new final rule to protect Section 504 regulations to ensure that entities remain accessible for people with disabilities.

 

Congresswomen Simon and Hayes Introduce Legislation to Ensure Every Student Can Access Free Mobile Vision Services

 

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2025 – Today, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05) introduced the See the Board Act, legislation directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants available for nonprofit organizations that provide free, mobile vision services for students in public schools. This renewed effort aims to directly address the needs of students in California and across the country, recognizing the persistent challenges faced by families in accessing affordable eye care.

A lack of access to critical vision care causes an estimated 3 million students nationwide to go to school each day without the glasses they need to fully participate in class, negatively impacting their learning experience. Children with uncorrected vision are more likely to perform poorly in school and face lower self-confidence. Additionally, eye doctors see more children needing glasses earlier in their lives. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, since 1971, cases of nearsightedness in the U.S. nearly doubled to 42 percent.

“As the first congenitally blind Member of Congress, I’m very excited to co-lead the ‘See the Board’ Act with Congresswoman Hayes,” said Congresswoman Simon. “When I was in elementary school, I could not see the board or fully participate in school until I got the vision care I needed. By bringing free, mobile vision care directly to schools, this bill will ensure that thousands of children do not miss out on their education or futures because of barriers to vision care.”

“Ensuring every child can see is fundamental to their education and overall success. When students lack access to essential vision care, they face unnecessary hurdles in learning,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “The See the Board Act is a proactive solution, bringing crucial mobile vision services directly to our schools and removing financial and logistical barriers that prevent children from receiving the eye care they need to thrive.”

“More than 3 million students nationwide go to school every day without the glasses they need to see the board, read a book, or do their math homework. This legislation will support programs, like Vision To Learn, that provide eye exams and glasses to students who otherwise would not access critical vision care,” said Ann Hollister, President, Vision To Learn.

The See the Board Act would empower nonprofit organizations to significantly expand their reach and impact by:

  • Mandating the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants specifically for nonprofit entities delivering free, mobile vision services to students in public K-12 schools.
  • Enabling eligible organizations to utilize grant funds for the purchase and maintenance of essential portable eye care equipment.
  • Covering critical operational costs, including direct healthcare services, transportation of equipment and personnel, and necessary personal protective equipment.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Steve Cohen (TN-09), Summer Lee (PA-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), and Mark Takano (CA-39).

The See the Board Act is endorsed by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Vision to Learn, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association.

Read the full text of the bill here.

 

Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act Has Bipartisan Support in Congress

 

As of mid-June, ACB is excited to share that the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act, H.R. 3417, has strong, bipartisan support. The bill that was reintroduced in the 119th Congressional session now has two Republican and two Democratic sponsors. The bill was introduced by Republican Pete Sessions from Texas and recently co-sponsored by Republican Randy Weber, also from Texas. The two Democratic sponsors are Darren Soto from Florida and Steny Hoyer from Maryland. ACB and the other organizations it is working with continue to seek more bipartisan co-sponsors.

 

Busy Months for Disability Rights History

 

June and July are busy months for the history of disability rights. First, June 22 is the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling of Olmstead v. L.C. This case held that persons with disabilities are to receive services from their state in the most integrated setting possible. Then, July 26 is the anniversary of the passage of the landmark legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This piece of legislation specified the rights of persons with disabilities in the workplace, in state and local government services, and in private companies open to the public. This July, the ADA will celebrate its 35th anniversary. Because of the ADA, blind and low vision individuals have access to services such as accessible public transportation, the ability to travel in public places with their guide dogs, the ability to access audio-described content in movie theaters, access to alternative forms of accessible communication, and access to necessary accommodations in higher education. We are thankful for the advocates who helped push for the passage of the ADA and will continue to advocate for the rights of people who are blind or who have low vision.

 

Supreme Court Puts Out Unanimous Opinion in Education Case

 

On Thursday, June 12, 2025, the Supreme Court put out a unanimous opinion on an education-related case that the disability rights community is now excited about.

The case was brought by a teenage girl with epilepsy and her family from the state of Minnesota. She was fighting to receive as much instruction as her non-disabled peers. The legal question that was brought before the Supreme Court asked what standard of proof was necessary to demonstrate that the student was facing discrimination by the public school in education-related disability lawsuits.

The Supreme Court in its unanimous decision explained that the student and her parents were only required to show that the school system had acted with deliberate indifference toward her educational needs. This is the same standard that must be shown in other suits where people claim discrimination of disability. In contrast, the school district had argued that higher standard was necessary in school-based claims. The Court dismissed this claim.

Disability advocates are excited about this ruling. It is hoped that it will assist in future education-related cases for students with disabilities seeking better access.

You can read Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion at  https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-249_a86c.pdf.

 

Older Americans Reauthorization Act Introduced

 

On Wednesday, June 18, the Senate reintroduced the Older Americans Reauthorization Act. The OAA was last reauthorized in 2020. Congress had worked to reauthorize it in the last Congressional session, but was unsuccessful. ACB follows the bill closely because of the large number of aging Americans who are likely to lose vision. ACB has and continues to advocate for more provisions of the bill to include vision services for the aging community. ACB thanks our affiliate, AAVL, for their strong advocacy on this issue. ACB will continue to advocate for greater inclusion of vision-related services in the bill. For more information, read the press release at https://tinyurl.com/33hcsdxb.