Sugar Star Films is hosting a casting call for a series of videos about Accessibility Features on Facebook. Casting Details: People of all ages and ethnicities are welcome to submit a video Participants must be based in the US People with mobility disabilities as well as vision and hearing loss should be encouraged to submit an application Application Instructions:  Those interested in applying to this casting should make a 1-2 minute video of themselves that includes your name, an activity that you enjoy, and explain how you would be a good fit for the casting criteria and this video series. Technology Requirement: Videos can be shot on phone or recorded device. Deadline for submissions is:  10/21 with production scheduled to take place between 11/15-12/10.   Please note that If you are selected production will be coordinated with you at your location.  Please submit your application to this Dropbox folder.

The Multicultural Affairs Committee (MCAC) invites you to join their first bilingual Spanish and English Focus Call via Zoom on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT/5:30pm PT. The members of MCAC chose this memoir of our first female Hispanic Supreme Court Justice because it tells a story that seems familiar but yet is unique to the life and experiences of Sonia Sotomayor. They also chose this book because it's available in audio, braille, English and Spanish. MCAC invites you to read the book, join them and have a great conversation. ACB members will be on hand to facilitate the translation between the two languages so that all in attendance can participate. The Zoom information for this call will be available on our community event email list. You can subscribe to this list to by sending an email to: [email protected]. My Beloved World Sotomayor, Sonia Reading time: 12 hours, 32 minutes, Db 76059 Br 19806 Memoir of United States Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954). Recalls growing up with her Puerto Rican family in the Bronx and being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Discusses her family life, education at Princeton and Yale, and becoming a district court judge in 1992. Spanish language. 2013. El Comité de Asuntos Multiculturales te invita a que nos acompañes en nuestra primera llamada bilingüe, en inglés y en español a través de Zoom. Los miembros de éste comité escogió ésta memoria de nuestra Primera jueza hispana de la Corte Suprema porque cuenta una historia que es conocida, pero a la vez es única a la vida y experiencias de Sonia Sotomayor. Éste libro fue escogido por que esta disponible en inglés, español, en audio, y en Braille. Te invitamos a leer este libro. Acompáñanos, y tengamos una buena conversación. Tendremos miembros del Consejo Americano de Invidentes en ésta llamada para traducir en los dos idiomas para que todos presentes puedan participar. Cuándo: martes, noviembre 23, 2021 Hora: 8:30 P.M., hora del éste, 7:30, hora central, Y 5:30 hora pacífico Lugar: A través de Zoom. La información se distribuirá acercándose a la fecha. Mi mundo adorado DB 76955 Sotomayor, SoniaTiempo De Lectura: 13 horas, 51 minutos. Memoria de la primera jueza de origen hispano en la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos, Sonia Sotomayor (nacido en 1954). Sotomayor recuerda sus años de crecimiento con su familia en Puerto Rico y en el Bronx y de ser diagnosticado con diabetes juvenil. Relata su vida familiar, su educación en Princeton y Yale, y su carrera hasta convertirse en un juez federal en 1992. Traducido del Inglés por Eva Ibarzábal

Apple Siri Actions Apple is working to reinstate some Siri Email and Phone actions, which were temporarily removed as part of updates to improve Siri. You will be able to ask Siri to write, send and check unread emails in the coming weeks. Reinstating Siri actions to check call history and voicemail will take a bit more time, and they will bring back this functionality in an upcoming iOS software update.  Planet Fitness Accessible Exercise Equipment Planet Fitness, one of the largest and fastest-growing global franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, and the American Council of the Blind, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and National Council on Independent Living (collectively “Coalition for Inclusive Fitness” or the “Coalition”) announced a commitment to expand access to accessible exercise equipment. Learn more by visiting: https://acb.org/planet-fitness.   Get Up & Get Moving Dance Party: Oct 15, 2021 Join us on ACB Media 4 Café for the Get up and Get Moving Dance Party on October 15th to celebrate White Cane Day. We will be playing the chart toppers to inspire you, starting with the 1960s with DJ Darrow at 2pm ET/11am PT. The fun will continue all through the afternoon until we reach today’s hits. Help us celebrate ACB’s 60th year as we celebrate the importance of White Cane Day, the ACB way! Seinfeld Audio Description Seinfeld is one of the most popular TV series of all time and is now available on Netflix with audio description! All 180 episodes have been voiced by Satauna Howery, an experienced voiceover artist who is a member of ACB’s Audio Description Project Media committee. To listen to the story behind the audio description recording, visit: http://ow.ly/i3lL50GktHT. Start watching Seinfeld with Audio Description on