ACB Advocacy Update

Episode Description On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark speaks with ACB member and Vista Center Board Chair, John Glass, and Sight Tech Global Executive Producer, Ned Desmond, regarding this year’s virtual event. A Vista Center production, Sight Tech Global is the first global, virtual conference dedicated to fostering discussion among technology pioneers on how rapid advances in AI...

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha speak with John Pare, Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy at the National Federation of the Blind, Claire Stanley, Public Policy Analyst at the National Disability Rights Network, and Stephanie Enyart, Chief Public Policy and Research Officer at the American Foundation for the Blind, on one of ACB’s 2022 legislative imperatives, t...

Get ready for the American Council of the Blind’s 2nd Annual Audio Description Awards Gala! Clark and Swatha speak with Kim Charlson (ACB’s Immediate Past President and Co-Chair of the Audio Description Project) and Matt Ater (ACB Advisory Board Member and Vice President at Vispero)  about this year’s gala. We cover how it got started, lessons learned from last year’s inaugural gala, and some of t...

As we head into the Mid-term elections, Clark and Swatha speak with Rylin Rodgers (Disability Policy Advisor at Microsoft) and Whitney Quesenbery (Executive Director for the Center for Civic Design) about the work both organizations are doing to make voting accessible for individuals with disabilities. we discuss the work the Center for Civic Design is doing to make finding accessible voting infor...

Episode Notes The scientists, writers, and educators from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) want to make space accessible for everyone, and have created vividly detailed alt text for every photo that has been released from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. ACB’s advocacy team, Clark Rachfal and Swatha Nandhakumar, are joined by Dr. Kelly Lepo, STScI Education and Outreach Scientist, C...

Congress is back in session, and so is the ACB Advocacy team! On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha provide another round of updates for our listeners. Topics we cover include Rep. Sarbanes’ letter to the Department of Justice with over 30 supporting Congressional offices, ACB’s accessible at-home COVID test accessibility survey, the Federal Aviation Administration’s request...

Episode Description On this week’s episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Swatha meets with our two re-elected Board members from the 2022 National Convention, Jeff Thom and Koni Sims. She learns about their history with ACB, what they’re excited to work on in their new term as director, and advocacy issues important to them. Jeff and Koni also share advice for those interested in getting more involv...

Episode Description On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha head into the August Congressional Recess with another round of advocacy updates. They cover the DOJ Uber settlement, updated COVID testing guidance, ACB's website accessibility action alert, a new AbilityOne subminimum wage rule, updated HHS and DOJ guidance on telehealth, Concept2, and Peloton. To file a rideshare s...

Episode Description On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha speak with our three newly elected members of the ACB Board of Directors, Gabriel Lopez Kafati, Rachel Schroeder, and Terry Pacheco. They discuss their history with ACB, including why they became a member, their leadership experience, why they ran for a board position, their thoughts on our first ever hybrid conventio...

# On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha speak with Dr. Rebecca Sheffield (Education Programs Specialist at the US Department of Education) Dr. Frances Mary D’Andrea, (Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Pittsburgh) and Sarah Chatfield,(Doctoral Candidate at Texas Tech University) about their recently published journal article “How Many Braille Readers? Polic...

Episode Description On this episode of the Advocacy Update, we discuss the ongoing advocacy efforts to make at-home COVID-19 tests more accessible for people who are blind and low vision. Clark is joined by ACB President Dan Spoone and Immediate Past President Kim Charlson, and Deputy Director Jill Heemsker, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering within the National Institutes...

Episode Description On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha speak with Christine Kim (Trial Attorney at the US Department of Justice Disability Rights Section) and Aaron Konopasky (Senior Attorney Advisor at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) about the recent guidance on AI and algorithmic technology and disability-based discrimination in employment released by bo...

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day by speaking with Tom Pey (Founder and CEO of Waymap) and Russ Myer (Executive Director of the Capital Region Nordic Alliance) about increasing the accessibility of the indoor and outdoor built environment through way finding services like Microsoft Soundscape and Waymap. We discuss the work Wa...

Modernizing the AbilityOne Program On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha, with special guest ACB President Dan Spoone, speak with Kimberly Zeich, Acting Executive Director of the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, and two private citizen members of the Commission, Gabe Cazares and Bryan Bashin, about the AbilityOne program. We discuss ways to modernize the program, including the Co...

# On this week’s episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha return to provide an update on the 2022 legislative imperatives, and the work ACB and its partners in the disability community are doing on the 4 imperatives. We also provide updates on accessible at-home COVID-19 testing and the Ability-One program.  

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, we revisit a session from the ACB Legislative Seminar. During this breakout session, ACB’s Transportation, and Pedestrian and Environmental Access Committees host a conversation with Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America. To review more content from the 2022 ACB D.C. Leadership Conference, please visit ACB’s YouTube channel . Find out more a...

20220225 Legislative Imperative 4 – Communications and Video Accessibility Amendments Act Join Clark one last time as he discusses our final 2022 legislative imperative, the Communications and Video Accessibility Amendments Act. Find out more at https://acb-advocacy-update.pinecast.co

20220224 Legislative Imperatives 3 – Web and Application Accessibility Clark and Swatha discuss our third imperative for 2022, the Website and Applications Accessibility Act. Listen Find out more at https://acb-advocacy-update.pinecast.co

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha celebrate Black History Month with Cheryl Cumings (Multicultural Affairs Committee Chair) and Reverend Ray Raysor (DCCB President). They discuss the meaning of the month, advocacy issues important to blind and visually impaired people of color, and opportunities within ACB to support and foster membership and leadership among members of...

20220223 Legislative Imperative 2 – Medical Device Non-Visual Accessibility Act Clark and Swatha discuss and role play the second legislative imperative, the Medical Device Non-visual Accessibility Act. Find out more at https://acb-advocacy-update.pinecast.co

20220222 Legislative Imperatives – Exercise and Fitness for All Act Clark and Swatha, ACB’s Advocacy and Governmental Affairs team, discuss the first legislative imperative for the DC Leadership Conference and Legislative Seminar, the Exercise and Fitness for All Act. Find out more at https://acb-advocacy-update.pinecast.co

Episode Description On this week’s episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha discuss ACB’s advocacy efforts relating to accessible at-home COVID tests now available to order online and over the phone, and provide an update about ACB's 2022 DC Leadership Meetings. To order rapid at-home test kits free of charge, visit www.covidtests.gov or call 800-232-0233. To register for ACB’s 2022 DC...

Episode Description On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark speaks with Steven Ewell, Executive Director,  Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Foundation , and Matt Ater, Vice President,  Vispero , about the accessible tech innovations at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). ACB attended CES as a guest of the CTA Foundation as part of the organization’s tenth year inviting accessi...

Episode Description On this week’s episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, ACB Advocacy & Outreach Specialist Swatha Nandhakumar continues the New Year mini-series with Blind LGBT Pride International (BPI) President Gabriel Lopez Kafati and ACB Multicultural Affairs Committee (MCAC) Chair Cheryl Cumings. They discuss plans BPI and MCAC have for the year ahead as well as goals both organizations ha...

Episode Description On this week’s episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Swatha, ACB's Advocacy & Outreach Specialist, kicks off 2022 with Tom Tobin and Sheila Styron from ACB’s Get Up and Get Moving Campaign with a discussion of plans and goals the committee has for the year ahead.