American Council of the Blind

That’s a wrap on #ACB2026!

Thank you to everyone who made the 2026 ACB Conference and Convention a tremendous success. We we’re honored to welcome in so many of our members, affiliates, partners, and friends. Our nearly 1,200 virtual and in-person attendees from around the country brought energy, passion, and engagement throughout the event.

Save the date: The 2027 ACB Conference and Convention will be held July 23-30 in Jacksonville, Florida.

#ACB65Years

Yesterday at #ACB2026, we were honored to distribute Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to veterans who are blind in partnership with the Blinded Veterans Association and Meta.

FOX 2 St. Louis was on site to cover this special event. Check out their reporting in this YouTube video, which features interviews with ACB Executive Director Scott Thornhill and BVA National Executive Director Lea Rowe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAX4Y1XhCkU

#ACB65Years

Our banquet was a wonderful culmination of an incredible week of learning, advocacy, and community at #ACB2026! This year's banquet tradition was especially meaningful as ACB celebrates #ACB65Years.

The banquet included a keynote address and performance by musician Precious Perez! We also honored ACB Editor with the President's Award for her work in digitizing every issue of The Braille Forum since 1962!

ACB proudly recognizes the 36th anniversary of the #ADA! We're honoring the ADA not only by celebrating its impact, but by continuing the work to strengthen and protect it. Today, attendees participated in a panel discussion on the ADA's successes and challenges at #ACB2026.

Exploring the host city is one of the highlights of ACB's annual convention, giving attendees the opportunity to experience local attractions, connect with one another, and create lasting memories beyond the convention sessions.

#ACB2026 attendees toured the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company, where they learned about the chocolate-making process, explored the factory, and enjoyed plenty of delicious samples along the way!

#ACB65Years

We're excited to welcome so many incredible exhibitors to #ACB2026, including OneCourt, whose haptic technology lets sports fans experience the action through touch.

In this video, ACB President Deb Cook Lewis and ACB's Caitlin Lee join Evelynn Li at the OneCourt booth, where Deb experiences OneCourt's baseball interface for the first time. Deb stands at the OneCourt booth and feels the display with her fingertips.

#ACB65Years

The ACB Mini Mall is at #ACB2026! The ACB Mini Mall features a wide selection of apparel, accessories, technology, gifts, and more, making it the perfect way to show your ACB pride or pick up something new.

Pictured is the ACB Mini Mall booth in the Exhibit Hall, with tables filled with fleece sweaters, apparel, accessories, and other merchandise featuring the ACB logo.

Browse the full selection and learn more about the ACB Mini Mall at https://acbminimall.org.

#ACB65Years

We continued the #ACB2026 with our opening general session last evening, where ACB Executive Director Scott Thornhill delivered his report, highlighting ACB's accomplishments, programs, and priorities for the year ahead!

Today we’re remembering when ACB’s Michael Babcock and Kolby Garrison attended the 2026 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. While there, they had the opportunity to explore a range of innovative assistive technologies, including the latest devices from Orbit Research.

Pictured are Kolby (left) and Michael (right) trying out the Optima, an all-in-one Braille laptop computer. Other braille devices are arranged on the table at the Orbit booth.

Learn more: https://www.orbitresearch.com.

On this week's episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Grace Hart sits down with ACB's own Claire Stanley and Scott Thornhill to discuss their testimony at the D.C. City Council hearing on autonomous vehicles. Claire and Scott discuss their experiences, what others were saying in their testimony, and why they showed up to support AVs in the District.

Access the podcast: https://acb.org/advocacyupdate

Sports and accessibility came together again at #ACB2026 during OneCourt's Sports Fanatics Luncheon! OneCourt Founder and CEO Jerred Mace shared how the company's haptic technology is making live sports more #accessible for fans who are blind or have low vision.

During the luncheon, ACB's Scott Thornhill reflected on his experience using the OneCourt device at Super Bowl LX alongside ACB's Dan Spoone and Kolby Garrison.

