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Press Room

Welcome to the ACB Press Room

The American Council of the Blind’s news is available through official press releases, media and broadcast articles, ACB Media, and digital announcements. Check back often to follow the most recent news stories that matter for those who are blind and low-vision and for how ACB is working to make a difference.

Media Relations Contact: [email protected]

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This guide outlines the primary written and visual standards of the American Council of the Blind brand. Please visit this link to access our Brand Standard Guidelines.

ACB News

November

October

July 2024

May 2024

April 2024

  • Joint Statement Applauding Final Rule for Web Accessibility Under Title II of the ADA: 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.
  • ACB Affiliate California Council of the Blind Leads Coalition of Disability Groups to Ensure Accessible Ballot Return for 2024 Elections: 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.

March 2024

  • ACB Recognizes Women's History Month: March is Women's History Month, and ACB is proud to honor Dr. Margaret Rockwell Pfanstiehl, a lifelong advocate for people who are blind or have low vision and a pioneer in the fields of accessibility and audio description.
  • ACB Names Scott Thornhill as New Executive Director: Scott Thornhill took office 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.

January 2024

  • Announcing the Call for Nominations for the 2024 ADP Awards: 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.

December 2023

  • New Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs: 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.
  • 2024 ACB Leadership Conference: The 2024 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.

November 2023

  • 2023 Audio Description Awards Gala Recipients: ACB announces the individuals and organizations honored at the 2023 Audio Description Awards Gala held November 14. Created in 2021 to recognize achievement in audio description in entertainment and educational media, the Awards Gala featured celebrity guests, film clips, and multiple award categories. For the first time, the Gala was broadcast in English and Spanish.

October 2023

September 2023

  • 2023 Convention Podcasts: All recordings of the 2023 ACB Conference and Convention sessions are now available via podcast. 

August 2023

  • The American Council of the Blind’s 2023 Audio Description People’s Choice Award: The American Council of the Blind (ACB) announces that the 2023 Audio Description People’s Choice Award finalist vote is open through August 15th. The finalists in the category of films are: Top Gun: Maverick, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Little Mermaid (Live Action), Flamin’ Hot, and Emergency. The finalists in the category of series are: Stranger Things, Better Call Saul, Alma’s Way, Wednesday, and Star Trek: Picard. 

July 2023

June 2023

May 2023

  • Max Launches on May 23 – What to Expect for ACB Members: On May 23, HBO Max became Max and launched with over 6,500 hours of audio described content thanks to the 2020 agreement that was negotiated by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) on behalf of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and Bay State Council of the Blind.
  • Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day: The purpose of this annual day of observance is to raise awareness of how the lives of people with disabilities have been improved by accessibility while still recognizing the work that remains to make the virtual environment inclusive for all. 
  • Statement on Global Accessibility Awareness Day from 52 National Disability Advocates for Digital Inclusion: 52 national disability organizations have joined together to celebrate the transformative impact of accessible technology and call on the federal government to require websites and software applications to be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
  • New ACB Media Podcasts: ACB Media is proud to announce the addition of two new podcast feeds, "ACB Business" and "Podcasts en español de la ACB" available through Apple Podcasts.

April 2023

March 2023

February 2023

January 2023

  • Registration Opens for ACB's 2023 Leadership Conference
  • 2023 ADP Award Nominations: ACB’s Audio Description Project announces call for nominations for the fifteenth annual ADP Awards in 2023.
  • DKM First-Timers: The Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) First-Timers award connects two recipients — one from east and one from west of the Mississippi River — with possibilities and opportunities to enhance their lives through personalized leadership development activities. 
  • 2023 ACB/JPMC Leadership Fellows: The ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows award connects five recipients who have demonstrated leadership potential to enhance their lives through personalized leadership development activities.
  • 2023 Employee Announcements: welcoming Tabitha Kenlon as our new ADP Project Coordinator. We have also announced that Jo Lynn Bailey-Page has transitioned from her role as Grant Writer and Audio Description Coordinator to Associate Director of Development.

December 2022

November 2022

October 2022

  • 2022 ACB Convention Podcasts & Videos: ACB Media is proud to announce that the podcasts & edited videos of the 2022 ACB Conference and Convention in Omaha, Nebraska are now available.
  • NASCAR's VIVID with Audio Description: ACB Staff member Kolby Garrison was featured in a series about how she experiences NASCAR racing, her favorite sport. Take part in her incredible adventure through NASCAR's VIVID, now available with audio description.
  • Entretenimiento Accesible En Español: Conchita Hernández Legorreta nos cuenta sobre la importancia de la audio descripción en español.

