Sarah Malaier

On this 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we at AFB are thinking of all the ways that technology plays in role in meeting the expectations of this valuable and groundbreaking civil rights legislation. Thanks to the ADA, we have come to expect equality and access in every part of public life. Truly, people who are blind or have low vision have greater access to jobs, businesses, life in the community, and government services because the ADA prohibits discrimination…

On Friday, May 19, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Joint Dear Colleague Letter on the participation of people with disabilities in online activities made available by colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions. The accessibility of online education has been a major focus for AFB’s Public Policy and Research Institute since the pandemic expedited the adoption of educational technologies…

Just as the flowers bloom and come to life again in Washington, D.C., Springtime often brings a flurry of activity from the federal government. Our Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) has been tracking the activity, and would like to share two key recent actions that have taken root and could yield positive fruit for people who are blind or have low vision. First, the Department of Justice (DOJ), along with the General Services Administration (GSA), released a long-awaited report on the…

Last week, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a law investing $1.2 trillion in physical infrastructure and reauthorizing the surface transportation programs. We have been paying close attention to this legislation because the funding it authorizes impacts the availability of various public transportation systems that are important to people who are blind or have low vision for the next five years and beyond. As we know, lack of transportation is a leading barrier…

As we celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, AFB enthusiastically endorses the Disabled Access Credit Expansion Act of 2021. This tax credit supports small businesses making important investments in accessibility for their employees and customers. The Disabled Access Credit Expansion Act (S. 2481 / H.R. 4714) would increase the size of business eligible for the credit from those earning gross receipts under $1 million to those earning under $2.5 million and would…

Let's get Congress to pass the Disability Access to Transportation Act. In Washington, there’s a lot of talk about infrastructure. Over the last two years, AFB has been working hard to ensure that the next surface transportation reauthorization acknowledges and addresses some of the transportation needs facing people who are blind or have low vision. We started by bringing attention to some of the challenges of using paratransit services and were pleased that one of the reforms that we asked…

Wednesday, April 14, 2021, is National Assistive Technology (AT) Awareness Day. AFB is committed to increasing access to AT and other accessible technologies as part of our public policy advocacy, and AccessWorld frequently features new technologies in its monthly issues. In honor of the day, we are highlighting what assistive technology means to people who are blind or have low vision. For those who already use assistive technology, we also encourage you to spread the word and raise awareness…

Just as the White House is known as “The People’s House,” the White House webpage should be “The People’s Page,” a digitally inclusive place for everyone. High-profile web pages like this one provide a model for the rest regarding what a website can and should do to be inclusive. Recently, the White House website has been updated to include an accessibility statement. The statement is simple, and serves as a good model to emulate for any organization or company that is committed to digital…

After a marathon week of negotiating, Congress has wrapped up final deliberations and voted to pass a COVID-19 relief package for individuals, businesses, and local governments, which are continuing to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. On hold since May, when the House of Representatives passed the Heroes Act, Congress finally agreed to provide about $900 billion in aid as part of a massive 5,600-page year-end omnibus appropriations bill. That means the bill will fund both coronavirus relief…