Adaptive sports took center stage at #ACB2026 last night as attendees hit the floor with the U.S. Blind Hockey Team and the St. Louis Blues Blind Hockey Club!

Blind hockey is one of many adaptive sports creating opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision to compete, stay active, and experience the excitement of team sports. After learning the basics from experienced players, attendees grabbed hockey sticks and passed a wiffle ball, using sound and touch to track the action.

What a night at #ACB2026! ACB's special interest affiliate, Low Vision Alliance (LVA), hosted its “Big Bash,” bringing attendees together for an evening of music, dancing, and celebration. The dance floor stayed full all night long!

@CCLVI@mastodon.social #ACB65Years

Last night, #ACB2026 attendees enjoyed a St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium! Thank you to Tactile Engineering for hosting ACB's group in their suite!

Attendees followed game using Tactile Engineering's Cadence Braille Workstation, which measures 10 inches wide by 6 inches tall and 1 inch thick, and features large buttons around the perimeter with a braille display in the center.

#ACB65Years

Tell Congress to support same-day paratransit! The Same-Day Paratransit Innovation Act (H.R. 8128) would expand access to same-day paratransit services.

Take action here: https://speak4.app/lp/az01hshx?ts=1775134296

ACB’s Claire Stanley shares a summary here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xQt6gyh-RwU

ACB’s Scott Thornhill, Dan Spoone, and Kolby Garrison joined the Eyes Free Sports Podcast to discuss their experience at the Super Bowl. The group shared what it was like to use the OneCourt device at the game, and other opportunities to make live sporting events more accessible.

Access the podcast here:
https://eyesfreesports.podbean.com/e/the-eyes-free-sports-podcast-ep-163-%E2%80%93-american-council-of-the-blind-staff-members-attend-super-bowl-lx/

Here’s what’s coming up in ACB Community for the week of April 5, 2026!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okasHOMj-mw&t=8s

March is National Craft Month, a time to celebrate creativity through crafting! ACB Crafters hosts regular calls that provide a mix of guided instruction and social crafting time, creating a welcoming space for people to learn, share, and connect.

Interested in joining an upcoming ACB Crafters call? Email community@acb.org or explore the weekly schedule of events at https://www.acb.org/weekly-community-events.

ACB’s Kolby Garrison and Michael Babcock stopped by the Dot Inc. booth during the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference this week! ACB has partnered with Dot Inc. to expand access to multi-line braille, and ACB members are eligible for an exclusive $300 discount on the purchase of the Dot Pad X, Dot Inc.’s new groundbreaking multi-line braille display.

Learn more about the Dot Pad X at https://www.dotincorp.com/en/product/dotpadx.

This week, ACB staff members Michael Babcock and Kolby Garrison are attending the 41st annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in Anaheim, California. CSUN is the nation’s premier assistive technology conference, with hundreds of exhibitors and training sessions covering a range of accessibility and technology topics. Michael and Kolby are looking forward to sharing their experience and learnings with the ACB family!

On Monday, April 20, ACB’s Caitlin Lee will take on the 130th Boston Marathon! While she’s no stranger to marathon running, this will be her first time racing in Boston and her debut in the Para Athlete Division.

Join ACB in cheering Caitlin on!

Pictured: Caitlin picks up her race bib and stands in front of the finish line ahead of Monday’s Boston Marathon. Other runners and visitors appear in the background.

#bostonmarathon2026

At #ACB2026, ACB Next Generation and ACB's Berl Colley Leadership Institute teamed up to host Leadership Linkup 2.0, where emerging leaders connected one-on-one with ACB leaders and staff. The event gave NextGen members the opportunity to help shape the future of ACB!

In this video, narrated by NextGen's Immediate Past President Amanda Selm, NextGen members engage with ACB leaders and staff during the event. NextGen members are seated in rows across from ACB representatives.