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The Washington Connection 12-18-25

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 December 18, 2025. Messages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 are new.

Thank you for calling the Washington Connection.

Blind, Low Vision Washingtonians Excited for Waymo’s Arrival

 

(This article by Claire Stanley was published in “The Washington Post” on December 15, 2025.)

For most people in D.C., hailing a ride is a mundane act. You tap a few buttons, wait a few minutes, get in and go. It is an extremely convenient way to get door to door when other options aren’t the right fit. For those of us who are blind or have low vision, that same routine is a source of profound anxiety because of uncertainty that I will be accepted by the driver.

This is the reality of traveling with a guide dog. Despite federal laws prohibiting discrimination, rideshare denials are a weekly, if not daily, indignity. Blind Washingtonians are frequently left curbside because drivers refuse to transport a service animal.

Recently, I experienced a glimpse of a future where that anxiety does not exist: I traveled to the West Coast on a business trip and hailed a Waymo. These vehicles use advanced technology to navigate complex city streets entirely on their own. It's a dream for someone like me.

For the first time in a long time, I did not feel like a passenger with a "special request." I was just a passenger. The sensors on the car did not care that I was blind. They were focused on getting me safely to my destination.

This renewed sense of independence is why many blind and low-vision Washingtonians are excited about Waymo’s arrival in D.C. District officials need to provide a legal path for Waymo to remove the human from the vehicle and accept all riders.

We support this technology because it breaks down the isolation so many of us face, and promises a driver that doesn’t discriminate, and is never distracted or impaired, yielding safety benefits for everyone.

 

FCC Issues Notice of Proposed Rule-Making on Combatting Robocalls

 

In early December, a new Notice of Proposed Rule-Making (NPRM) was published in the Federal Register by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on combatting robocalls. The NPRM has a few questions concerning access for persons with disabilities using accessible technology. ACB is reviewing the notice and will determine if it will submit comments by the January 5, 2026 due date. ACB encourages any member to draft their own comments if interested in the topic.

To read the NPRM, visit https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/05/2025-22063/advanced-methods-to-target-and-eliminate-robocalls.

 

State Department Changes Font to Times New Roman

 

On Thursday, December 11, the U.S. State Department adopted a new official font to be used for all official department documents. The Biden administration adopted the Calibri font. Many advocate that this font is most accessible for persons with low vision. Secretary Marco Rubio instructed that the department return to the use of Times New Roman. Many advocates in the disability community have spoken out. ACB’s low vision affiliate, CCLVI, along with other affiliates, plan to put out a public statement in opposition to this change.

 

Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit

 

ACB was excited to learn more about the Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit (DAT). The DAT came out this fall. Claire Stanley, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, learned more about the toolkit at the wearables conference in Menlo Park, Calif. this month.

The DAT provides guidance to developers on how to integrate their apps to be usable through the Meta glasses. In other words, the DAT lets your mobile phone application access and interact with the glasses.

ACB is excited to see what will be developed next.

 

Access Barriers at SeaWorld

 

ACB has reported potential examples of access barriers at the SeaWorld theme park to the Department of Justice. They let us know that members can forward any other access barriers such as barriers to auxiliary aids and services or access denials directly to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida via email at USAFLM.Civil.Rights@usdoj.gov, or by calling the civil rights hotline, which is (813) 274-6095. Please be advised that the hotline goes straight to voicemail, and calls are returned as necessary after the Florida intake team has had the chance to review them.

 

Notice of Digital Accessibility Settlement Concerning Husqvarna's Websites

 

A proposed settlement has been reached that would resolve the class action lawsuit Douglass v. Husqvarna Professional Products, Inc., Case No. 2:25-cv-00771 (W.D. Pa.). The lawsuit alleges that Husqvarna Professional Products, Inc. violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101, et seq., by failing to take the necessary steps to ensure its website and mobile apps do not discriminate against individuals who are blind and/or who have a visual disability. Under the settlement, Husqvarna agrees to make its website and any new website or mobile app it develops or acquires accessible to individuals who are blind and/or who have a visual disability. For a more complete summary of the terms of the proposed settlement, please visit https://www.husqvarnaADAsettlement.com.