Netflix at: http://ow.ly/xuKb50GktHS. Medicare Vision Coverage and Low Vision Devices Action Alert ACB supports the Medicare Vision Act and urges congress to include it in the upcoming budget reconciliation package. We encourage all our members and friends to contact both their Senators and Representative in support of including H.R. 4187 in the budget reconciliation package. For more information and to learn how you can support H.R. 4187, visit: https://acb.org/call-to-action-HR4187. All The Light We Cannot See Casting Call Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller All The Light We Cannot See will become an epic four-part Netflix limited series produced by Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment (Stranger Things, Free Guy, Shadow and Bone, Arrival) and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). All the Light We Cannot See tells the story of Marie-Laure, a teenager who is blind, and Werner, a German soldier, whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Levy and producers are announcing a worldwide casting search for the lead role of teenage “Marie-Laure.” Actresses who are blind or low vision are especially encouraged to apply. Those interested can apply by emailing [email protected]. For more information, visit: https://acb.org/netflix-all-the-light-we-cannot-see. The Role of Health and Wellness in Independence Read Clark Rachfal’s Get Up and Get moving article on Modern Wellness The Role of Health and Wellness in Independence: https://www.modernwellnessguide.com/childhood-wellness/the-role-of-health-and-wellness-in-independence-for-the-blind-community/. Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act Last week on the ACB Advocacy Update Clark and Swatha spoke with an old friend of ACB, Claire Stanley, Public Policy Analyst at National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and co-Chair of the ACB Transportation Committee, about air travel accessibility and the Air Carrier Access Act’s (ACAA) 35th anniversary. They discussed the law’s relevance in today’s post ADA world, what the law means for blind and visually impaired travelers, and successes and areas of improvement regarding airline accessibility, including the ACAA Amendments Act (H.R. 1696/S.642). Listen by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/y9ku78t6. If you are facing accessibility barriers or believe the airline is discriminating against you based on your disability, you may file a complaint with the Department of Transportation Office of Aviation Consumer Protection: https://tinyurl.com/356evm5y. NY Alert Accessibility People who are blind and use screen readers will now have independent access to life-saving information offered by “NY-Alert,” New York State’s Mass Notification System. Under a settlement agreement just reached between blind advocates and the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), the state agency will bring critical information on the NY-Alert website into compliance with web accessibility standards within six months, so that individuals who use screen readers can ensure they receive urgent emergency notifications, including time-sensitive alerts about dangers like hurricanes, floods, fires, and winter storms. The agreement resolves a 2020 complaint filed on behalf of an individual plaintiff, ACB Member Ann Chiappetta, and the American Council of the Blind of New York. Learn more by visiting: https://acb.org/NY-mass-notification-9-29-21. Advocacy Grab Bag On the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha returned to the roots of the podcast and provided a myriad of advocacy updates relevant to ACB and our members. Topics they covered include Social Security, accessible voter registration, Discord, and Planet Fitness. Listen by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/advocacy-update-9-23-21. Specialty Pharmacy NYT Article Check out what both our longtime ACB member DeAnna Quietwater Noriega and ACB’s Executive Director Eric Bridges had to say in this New York Times article about the experiences with pharmacies people with disabilities encountered during the pandemic: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/health/blind-pharmacies-access.html . Become a Member of Alliance On Aging And Vision Loss Join or renew your membership in AAVL prior to February 1, 2022 and be entered into a drawing with the chance to win $100.00 in cold cash. There’ll actually be two drawings: one for current AAVL members who renew their membership for 2022, and a second drawing for all NEW members. Spread the word! AAVL cares about the well-being of older people who experience vision loss, and we want to double our membership in 2022. So join now, or renew your membership on our website at www.aavl-blind-seniors.org or by emailing Kathy Gerhardt, Treasurer at [email protected] or calling 304-283-7424. Rite Aid on Be My Eyes Be My Eyes users anywhere in the United States can now locate Rite Aid in the “Personal Health” category of the Specialized Help section of the Be My Eyes app, making getting assistance from Rite Aid’s support team seamless. Be My Eyes’ signature visual support tools will allow Rite Aid agents to see through a the user’s camera, operate their flashlight, and magnify and read small print labels. Learn more by visiting https://www.bemyeyes.com/blog/rite-aid.

