2021 AD Awards Call for Nominations
The Audio Description Project recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of audio description through the Audio Description Awards. The call for nominations ends on Sunday, May 23, 2021, with winners announced during a plenary general session of the American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention in July 2021. To learn more about the award categories and how to submit nominations, visit: https://acb.org/2021-adp-awards-nominations.
ACB Job Posting: Administrative Assistant
Join the ACB team! ACB's Alexandria, Virginia office is looking for applicants for a part-time administrative assistant position. For more details, visit: https://www.acb.org/jobs#Admin-Asst-Alexandria-VA.
Employee Announcement: Manager of Communications
The American Council of the Blind is proud to announce the newest member of our team: Jennifer Flatt! On May 10th, Jennifer will join us as Manager of Communications. She will support Tony Stephens, Director of Development, with overseeing the creation and execution of a Content Management Strategy across all communications channels, designed to maximize cross promotion, expand ACB reach, and increase membership. To learn more about Jennifer, visit: https://acb.org/manager-communications-announcement-2021.
American Council of the Blind Letter Supporting S. 1260
ACB is a nationwide member-driven advocacy organization that strives to increase the security, independence, economic opportunity, and quality of life for people who are blind and experiencing vision loss. 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. To read ACB's letter of support for S. 1260, visit https://acb.org/support-letter-s1260.
ACB Advocacy Update: Autonomous Vehicle Industry Panel
On this week’s episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, we revisit a presentation from the ACB DC Leadership Conference. Ron Brooks, former Chair of the ACB Transportation and Advocacy Steering Committees, moderates a conversation with industry leaders incorporating accessibility in autonomous vehicle design, testing and development, including: Eric Danko, Director of Federal Affairs, Cruise; George Ivanov, Head of International Policy & government Affairs, Waymo; & Dave Furukawa, co-Founder, Foresight Augmented Reality. Listen via your favorite podcast player or online at: https://tinyurl.com/ywdkzf83.
Sunday Edition: Mother’s Day
The Mother’s Day Sunday Edition show will feature great moms in the ACB community. If you know a mom you consider to be amazing, please send a short testimonial to [email protected]. The host of Sunday Edition, Anthony Corona, will read the testimonials on the show, and will also be interviewing a selection of submission applicants during this episode.
FCC Seeks Comments for TBS AD Waiver Request
On April 29, 2021, the FCC released a Public Notice seeking comment on TBS’s petition for limited waiver of the requirement to provide 87.5 hours of audio described programming per calendar quarter. WarnerMedia is requesting this waiver for TBS, because the audio description re-run rule does not adequately count the full quantity of audio description aired by TBS. ACB encourages all interested parties to file comments in support of the TBS waiver request. Comments are due by June 1, 2021; and reply comments are due by June 14, 2021. For instructions on how to submit comments, and to learn more details, visit: https://acb.org/FCC-comments-TBS-AD-waiver.
Microsoft 5-Year Commitment
This week, Microsoft announced they are launching a 5-year commitment to help bridge the “Disability Divide,” the gap in societal inclusion for the more than one billion people with disabilities globally. Microsoft is doubling down to expand what is possible with accessible technology, opening doors for disabled talent to enter the workforce and continuing their journey of disability inclusion in the workplace. Learn more by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/3nj4pmbb.
Amtrak Compensation Claims
People with mobility disabilities who encountered inaccessible Amtrak stations can now begin submitting claims for monetary compensation. Claims must be submitted by May 29, 2021. Visit https://amtrakdisabilitysettlement.com/ to find out if you’re qualified for a compensation fund. Amtrak created the compensation fund as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) which found the railroad had engaged in disability discrimination violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the agreement, Amtrak will fix inaccessible stations and pay $2.25 million to victims hurt by inaccessibility at 78 stations. To learn more, visit: https://www.dlcv.org/amtrak.