If you have questions, contact East End Trial Group at https://eastendtrialgroup.com.

 

Markey Announces Comprehensive Family Caregiving Legislative Agenda

 

WASHINGTON (Nov. 20, 2025) – Sen. Edward J. Markey, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, announced the reintroduction of his “Caring for Caregivers” legislative agenda to support the needs of family caregivers nationwide. The bills support family caregivers’ economic, physical, and emotional health through financial literacy resources, expansion of peer support services and respite care, and access to medically tailored meals.

“The work of family caregivers is personal for me. When my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, my father cared for her in our home in Malden for thirteen years. My mother and father deserved better care and more support,” said Senator Markey. “It is time we invest in family caregivers what they invest into our loved ones. Family caregivers deserve to receive the recognition, services, supports, and resources they are due — that is why I am reintroducing my ‘Caring for Caregivers’ agenda.”

As part of his “Caring for Caregivers” agenda, Senator Markey is reintroducing a suite of legislation:

  • Respite Care and Resources for Everyone (CARE) Act, legislation to support the development or establishment of integrated settings where family caregivers can receive respite care simultaneously with other supportive services. This would improve the accessibility of both respite care and supportive services. These supportive services under the Older Americans Act include counseling, financial planning, nutrition literacy, and information about other available programs for older adults and their caregivers.

A copy of the legislation can be found HERE.

  • Financial Services Improving Noble and Necessary Caregiving Experience (FINANCE) Act, legislation to support grants through the Older Americans Act for financial planning for family caregivers, including budgeting and saving, debt and bankruptcy, referrals to legal assistance for estate and will planning, and referrals to information published by the National Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning.

To read this bill, visit HERE.

  • Family Caregiver Peer Support Act, legislation that would authorize $10 million annually for grants to develop or expand peer support programs for family caregivers, with priority for programs that serve low-income, BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ+ caregivers, and/or caregivers with disabilities.

    A copy of the legislation can be found HERE.

  • Family Caregiving Research and Innovation Act, legislation to include family caregiving under the Administration on Community Living’s Innovation Lab. The Innovation Lab is charged with developing research and providing technical assistance.

To view this legislation, go HERE.

  • Disease Intervention through Nutrition Education (DINE) Act, legislation that would expand Food is Medicine under the Older Americans Act by adding screening and referrals to Food is Medicine programs under the Act’s health promotion and disease prevention work. The Act would also include food-based interventions, such as produce prescriptions to the Administration’s long-term planning of nutrition programs as they examine trends in aging and nutrition.

To read this piece of legislation, go HERE.

  • Convenient Care for Caregivers Act, legislation to support pilot projects through the Older Americans Act for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their family caregivers to receive health care and other supportive services at the same time and location.

A copy of this legislation can be found HERE.

 

Lawler, Correa Introduce New ADA Notification Bill

 

Over the years, Congress has introduced bills generally referred to as ADA notification bills. These bills have called for the creation of a policy where a business would have a set amount of time to be put on alert about an ADA violation. During that time frame, they would have the opportunity to remedy the violation. One of the best-known examples of such a bill was the passage of the House bill H.R. 620 in 2018. Much of the disability community has openly spoken out against such bills. The responsibility would be put on the person with a disability to notify the business. The clock would then start ticking to give the company time to fix the accessibility problems. Persons with disabilities do not want such a responsibility. Furthermore, the patron would also have to wait an extended amount of time to access the product or service while it is made accessible. In the 2018 bill, businesses would be given 90 days to remedy the access challenge.

A similar bill was introduced again this week on December 9 by Congressmembers Lawler from New York and Correa from California. Correa is a former sponsor of such bills. Under the new bill text, businesses would only be given 30 days. ACB will follow the movement of this bill closely. If you live in either of these congressmembers’ districts, we encourage you to reach out and express the dangers of the bill. To read the full press release, and access the bill, visit https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5157.