ACB supports the Medicare Vision Act and urges congress to include it in the upcoming budget reconciliation package. We encourage all our members and friends to contact both their Senators and Representative in support of including H.R. 4187 in the budget reconciliation package. Important Information Currently, Congress is debating a large legislative vehicle that provides an opportunity to go well beyond creating a pilot program to providing vision coverage through Medicare. As background, one of ACB’s legislative priorities for 2021 is the Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act;  if passed, this bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct a pilot program and report to Congress on the effectiveness of providing low vision device coverage of items including but not limited to: video magnifiers, magnifiers, telescopes, and other devices designed to aid individuals with low vision in accessing information and performing daily living activities. ACB, along with the Independence Through Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid (ITEM) Coalition is currently working with Congress, including the House Ways and Means Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Congressional Vision Caucus, to include a Medicare vision benefit in the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package being considered by Congress. The legislation we believe is best suited to provide vision coverage and expand access to low vision devices is the Medicare Vision Act (H.R. 4187) The Medicare Vision Act (H.R. 4187) would repeal the eyeglasses exclusion from the Medicare statute and require CMS to develop a process to evaluate and make recommendations on covering low vision devices. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Kim Schrier (D-WA-08), and cosponsors for the Medicare Vision Act include Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08), Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-01), Peter Welch (D-VT-AL), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), and DC’s Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. The House Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee released draft text for their sections of the budget reconciliation package. This text creates a carve-out for Medicare coverage of routine eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses but does not explicitly mention coverage for low vision devices. The text does not include language from the Medicare Vision Act (H.R.4187). Although this is a step forward, ACB and the ITEM Coalition believe the inclusion of the Medicare Vision Act (H.R. 4187) in the budget reconciliation package will provide a more comprehensive vision benefit and allow CMS to authorize coverage for approved low vision devices. Call to Action ACB invites you to join us in our support for the Medicare Vision Act and urges Congress to include it in the upcoming budget reconciliation package. We encourage all our members and friends to contact both their Senators in support of including H.R. 4187 in the budget reconciliation package. What You Can Do: Please listen to the ACB Advocacy Update podcast from September 9, with featured guest, Joseph Nahra, Director of Government Relations, Powers Law, and co-Coordinator, ITEM Coalition – https://www.acbmedia.org/2021/09/09/low-vision-devices-legislative-update/. Please review the letter sent by the ITEM Coalition and more than 80 supporting organizations, including ACB and many of our affiliates, to  committee leaders in both the House and Senate urging the inclusion of the Medicare Vision Act (H.R. 4187) in the budget reconciliation package - https://itemcoalition.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/item-coalition-letter-on-low-vision-coverage-in-fy-2022-reconciliation-package.pdf. To contact your Senators, go to www.senate.gov and search by your state and then send them an email or call their office to share your opinion. You may also reach your Senators’ offices by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. When contacting your Senators, please let them know you are a constituent and that you would like them to support H.R.4187 and to add it to the current reconciliation package being considered in the Senate. Be sure to share with your Senators how access to low vision devices has impacted your life and what it would mean for all individuals living with vision loss to have access to these necessary and vital tools for independence. Please remember to let us know, once you have contacted your representative, by emailing the ACB Advocacy Team, Clark and Swatha, at: [email protected] or by telephone at (202) 467-5081. Thank you and keep advocating.

September 29, 2021 – White Plains, NY – People who are blind and use screen readers will now have independent access to life-saving information offered by “NY-Alert,” New York State’s Mass Notification System. Under a settlement agreement just reached between blind advocates and the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), the state agency will bring critical information on the NY-Alert website into compliance with web accessibility standards within six months, so that individuals who use screen readers can ensure they receive urgent emergency notifications, including time-sensitive alerts about dangers like hurricanes, floods, fires, and winter storms. The agreement resolves a 2020 complaint filed on behalf of an individual plaintiff, Anne Chiappetta, and the American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc. Plaintiffs brought the lawsuit because prior to this agreement, individuals who use screen readers to access visual information could not independently use the NY-Alert website to register for urgent alerts or to choose how to receive alerts, putting them at risk during an emergency.  