Join the Sight Tech Global Virtual Conference

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 … Read more

The Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act.

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, … Read more

ACB’s 2nd Annual Audio Description Awards Gala

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, … Read more

Accessible Voting and Voter Engagement

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 … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope Accessibility with STScI

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, … Read more

Advocacy Grab Bag Back in Session.

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 … Read more

A Chat with ACB’s Returning Board Members

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 … Read more

Post-Convention Advocacy Update Grab Bag

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 … Read more

Meet ACB’s New Board Members

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 … Read more

How Many Braille Readers?

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 … Read more