September 2022

August 2022

July 2022

  • App Update from Concept2 Includes New Accessibility Features: Leading sport and fitness equipment manufacturer Concept2 has released a major new update for their popular ErgData app. The app has many new features, including audio guidance in both Apple and Android versions to increase accessibility. During development, Concept2 worked with the American Council of the Blind to help ensure the app was accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.
  • Announcing the ACB Mentoring Program: The American Council of the Blind Mentoring Program will begin as a Pilot Program with 12 mentors and 12 mentees from September 2022 through June 2023. 
  • 2022 ACB Scholarship Recipients: Congratulations to our 2022 scholarship recipients!
  • Introducing the 2022 DKM First-Timers: We are happy to present to you, the Class of 2022 DKM First-Timers who have met all requirements to be considered for and selected as recipients of this prestigious honor. Congratulations to Joe Derrick Green and Gregg Wandsneider!
  • Introducing the Class of 2022 ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows: Judy Brown, Danette Dixon, Kristen Kelling, Byron Lee, Cecily Laney Nipper

June 2022

May 2022

March 2022

  • ACB Commends CBS on Expanding Description: The American Council of the Blind (ACB) congratulates the CBS Television Network for significantly increasing the amount of programming it makes available on CBS with Audio Description (AD).  In keeping with its ongoing commitment to accessibility, CBS recently added AD to seven primetime series: Bull, Ghosts, United States of Al, S.W.A.T., Good Sam, Magnum P.I, and Undercover Boss. With these additions, CBS now offers AD with nearly all of its regularly scheduled scripted primetime programs.

February 2022

  • Joint Letter to Enforce Accessibility Standards: The American Council of the Blind is among 181 undersigned disability organizations who believe that there is an urgent need for digital accessibility regulations. On February 28, 2022, we sent the Department of Justice a letter urging them to promulgate enforceable online accessibility standards by the end of the current Administration. The letter, as well as a quote from ACB Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs Clark Rachfal, was featured in an article by Engadget. 
  • Dots and Dashes Now Includes More Accessible Content: Through ACB's collaboration with Constant Contact we were able to add accessibility improvements in our Dots and Dashes newsletter in the form of headings. We are pleased to share with you that we can now include content headings to break up content subjects in the newsletter making reading the content a more user-friendly experience.
  • ACB's 2022 Legislative Imperatives: Our 2022 legislative imperatives represent several key issues in the 117th Congress that ACB believes will help us on our road to full independence and participation in our society.

January 2022

December 2021

November 2021

October 2021

September 2021

August 2021

  • Absentee and Vote by Mail Barriers for Voters with Disabilities: EAC Commissioner Ben Hovland was joined by ACB Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs Clark Rachfal, Office of the Ohio Secretary of State ADA Coordinator Brett Harbage, California Assistant Secretary of State, Help America Vote Act State Director, and Counsel for the Secretary of State Susan Lapsley, California Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee Coordinator Reina Miller, and Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman to discuss absentee and vote by mail barriers as a part of the Serving Voters with Disabilities series. 
  • Social Security Administration Notices: ACB, along with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), Justice in Aging and other disability advocacy organizations, sent a letter to the general counsel of the Social Security Administration to express concerns with a new policy that will make it more difficult for SSA clients to receive documents in an accessible format.
  • 2021 ACB Awards: ACB’s annual awards recognizes individuals, organizations, and affiliates who have contributed to the blindness community.
  • Newly Elected ACB Officer and Board Members: ACB Advocacy team interview with ACB officer and board members who were newly elected in ACB’s first-ever virtual elections this July.
  • Call to Action: Disability Access to Transportation Act, H.R. 1697
  • ACB Introduces Get Up and Get Moving Campaign

July 2021

June 2021

  • ACB Encourages State Assembly to Pass H-6004 Equal Access to Voting for Voters with Disabilities
  • Washington Post Accessible Currency Article: ACB Executive Director Eric Bridges shared that “the combination of Harriet Tubman adorning the first piece of accessible currency would make a powerful statement” in this article. 
  • ACB 2021 Virtual Convention: Building on the success of the ACB virtual 2020 Conference & Convention, ACB will be hosting its 60th annual convention virtually, from July 16 through July 23, 2021, providing the opportunity to feature an exciting series of speakers, networking events and learning opportunities with ACB members and conference participants.
  • ACB Alexa Skill Update: ACB Media Network launched a new Alexa skill called ACB Media on June 27, 2021 that replaced the previous ACB Alexa skills. To access the new skill from your Alexa-enabled device first enable the skill by saying: "Alexa, enable ACB Media". Then you can launch the skill by saying "Alexa, open ACB Media".