Blind individuals often walk and/or rely on public transportation to get around, and can be particularly affected by strong weather conditions that require sudden deviation from the routes that they are familiar with navigating. This makes it essential for them to receive weather and transportation warnings as early as possible, so that they can avoid dangerous or unfamiliar terrain. In addition to making the existing NY-Alert website accessible, ITS will, over the next two years, conduct monthly accessibility testing, including manual user testing by a specialized third-party contractor, and provide accessibility training for employees and contractors who develop or post content to the NY-Alert website. “Before this lawsuit, the NY-Alert website was unnavigable for me,” Plaintiff Ann Chiappetta said. “I was forced rely on others to register and sign up for alerts, and I could not manage my own contact preferences on the site. I look forward to accessing what I need on the site soon, so I can choose the way I want to receive alerts and anyone else using a screen reader can, too.” Karen Blachowicz, President of American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc. said, “We are happy to have brought about this agreement so when a weather disaster or other crisis hits, blind and low-vision New Yorkers and visitors have equal access to information they need to stay safe.” “Recent storms and tragic flash flooding across New York have only underscored the importance of effective public emergency warnings that can reach everyone,” said Chloe Holzman, a staff attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. “We are pleased that ITS will be fixing NY-Alert’s accessibility barriers, so people who rely on screen readers are no longer excluded from urgent notifications designed to save lives.” About Disability Rights Advocates (DRA): With offices in New York and California, Disability Rights Advocates is a leading nonprofit disability rights legal center in the nation. Its mission is to advance equal rights and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities nationwide. DRA represents people with all types of disabilities in complex, system-changing, class action cases. DRA is proud to have upheld the promise of the ADA since our inception. Thanks to DRA’s precedent-setting work, people with disabilities across the country have dramatically improved access to education, health care, employment, transportation, disaster preparedness planning, voting, and housing. For more information, visit dralegal.org. Contact: Chloe Holzman, Disability Rights Advocates, [email protected], (332) 217-2357  

Beloved Best-Selling, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel All the Light We Cannot See To Become an Epic Netflix Limited Series Director Shawn Levy Announces a Worldwide Casting Search Seeking Actresses Who Are Blind or Low Vision for Lead Role of Teenage “Marie-Laure” Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment will produce, with Levy to direct all episodes and series written by Steven Knight Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller All The Light We Cannot See will become an epic four-part Netflix limited series produced by Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment (Stranger Things, Free Guy, Shadow and Bone, Arrival) and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). Levy is set to direct all episodes. All the Light We Cannot See tells the story of Marie-Laure, a teenager who is blind, and Werner, a German soldier, whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Levy and producers are announcing a worldwide casting search for the lead role of teenage “Marie-Laure.” Actresses who are blind or low vision are especially encouraged to apply. Those interested can apply by emailing [email protected]. All The Light We Cannot See quickly became a global phenomenon when it was published in 2014 and has received wide critical acclaim as well as a Pulitzer Prize in 2015, and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction in 2015. All the Light We Cannot See has spent more than 200 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, and has sold more than 5.7 million copies in North America across print, e-book and audio formats and another 9.5 million copies worldwide. Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Josh Barry of 21 Laps Entertainment will serve as Executive Producers on the series. 21 Laps is the production company behind PGA Award-winning global phenomenon Stranger Things and Oscar nominated film Arrival, along with the Netflix hit Shadow and Bone, along with the recently released hit movie Free Guy. Knight will also serve as an Executive Producer. Joe Strechay (See, The OA) will serve as Associate Producer, Blindness and Accessibility Consultant.

Hampton, N.H. (September 21, 2021)—Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT), one of the largest and fastest-growing global franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America, National Council on Independent Living, and American Council of the Blind (collectively “Coalition for Inclusive Fitness” or the “Coalition”) today announced a commitment to expand access to accessible exercise equipment. “As a leader in the industry and home of the Judgement Free Zone®, it is our mission to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment to anyone who comes through our doors,” said Chris Rondeau, Planet Fitness’ Chief Executive Officer. “People with disabilities face significant barriers when attempting to access health and wellness activities, and it’s clear that health inequity is often due to a lack of access and opportunity. Today’s commitment is another way we are working to eliminate barriers and enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience for everyone.” The Coalition is focused on working with global organizations to build inclusive health communities that provide people with disabilities equal access to, and opportunities for, healthy living. Planet Fitness is committed to providing inclusive equipment in all new stores and adding it to existing stores across the country as franchise owners replace current offerings, as inclusive commercial grade equipment becomes available for purchase and is approved by Planet Fitness for inclusion in its clubs. Planet Fitness will enhance the amount and variety of accessible equipment provided at its clubs by adding new inclusive equipment that conforms with ASTM standards as it becomes commercially available for purchase after clearing through a due diligence process, in accordance with set phased-in time parameters. This equipment will include: An inclusive dual cable strength machine that allows a person to perform multiple exercises from a seated position, including from a wheelchair. A recumbent cardio machine where movement of the arms can move the legs, and vice-versa, and, in addition, the seat can be removed so it can be operated from a wheelchair. Multiple cardio machines, which, depending upon availability, can