ACB Advocacy Update

2023 DC Leadership Conference: Congressional Priorities with U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell

March 23, 2023

Episode Description

During this session at the ACB Legislative Seminar, Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06( joins Clark and Swatha to share her priorities for the 118th Congress as the new Co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Disabilities Caucus.

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Disability Advocacy at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

February 23, 2023

Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at Transportation Research Board | National Academies

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Swatha is joined by Sarah Malaier (Senior Advisor for Public Policy and Research at the American Foundation for the Blind) and Chris Bell (ACB Board Member) to recap their experiences at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, an annual policy and research conference focused on transportation and infrastructure. Swatha, Chris, and Sarah attended on behalf of ACB and AFB to advocate and influence policy and research on behalf of individuals with disabilities with regard to transportation and infrastructure. They discuss takeaways, impressions, and the importance of attending and participating in TRB in this capacity. To learn more about AFB: @AFB1921 on Twitter, and the American Foundation for the Blind on LinkedIn and Facebook. Research reports are available at www.AFB.org

To learn more about ACB’s Transportation and Pedestrian Environment Access Committees: Transportation Committee | American Council of the Blind (acb.org) and Pedestrian Environmental Access Committee | American Council of the Blind (acb.org)

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2023 at ACB

February 21, 2023

Episode Description

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha bring ACB Executive Director Eric Bridges and ACB President Dan Spoone back to map out the year ahead at the American Council of the Blind. Topics we cover include the Leadership Conference and Legislative Seminar in March, the Annual Conference and Convention in July, and the fall Audio Description Awards Gala.

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Recapping the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show, Part II

February 9, 2023

Episode Description

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark is joined by Greg Stilson, Head of Global Technology Innovation, American Printing House for the Blind, regarding his and APH’s experience at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. We discuss Greg’s impression of CES and experience as an exhibiter showcasing technology for APH. Also, they discuss the Accessibility Leaders Roundtable hosted by the Consumer Technology Association Foundation in which ACB and APH participated. To learn more about the American Printing House for the Blind, please visit www.aph.org.

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Recapping the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show, Part I

February 6, 2023

Episode Description

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark is joined by Kat Zigmont, Deputy Director, World Institute on Disability, regarding her and WID’s experience at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. ACB and WID were invited to participate as part of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation’s Accessibility Leaders cohort. They discuss the evolution of accessible technology and why it is important to have disability inclusion at major industry conventions, like CES. To learn more about the World Institute on Disability as they celebrate their 40th anniversary, please visit: www.wid.org.

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Meet ACB’s New Audio Description Project Coordinator

January 26, 2023

Episode Notes

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha get to know the newest member of the Advocacy and Governmental Affairs Team, Tabitha Kenlon. Tabitha will serve as ACB’s Audio Description Project Coordinator. Learn more about the Audio Description Project at adp.acb.org.

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Looking Back at 2022

January 20, 2023

Episode Description

Join ACB advocacy team Clark and Swatha, ACB President Dan Spoone, and ACB Executive Director Eric Bridges as they recap 2022 at the American Council of the Blind. Topics include ACB’s 10K community events, the 2022 hybrid convention, key legislation introduced by ACB in the 117th Congress, and the second annual Audio Description Awards Gala.

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ACB Media

December 8, 2022

Episode Description

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha are joined by ACB Executive Director Eric Bridges, ACB Media & IT Manager Rick Morin, and ACB Media Coordinator Larry Gassman for a deep dive into a key program within the organization, the ACB Media Network. Learn about how Rick and Larry got their start in ACB, how it has evolved from simply being another method of consuming content to the key player and powerhouse it is today, and how you can access and consume its wide array of content.

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Join the Sight Tech Global Virtual Conference

December 1, 2022

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 and related technologies will fundamentally alter the landscape of assistive technology and accessibility. This year’s virtual conference will take place Dec. 7 & 8. To learn more and register for free, please visit: https://sighttechglobal.com.

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The Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act.

November 10, 2022

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, the recently introduced Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act (H.R.9021 and S. 4998). We talk about how this bill got started, what it does and why we need it, and how listeners can get involved and build support to help get it passed. For the joint press release issued by ACB, AFB, NDRN, and NFB, visit Senator Duckworth and Representative Sarbanes Introduce Bill to Make Websites and Mobile Applications Accessible to Individuals with Disabilities | American Council of the Blind (acb.org) For the one pager, section by section analysis, and FAQ on the bill, visit Sarbanes, Duckworth Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Help Make Websites and Software Applications Accessible for Americans with Disabilities | Congressman John Sarbanes (house.gov) To contact your Representative and Senators, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. To access NDRN’s tool for finding and contacting your members of Congress on this bill, visit Tell Congress to Make the Web Accessible for People with Disabilities! (salsalabs.org) To access NFB’s fact sheet on the bill, visit Fact Sheet: Twenty-First Century Mobile Apps and Website Accessibility Act | National Federation of the Blind (nfb.org)

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