May 2021

April 2021

  • Virginia Agrees to Provide Accessible Absentee Voting Option for Voters with Print Disabilities: The Commonwealth of Virginia will permanently make its elections accessible and safe for voters who cannot mark a paper ballot privately and independently due to disabilities such as blindness, beginning with the June 2021 Primary Election   . In 2020, we filed suit together with a coalition of disability advocates to make this change possible.
  • ACB Urges Congress to Amend H.R. 1 and S. 1, Securing Access to Accessible Voting: The For the People Act (H.R. 1, S. 1) would eliminate accessible voting options & prevent innovation in election technology, barring accessibility gains in the future and silencing the voice of millions of Americans who are blind and visually impaired. 
  • The New $20: A Chance for Accessible Currency: ACB President Dan Spoone had an engaging opinion piece calling for accessible currency published this week in The Hill. The commentary bridged two leading voices for equality who lived an ocean apart two centuries ago, but now are brought together by the opportunity for a new $20 bill. 
  • ACB Celebrates NATAD: ACB's advocacy team, Clark Rachfal and Swatha Nandhakumar, were joined by Matt Ater, Vice President of Vispero, and Don Barrett, ACB Member, to discuss assistive technology: what it is; why it is so important; and what role assistive technology will play in our lives going forward. 
  • ACB Spring Update Video: Spring has definitely sprung and there is a lot on the horizon for ACB! Learn more about the exciting work currently underway.
  • Cogswell Macy Act: ACB Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs, Clark Rachfal, moderated a panel discussion to mobilize advocates in support of the reintroduced Cogswell Macy Act.
  • Donor Update Call: During this presentation we discuss all the amazing things underway at ACB, all possible due to the wonderful support of our donors. We share our past accomplishments and what is on the horizon, and most importantly give thanks to our supporters. 
  • American Council of the Blind Letter Supporting S. 1260: Eliminating barriers to transportation and enhancing independent travel are critical to ensuring people with disabilities are integrated in our communities and have equal opportunities to move freely. For these reasons, ACB strongly supports the inclusion and passage of S. 1260 as an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act as offered by Senators Peters and Thune, which would incentivize American companies to test and develop accessible autonomous vehicles. 

March 2021

  • HBO Max Rolls Out Audio Described Content: HBO Max released nearly 1500 hours of audio described content and significant screen reader access improvements, with more to come over the next two years, based on a landmark agreement between the American Council of the Blind, Disability Rights Advocates, HBO, Bay State Council of the Blind, and Disability Law Center Inc.
  • Verizon Media Announces $5M Media Donation for ACB and Other Disability Organizations: On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Verizon Media announced that they will be donating $5 million in media to a number of disability organizations, including ACB.
  • AFB and ACB Applaud Reintroduction of the Disability Access to Transportation Act: ACB urges our members to follow up with your Representatives to ask them to cosponsor and pass H.R. 1697.
  • ACB Quoted in WSJ Article on Accessible Currency: The Wall Street Journal published an article on accessible currency, spotlighting Britain’s newest tactile denomination and drawing attention to the United States failure to find a similar solution for accessible currency a generation after ACB filed its law suit. ACB Executive Director Eric Bridges is quoted in the article.
  • Air Carrier Access Amendments Act: U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) reintroduced the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act on March 9, to protect the rights of airplane passengers with disabilities, improve air travel safety and close service gaps that passengers with disabilities frequently encounter in air travel. For 35 years, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) has prohibited discrimination based on disability in air travel. Despite this effort, too many travelers with disabilities encounter significant barriers—such as damaged assistive devices and wheelchairs, delayed assistance, ineffective communications, and lack of seating accommodations. 
  • ACB Celebrates a Year of Community: When the pandemic hit and everyone was told to shelter in place, we turned isolation into connection. From education, training, and information sharing, to peer support, socialization, and fun, learn what this growing community has meant to so many people in and outside of ACB over the past year.

February 2021

January 2021

  • Accessibility in Tech Improved in 2020, But More Must Be Done: The year 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and many of the biggest tech companies updated their products to improve accessibility. But the work to foster an inclusive industry that doesn’t overlook an underrepresented community is never done, and there are still areas that need attention. An article by Engadget, which includes a quote from ACB Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs Clark Rachfal, reflects on tech’s progress in 2020.
  • Inauguration with Audio Description: The audio described Inauguration festivities that were streamed on YouTube and ACB Radio Live Event are available as a podcast on our ACB Events feed. 
  • ACB Statement Concerning the Events of January 6, 2021

Archive (2020-2013)