include: treadmills, elliptical devices, upright bikes and/or recumbent bikes. All new cardio machines will have inclusive features including raised tactile buttons and the ability to receive audible instructions and performance feedback through This will enable blind users to operate cardio machines independently. Planet Fitness will also include the inclusive fitness symbol on all accessible equipment, share information about the roll-out of accessible equipment on its website (as it becomes available in its clubs), and continue its practice of providing customer service regarding the use of accessible equipment. “We applaud Planet Fitness for this historic commitment to the disability community,” said Richard Thesing, Coalition for Inclusive Fitness’ Chief Executive Officer. “At the present time, there are no cardio machines that can be used by blind people and very few fitness centers have cardio or strength machines that can be used by people with mobility disabilities. This marks a huge step forward towards providing individuals with disabilities with a truly inclusive fitness experience. We hope this will be the start of an industry-wide effort to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to enjoy an accessible fitness experience and take similar steps to making that a reality.” “People who are blind face a myriad of chronic health conditions due in no small part to the lack of accessible exercise and fitness equipment available in the market today,” said Eric Bridges, Executive Director, American Council of the Blind. “The lack of accessible user interfaces and audible output for nearly all types of exercise and fitness equipment prevents people who are blind and experiencing vision loss from independently operating, purchasing and enjoying the use of fitness and exercise equipment, and thereby taking control of their own health and wellbeing. ACB applauds Planet Fitness for their collaboration with the disability community, and we encourage other fitness and exercise providers to follow their leadership to enable people with disabilities the freedom to take control of their health.” “Exercise is for everyone,” said Emily Seelenfreund, Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Advocates – one of the organizations representing the Coalition. “Planet Fitness’ pioneering commitment to increasing accessibility should serve as a model for fitness facilities across the country.” “For people with spinal cord injuries and disorders, being able to access exercise equipment that meets their needs can be essential to maintaining an exercise program that increases their strength and endurance for rehabilitation, health, and overall sense of well- being,” said Heather Ansley, Associate Executive Director of Government Relations, Paralyzed Veterans of America. “We believe that this commitment will help make accessible equipment more available in people’s communities and we are pleased that Planet Fitness has stepped forward to help meet this critical need.” About Planet Fitness Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of June 30, 2021, Planet Fitness had more than 14.8 million members and 2,170 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico and Australia. The Company’s mission is to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non- intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone®. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women. About Paralyzed Veterans of America The Paralyzed Veterans of America (pva.org), is a congressionally chartered veterans’ service organization and is the largest organization for veterans with a spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other diseases and conditions resulting in paralysis. About The National Council on Independent Living The National Council on Independent Living (ncil.org), is a national cross disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities representing thousands of organizations and individuals, including individuals with disabilities, Centers for Independent Living, statewide Independent Living Councils and other organizations that advocate for human and civil rights of people with disabilities throughout the United States. About The American Council on the Blind The American Council on the Blind (acb.org), is comprised of approximately 70 state chapters and special interest affiliates representing a diverse range of groups within the blind community. About Mobility Fitness Mobility Fitness’ mission is to ensure that every entity, worldwide, that offers exercise equipment to its patrons will also offer inclusive equipment. mobilityfitness.org About Disability Rights Advocates: With offices in New York and California, Disability Rights Advocates is the leading nonprofit disability rights legal center in the nation. Its mission is to advance equal rights and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities nationwide. DRA represents people with all types of disabilities in complex, system-changing, class action cases. DRA is proud to have upheld the promise of the ADA since our inception. Thanks to DRA’s precedent-setting work, people with disabilities across the country have dramatically improved access to education, health care, employment, transportation, disaster preparedness planning, voting, and housing. For more information, visit dralegal.org Contacts Planet Fitness: McCall Gosselin SVP Corporate Communications [email protected] Coalition for Inclusive Fitness: Richard Thesing President, Mobility Fitness [email protected] Case Page Planet Fitness

