From the Editor: Let's vote! |
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Election Day is right around the corner! We want people who have disabilities to know that they have the right to vote and that their votes affect their lives. Do you or your loved one have the information you need to vote? We hope this issue will help answer some of your questions.
I remember how excited and proud my son who has Down syndrome was to vote for the first time back in 2012. I did my best to help him understand the issues and candidates without swaying his decision. It was and still is important to me that he make his own decision.
Best to you and yours,
Maria Schaertel
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Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Early Voting Period in NYS is October 24, 2020 - November 1, 2020
You can vote even if you cannot get to the polling place on Election Day by using absentee voting.
When is the absentee ballot due?
You must postmark, apply online, email or fax completed application for the General Absentee ballot by October 27, 2020. You may apply in-person by November 2, 2020. Ballots will be mailed beginning on/after September 18, 2020.
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Do you know your voter rights? |
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Voters with disabilities have the right to:
- Vote privately and independently
- Wheelchair-accessible voting booths
- Entrances and doorways that are at least 32 inches wide
- Handrails on all stairs
- Voting equipment that is accessible to voters who are blind or who have low vision
- Bring your service animal with you into your polling place
- Seek assistance from workers at the polling place
- Bring someone to help you vote (including a friend, family member, caregiver, assisted living provider, or almost anyone else, but not your employer or union representative).
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A graduate of Eastern University with a degree in Creative Writing and a Masters in Global Communications from the American University of Paris, Imani Barbarin writes from the perspective of a black woman with Cerebral Palsy. She specializes in blogging, science fiction and memoir.
Why is it important for people with disabilities to vote?
Because we're voters and policies affect us. As disabled people, we often deal with stares and invasive questions. But have you ever thought that stereotypes and attitudes could impede our right to vote?
What stops people with disabilities from voting?
- Family members, caregivers, and even poll workers wrongly assume that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities can't understand the issues or make an informed choice. People have been turned away at the polls because of this harmful misconception.
- Guardians can feel overwhelmed or don't see the point in helping disabled people they work with register to vote.
Access
As we think of ways to improve elections, we must prioritize access. Because of dismissive attitudes, many disabled voters aren't aware that there are accommodations available to us. Providing accommodations for people with disabilities to vote is the law. It's not a partisan issue; it's not a choice.
Voting is participating. And in a country that often relegates disabled people to institutions, isolation, and stereotypes, participation is powerful.
However, some folks just don't think disabled people should vote. I think those people should be quiet. We should be able to vote with the proper supports without misguided assumptions about our capacity.
Information: it's everywhere. Dispersing through the invisible Wi-Fi signals, pinging through our modern world like Spiderman's webs through New York. We now have more access to information than ever before. But for many people with disabilities, information can be inaccessible. This gap can prevent folks from making an informed decision on which candidate to vote for. But accessibility on the internet is lagging behind.
Challenges to access
Small font, formatting that is unreadable by screen readers, flashing graphics, and videos without audio descriptions or captions make the internet inaccessible. It can feel like the Wild West, but with way less gold. There's no gold in these data mines. We don't often hear of informational inaccessibility until something goes wrong, like when it was reported in July 2019 that not a single candidate's website was accessible according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The fact that accessibility isn't considered first is a problem. The fact that it often isn't considered at all is unacceptable.
Without thinking through accessibility, you are leaving voters out. It's basically "The Bachelorette." You have a bunch of candidates to decide between, but you're not allowed to find out information on any of them because an access issue is interrupting to just steal you for a minute. And it's not just access to candidates but input into what the candidates focus on. The lives of people with disabilities are intimately affected by legislative changes. If the policies candidates are proposing directly affect your life, wouldn't you want a say?
Voting is about participating in democracy and making an informed choice. In order to make an informed choice, you have to have access to information. Don't know how to make your digital content accessible? Ironically, there's a lot of accessible information about how to do this on the internet. For specific information about the rights in your state and for advocacy resources, reach out to your state's Protection and Advocacy agency. Each state has a Protection and Advocacy Agency that exists to protect the rights of people with disabilities. For NYS, see Disability Rights New York
From Imani Barbarin’s video series, Vote for Access - Courtesy of Rooted in Rights/Block by Block Creative
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Alice Wong on barriers to voting |
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Alice Wong creates, amplifies, and shares disability media and culture. She is the editor of Disability Visability: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century.
All people need to be able to exercise their right to speak out, their right to vote, their right to make their voices heard. Oftentimes, physical barriers, attitudinal barriers, and policy barriers really prevent people with disabilities to be full participants in our society.
There are still a lot of barriers people with disabilities face in political participation. For example, in 2012, over 30 percent of people with disabilities reported difficulty in voting compared to eight percent of nondisabled people.
People with disabilities are still facing numerous barriers, whether it’s in the polling station, whether it’s filling out absentee ballots, or whether they’re even allowed to vote—because there are people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, many of whom are under guardianship for various reasons. Many judges bar people under guardianship from voting, and I think that’s another huge human rights issue. They may need assistance with decision-making, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an idea of who they want to vote for or a desire to vote for somebody.
People with disabilities have a voice, whether it’s an actual literal voice or not. People have thoughts, People have desires. People want to be involved. That’s the work that has to be done.
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