The Audio Description Project (ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) are proud to announce the winners of the 2024 BADIE awards. Celebrating the Benefits of Audio Description In Education, the contest invites students who are blind or have low vision to watch an audio described (AD) video and write an essay evaluating the quality and usefulness of the AD.

This year’s winners are:

Grand Prize
Lyla Duffy, Washington
Review of I Am Ruby Bridges

Seniors (ages 16 to 21)
First place: Charles Johnson, Washington
…

The American Council of the Blind (ACB), the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) applaud the Biden administration for announcing a final rule requiring state and local governments to ensure that their websites and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities. The rule is awaiting official publication in the Federal Register.

Read the full joint statement:…

After years of working closely with Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and Disability Rights California (DRC) on accessible voting, American Council of the Blind (ACB) affiliate California Council of the Blind is leading a coalition of disability organizations in filing a motion for a preliminary injunction requiring the California Secretary of State to implement accessible electronic mechanisms for voters with print disabilities to return their vote-by-mail ballots privately and independently by the November election. The lawsuit aims to ensure that California’s vote-by-mail…

March is Women's History Month, and the American Council of the Blind (ACB) is proud to honor Dr. Margaret Rockwell Pfanstiehl (pronounced FAN-STEEL), a lifelong advocate for people who are blind or have low vision and a pioneer in the fields of accessibility and audio description.

Margaret, who was almost entirely blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, was on the leading edge of the accessibility movement. In the early 1970s, after earning her Ed.D. degree, she garnered support and funding around the Washington, D.C., area and founded the Metropolitan Washington Ear, an organization…

Alexandria, Va., March 18, 2024 – Scott Thornhill took office today as the new Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind (ACB). Thornhill was voted in by the ACB Board to lead the 62-year-old organization.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to lead an organization with such a rich history,” said Thornhill. “The strength of ACB is a combination of our members, our supporters, and the larger blindness community that we serve. I look forward to us achieving even more impactful results in the years to come."

For the past five years, Thornhill…

Select the link from the list below for the BOP meeting minutes you would like to read.

• December 2023
• November 2023
• October 2023
• September 2023
• August 2023
• July 2023 (no meeting)
• June 2023
• May 2023
• …

Below are the links to the meeting minutes of the American Council of the Blind's Board of Directors for the year 2021.

• February 10, 2021 ACB Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
• April 29, 2021 ACB Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
• July 16, 2021 ACB Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
• August 31, 2021 ACB Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
• …

What do a chef, a museum, and a very large telescope have in common? They were all recipients of a 2023 ADP Award! The ADP Awards recognize achievement in audio description in seven categories, including media, performing arts, museums, the public sector, and research and development. Nominations will be accepted from January 8 to April 21, 2024, and the winners will be announced in July at the American Council of the Blind’s Conference and Convention.

Who Can Submit a Nomination?

Everyone! You are welcome to nominate yourself, your local theatre or museum, or…

Alexandria, Va., Dec. 22, 2023 – The American Council of the Blind (ACB) announces that Claire Stanley is joining ACB as the new Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs. Claire has been involved in the field of disability advocacy for over a decade. In her last role as a Public Policy Analyst at the National Disability Rights Network, she advocated for policies that impacted people with disabilities, and also collaborated with other disability organizations including ACB.

In fact, this is not Claire’s first time at ACB. She held the role of Advocacy and…

Alexandria, Va., Dec. 22, 2023 – The 2024 American Council of the Blind (ACB) Leadership Conference will be a hybrid event. ACB’s Board Meeting, Presidents’ Meeting, Legislative Seminar, and Capitol Hill visits will take place March 1-5, 2024, at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA.

Visit our conference page at: https://www.acb.org/acb-2024-leadership-conference for details. 

To register for the conference, visit members.acb.org. Log into your account or create an…