Discord & ACB Announce Digital Accessibility Initiative Discord, working with the American Council of the Blind, announced a comprehensive initiative to enhance Discord’s voice, video and text communication app to make it more accessible for Discord users who are blind or have other vision impairments. Learn more by visiting: https://acb.org/discord-accessibility.   ACB Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month On last week's episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha spoke with Guillermo Robles from ACB’s Multicultural Affairs Committee, and Gabriel Lopez Kafati from ACB’s International Relations Committee, about the month-long celebration of Hispanic heritage. Guillermo and Gabriel shared what Hispanic Heritage Month means to them and their community, advocacy issues important to the blind Hispanic community, and ways ACB may be more inclusive of the Hispanic community and lift up their voices within the organization. More information about the Spanish language community calls can be accessed by emailing [email protected]. Listen to this episode by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/acb-advocacy-update-9-16-21. Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 4853) aims to make home use medical equipment and devices accessible to blind and visually impaired Americans. The majority of home use medical devices and out-patient equipment utilize digital display interfaces that are inaccessible to blind and visually impaired users. Devices such as glucose monitors, blood pressure readers, and at-home chemotherapy treatments do not have nonvisual accessibility features, such as text to speech output, tactile markings, or audible tones. As a result, it is very difficult for blind and visually impaired individuals to use medical devices properly and safely, making it difficult for these individuals to manage their health independently. The passage of this bill would ensure that product manufacturers incorporate accessible design in the beginning stages of development. We encourage all ACB members and friends to contact their Representatives and urge them to cosponsor and support the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 4853). To learn more about how to contact your representatives about this issue, visit: https://acb.org/call-to-action-HR4853. McDonalds Partners With Vispero On Accessible Kiosks Vispero, an assistive technology supplier for the blind and visually impaired, has been selected by McDonald’s to assist in providing customers with an accessible kiosk experience. Vispero’s product, JAWS Kiosk, has been deployed to select McDonald’s US company owned restaurants, as well as newly deployed kiosks in US franchise locations. McDonald’s is in the process of deploying this solution to corporate owned stores and select franchise locations across the US. Learn more by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/2wdzrxhx.   Low Vision Devices Legislative Update On the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha met with Joe Nahra, Director of Government Relations at Powers Law, and co-Coordinator of the ITEM Coalition, to discuss legislative action surrounding Medicare Coverage of low vision devices. They revisited ACB’s Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act legislative imperative, discuss H.R. 4187, the Medicare Vision Act, and discussed current efforts to add low vision device coverage in the budget reconciliation package. ACB urges all our members and friends to contact their elected officials in support of including the Medicare Vision Act, H.R. 4187, in the budget reconciliation package. Listen by visiting https://tinyurl.com/acb-advocacy-update-9-9-21. The School That Created a City for the Blind Marburg proudly calls itself a "Blindenstadt", a city for blind and visually impaired people, due to its long history as a hub for accessibility. A ground-breaking educational institute for the blind, the Blindenstudienanstalt (or Blista) in German, was founded here during World War One, to provide opportunities for young men blinded in the war. The institute has spawned countless inventions for blind people since then, including a tactile mathematical font. It has also profoundly shaped the town around it, turning it into a place where, as Portz puts it, "everything is ideal for blind people". Learn more about Marburg and the innovations that have made it so accessible by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/tut4k7t9. ACB Holiday Auction The ACB Media Holiday Auction will be held on Sunday, November 28 at 7:00pm EST. There will be a Sneak a Peak Appetizer Auction on Friday, November 26 and Saturday, November 27. The deadline for auction item descriptions and pictures is Friday, October 1. Please send your items to Leslie Spoone by Monday, October 18, or you can hold the item for direct shipment to the winner. We look forward to everyone participating in The ACB Media holiday Auction this year. Let’s celebrate ACB and the holidays in style! If you have any questions, please reach out to Leslie Spoone at [email protected] or call 407 678-4163. Happy bidding! Casting Call Candice Alustiza Casting is searching for a blind/low vision actor for the role of a south Asian male fluent in Hindi character for an anthology series on a major streaming service. The character’s name is Pete, age range 20’s – 40’s. This character is portrayed as Male, South Asian (episode is set in India), and is quick-witted, short-tempered, and extremely resourceful. He is a former soldier who has had special forces training. Pete’s time in the military and subsequent injury re-enforced the determination and resourcefulness he brings to his current life. This is a lead role. To apply for the role, email: [email protected] and include your full name, 2 photos of yourself, one close-up and one full length, as well as your country, city and state of residence. This production has reached a mandated vaccine policy agreement with SAG for this production. All hires must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, subject to reasonable accommodations for medical and religious exemptions as provided by federal, state or local law (i.e., disability, religious belief, etc.). Type: SAG-AFTRA. Current shoot dates: 10/15 – 10/28/21. Shoot location: NYC. Aira Plans for ACB Members Aira is a service that connects blind and low vision people to highly trained, remotely-located agents. Through an app on your smartphone, Aira delivers instant access to visual information at the touch of a button – enhancing everyday efficiency, engagement, and independence. Aira offers two special pricing plans for ACB members. The Intro Power Plan includes 30 minutes per month for $20.00, and the Standard Power Plan includes 140 minutes per month for $99.00. These plans are available for ACB members in good standing who sign up through December 31, 2021. Please contact Customer Care at (800) 835-1934 for more information and to confirm your status to purchase a plan.  Letter to GSA On September 16, 2021, ACB and other organizations sent a sign on letter to the General Services Administration urging them to make the voter registration information on the www.vote.gov website accessible. Read the letter by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/xzzzsdcf.  

