On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Claire and Swatha preview all that will be happening at the 2024 Leadership Conference and Legislative Seminar taking place from March 1st to 5th at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA. We go through the scheduled meetings, guest speakers, fun activities after hours, and our Capitol Hill advocacy day. Registration is now open to attend the conference, and ACB’s room block for the Sheraton closes on February 12th. To register, visit Take part in the American Council of the Blind Leadership Conference! | American Council of the Blind (acb.org)
On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Swatha chats with an old friend and new Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, Claire Stanley. Claire shares her background in disability rights, her previous work with ACB, and what she’s looking forward to in her new role here.
On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update podcast, Swatha reflects on all that happened in 2023 with guests Dan Spoone (ACB Interim Executive Director) and Deb Cook Lewis (ACB President). Listen as we walk through a year of transition and growth for the organization with staff departures and additions, ACB’s accessible currency rally in front of the White House and Treasury Department, and the 3rd annual Audio Description Awards Gala.
Continuing from where we left off in Part 1, Dan and Swatha speak with Penny Forward on current efforts in the push for fully accessible US paper currency. We highlight the 2023 Accessible Currency Rally held by ACB in front of the US Treasury Building and the White House, and the subsequent actions taken by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to demonstrate the administration’s commitment to making paper currency fully accessible to individuals who are blind and low vision. We finish on a hopeful note and look forward to future progress in this effort.
In the first installment of this 2-part collaborative podcast with Penny Forward, we discuss the history behind ACB’s advocacy surrounding the push for the United States to create paper currency that is fully accessible to people who are blind and experiencing vision loss. Dan Spoone, ACB Interim Executive Director, and Swatha Nandhakumar, ACB Advocacy and Outreach Specialist, speak with Liz Bottner, Moe Carpenter, and Chris Peterson, representatives from Penny Forward, on the 50-year history of accessible currency advocacy, including the member-passed resolutions, and the class action lawsuit against the US Department of the Treasury.
The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Swatha speaks with Mark Richert, International Program Coordinator at Overbrook School for the Blind, about the recently reintroduced Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act (H.R.5748 and S.2945). This bipartisan and bicameral piece of legislation would improve special education opportunities for blind, low vision, deafblind, deaf, and hard of hearing K12 students. Swatha and Mark go over the bill’s provisions, changes that have been made this time around from previous Congresses, and how members and friends can get involved and get this bill passed. Learn more about the Cogswell Macy Act at www.cogswellmacyact.org