Yesterday, October 8^th, 2020, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). The CVAA, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 8, 2010, remains one of the greatest legislative achievements for Americans who are blind and visually impaired in the digital age.

On Facebook live, we welcomed leaders from our community, congress and the private sector who were instrumental in the passage of this landmark legislation. Our special guests included Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), his former Chief of Staff…

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Clark Rachfal, crachfal@acb.org

WASHINGTON (Oct. 7, 2020) — The American Council of the Blind celebrates on this day the advocates, industry, and congressional leaders who participated in the passage and signing of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010. The CVAA, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 8, 2010, remains one of the greatest legislative achievements for Americans who are blind and visually impaired in…

This Notice has been approved by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Be advised of the preliminary approval of the settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by Valerie Brooks (the “Named Plaintiff”) against Pressed Juicery, Inc., and Does 1-10 (“Pressed Juicery”). The Named Plaintiff, individually and on behalf of all members of the Settlement Classes, as defined below, alleges that, as individuals with visual impairments, they were denied equal access to or enjoyment of the Pressed Juicery’s website,…

We’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) this Thursday, October 8th. Tune in to our Facebook Live feed by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yxhzlkvt at 10:30am ET as we welcome leaders from our community, congress and the private sector who were instrumental in passage of this landmark legislation. Our special guests will reflect on the power of collaboration, the progress made over the past ten years, and what opportunities rest just over the horizon.

The CVAA continues to…

ACB is pleased to share its annual report for 2019. The report highlights our key successes and provides an overall snapshot of ACB’s financial position at the end of 2019. The theme for the design is “Building Our Future,” highlighting the work undertaken in 2019, which has significantly helped in preparing ACB to weather the economic impact of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to Kelly Gasque for her work on the design of the document. Visit this link to view our 2019 annual report.

On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, the National Coalition for Accessible Voting (NCAV) launched a “Plan Your Vote” guide to assist voters in developing a plan to assist them vote in November and future election cycles. This how-to work sheet guides voters through the various stages of voting, as well as the different options voters have when determining how they will vote. The guide was written in an easy-to-follow manner and structure to assist all persons in the planning process. More than ever before, voters must have a voting plan, and this guide offers several resources to equip…

As most members of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) know, our organization has been working on a lawsuit against the Department of the Treasury for 18 years now seeking a requirement that the federal government make paper currency accessible for blind and visually impaired people. Most recently, the government successfully argued that it could not fulfill a 2026 requirement to make a fraction of paper denominations accessible. The attorney representing ACB, Jeffrey Lovitky, in an appeal argued against that decision in front of an appellate court on Friday, September 18, 2020. The…

ALEXANDRIA, VA – September 15, 2020 – The search for films or videos with audio description is now easier than ever. The American Council of the Blind and its Audio Description Project has made a new search function available where a title or part of a title can be entered, resulting in matches in a Master Audio Description (AD) List.

This search may be initiated on the main website page (https://adp.acb.org/), the Master AD List (https://adp.acb.org/masterad.html) or on its own page (…

We are pleased to announce the addition of Natalia Ratcliffe to our ACB staff. Nat will be interning with us for the next few months as a Membership Administrative Assistant reporting directly to Cindy Hollis, Membership Services Coordinator, assisting directly with our growing community and other membership-related programs. You can contact Nat at nratcliffe@acb.org.

It is fitting to have Nat work in this role considering she came to ACB through our community events five months ago and quickly engaged herself as a volunteer, hosting and…

The Commonwealth Agrees to Consent Decree for November 3^rd Election that will Include Electronic Ballot Marking

August 31, 2020 – Alexandria, VA – The Commonwealth of Virginia committed to making the November 2020 election accessible and safe for voters who cannot mark a paper ballot privately and independently due to disabilities such as blindness. As a result of the lawsuit and preliminary injunction filed by several voters with disabilities, the American Council of the Blind of Virginia, and the National Federation of…