Discord, working with the American Council of the Blind, announced a comprehensive initiative to enhance Discord’s voice, video and text communication app to make it more accessible for Discord users who are blind or have other vision impairments. Discord has worked closely with representatives of the blind community so they each could better understand the challenges and opportunities to enhance Discord’s digital platform: “The American Council of the Blind congratulates Discord for its demonstrated commitment to access and usability, and for its leadership role in ensuring that the blind and visually impaired communities are among the millions of people who can use Discord to connect with their friends and colleagues.” - Eric Bridges, Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind Discord has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 level AA as its digital accessibility standard. These standards are developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web and its availability to all. More information is available on the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative website.  About Discord Founded in 2015, Discord is a voice, video and text app that helps friends and communities come together to hang out and explore their interests - from artists and activists, to study groups, sneakerheads, plant parents, and more. With 150 million monthly users across 19 million active communities, called servers, Discord has grown to become one of the most popular communications services in the world. Discord was built without selling ads or user data and instead, offers a premium subscription called Nitro that gives users special perks like higher quality streams and fun customizations. About The American Council of The Blind The American Council of the Blind is a national member-driven consumer organization representing Americans who are blind and visually impaired. During the organization’s 60-year history, ACB has become a leader in national, state, local, and even international advocacy efforts. With 68 affiliates, ACB strives to increase independence, security, equality of opportunity, and to improve the quality of life for all people who are blind and visually impaired. For more information, visit ACB’s website.

The April 29, 2021, American Council of the Blind Board of Directors meeting (via Zoom) was called to order at 8:05 PM Eastern Time by President Dan Spoone. Trott moved and Campbell seconded a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Approval of the February 20, 2021 Meeting Minutes: Katie Frederick The minutes were sent out as a part of the material for the meeting. Corrections or additions were requested. Mission Moment: Dan Spoone and Eric Bridges Dan and Eric took a moment to acknowledge and thank the Advocacy Steering Committee and Clark Rachfal for a fantastic job on collaboration, so many hours of wonderful content, great panels, and excellent participation across the board. Eric reported there were approximately eighteen hours of content and a lot of high-quality breakout sessions. This really gave us an opportunity to see how the steering committee structure can work in tandem with, and be complimentary to, the work of both the staff and members. Eric also recognized the work of Tony Stephens, Kelly Gasque and Rick Morin who helped facilitate the logistics of all the video and zoom. Katie asked if we had gotten any results back from the survey that was sent out about the leadership conference. Dan indicated that we had and asked Tony if he could get the results out to the Board. Tony indicated that this will be done. President’s Report: Dan Spoone WBU update: Dan announced that Kim Charlson is officially the new president of the North American/Caribbean region of the World Blind Union. Mitch Pomerantz announced that he would be stepping down as the regional vice president, and the board gave him a rousing send off. He will also be stepping down as, ACB’s second ACB WBU delegate. Dan will move into that position, serving with Kim at the World Blind Union General Assembly meetings in late June. Voting Task Force: Pat Sheehan A contract has been signed with Vote Now, the system we will be using to conduct our voting process at the convention. The task force consisted of thirteen ACB members and five staff. In an attempt to get the word out about how the voting process will work, members of the taskforce have done fifteen community calls with about eight more coming up. They have also done two president’s calls, a Tuesday Topics, a Visibility community call, an advocacy podcast, Sunday addition and several affiliate calls. Ad Hoc Committee to Evaluate Role of Executive Committee Mark Richert and Kim Charlson have been appointed as co-chairs of an ad hoc committee to look at our executive committee, its roles and responsibilities moving forward. Reach out to Mark, Kim, or Dan if you are interested in serving on this committee. Volunteer Hours Exceed $1 Million Dan reported that this year ACB logged over 42,000 hours of volunteer service which added up to over a million dollars of in-kind donations. Fall Board meeting: The hotel in Omaha has reached out to ACB about holding a hybrid, if not a full in-person, Board meeting there the weekend of October 8-9, and they do have availability then. Dan said that given the progress that has been made with the vaccines and the way things are opening up across the country, he would like the Board to consider at least having a hybrid fall Board meeting. The question was asked if those dates were locked in or if there was any flexibility because of other blindness/related professional groups meeting around that same time. Janet said those are the dates we do tentatively currently have booked with the hotel as of a couple of years ago. Trott moved and Campbell seconded a motion to authorize staff to look at moving the DC Leadership Conference to the first weekend in March at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria and securing a multi-year or three-year contract with the hotel. The motion carried. ACB Staff Reports Eric Bridges, Executive Director ACB Job Posting Updates: ACB’s most recent job posting announcement went out April 29th to recruit for an administrative assistant for the Alexandria office. Since last November, Eric and Erika Keller have been working on updating existing staff position descriptions, as well as developing future position descriptions. They have also worked on developing a more formal process for recruiting new employees, and with engaging hiring managers in the selection process. New staff were then introduced. Verizon Communications Grant: Eric was contacted by Larry Goldberg, who leads Verizon Media’s accessibility efforts. Verizon Media wants to donate digital ad space to ACB. They are donating to three disability organizations to start and at the end of this year, three additional organizations will be added. Verizon wants to focus on accessibility and visual inclusion. Because we are a trusted partner with Verizon, they would like to donate $830,000 worth of digital ad space to ACB. They have in-house staff who can help with the creation and dissemination of the ads. The project is designed to run until the end of the third quarter. Our ads will appear on their premium brands including all the Yahoo sites, as well as AOL, Tech Crunch, and others. This is one of the areas where we will be able to reach people outside of just the traditional blindness sphere. The way this advertising opportunity works is that it will drive traffic to ACB and increase our visibility. All the communications work, focus groups, and messaging that we have been highlighting as important are the things we want to focus on moving ahead. We want to capture people once they come to our website, moving them from connections to friends to members/supporters. This will give ACB huge bandwidth and approximately 700 to 900 thousand pairs of eyes and ears a day viewing our messages. Information Technology Infrastructure update: Now that we have moved all of ACB’s digital assets over to Microsoft Azure Cloud, we now need to re-platform where those digital assets will be residing. ACb.org, the ADP Project, as well as what we are now building with media.org and where we house our YouTube videos and podcasts. Much of this has already been done by moving our podcasts and video content infrastructure off our existing platform. Within the next six weeks, we will be working with the Louisville Web Group to move what is remaining. This will allow ACB to have more control over the environment in a more standard way as well as having a generic infrastructure that is manageable by anyone. Harriet Tubman $20 Bill and Accessible Currency: In the first part of April, a Wall Street Journal reporter wrote an article covering the fifty-pound note in the United Kingdom being made accessible and that it was the last note to be made accessible in the UK. The reporter reached out to ACB for comment, and we were able to provide a statement regarding our extensive efforts with the government and the numerous delays. Our statement was fully included in the article and got ACB significant visibility. The national office was also able to put together an op ed piece that was sent to several newspapers. It was picked up by the Hill, which did a nice job making the correlation between Harriet Tubman and Louis Braille. We received a lot of positive feedback. Along with all of this, the Women On The Twenty, which is a nonprofit organization, also did a campaign to raise the visibility of having Harriet Tubman on the $20, and, in addition, they raised the accessible currency challenge that we’ve been facing as part of their messaging as well. Get Up and Get Moving Campaign: Tony Stephens Get Up And Get Moving is ACB’s health and wellness campaign which will launch publicly this summer as part of the ACB Convention. The official kickoff event will take place Saturday evening of the convention. The focus of the event will be on health and wellness, celebrating the opportunity we have coming out of the pandemic to get back out into our communities. Tony said ACB is working to garner support from corporate sponsors and donors. The campaign is set up on three pillars to include public awareness, advocacy, and partnerships. In all these areas, the two goals are to draw greater attention to the systemic structural issues that have led to psychology, health, wellness, and physical well-being, and working to inspire industry and bring awareness to the technology and tools available for blind people to live a healthy accessible lifestyle. We will be primarily reaching out to communities of color where blindness and vision loss is more prevalent. The campaign will take place over the next three years. Jeff Bishop said we currently have a combined total of 609 followers and members. The plan is to integrate Clubhouse and twitter spaces into the convention platform so ACB can be available across multiple platforms where people will be able to listen to and discuss activities that pertain to convention. HR1 and S1 and Accessible Voting: Eric shared that there have been a number of things that have happened related to voting accessibility. Some language was proposed in the Senate that would seek to give our community most of what we need with respect to electronic voting, balloting and return. We have not yet seen the actual text of the amendment. ACB put out a press release in opposition to the language contained in HR1 which dealt with our community not seeing all the advances made in various states to be arbitrarily erased. That generated a lot of attention and opened doors to ACB staff to schedule meetings with legislators on key committees. Other Updates Dan reported that the Board has been asked by the Convention Committee, along with the work that has been done with ACB’s law firm, to make a couple minor changes to the Code of Conduct. The Convention Committee wants to have updates made as soon as possible so that the document can be included in all convention materials. The stock market looks more favorable in 2021 than it did at the end of 2020. For the first quarter our 2021 investments have a net gain of about $124,000. Scholarships: We have 145 completed scholarship applications this year. It is believed that the reason for the increase was because this information was shared on ACB’s homepage, sent out through Constant Contact emails, and on several partner websites. There were also several community calls to help students walk through the application process and answer questions. AFB has approved the individuals that ACB recommended. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 11:15 PM Eastern time. Denise Colley ACB Secretary