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Advocating, Educating and Facilitating Voting for People with Disabilities

This course covers the history of voting rights for people with disabilities, controversies surrounding voting under guardianship, and the latest high-tech solutions to make voting more accessible. It emphasizes the importance of therapists understanding these rules and provides resources for educating and facilitating voting for people with disabilities.

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Advocating, Educating and Facilitating Voting for People with Disabilities

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  1. Advocating, Educating and Facilitating Voting for People with Disabilities Paige O’Sullivan

  2. LEARNING OUTCOMES • Understand the history and amendments for voters with a disability. • Describe the controversy around people with disabilities voting under guardians or staff members • Identify the newest high-tech solutions for making voting more accessible for people with disabilities. • Understand why it is important for therapist to understand these rules.

  3. History • Voting Rights Act of 1965 (No use of violence could dissuade one from voting) • Amended in 1982 (People who are blind or have other disability can use the assistance of someone of their choice) • Voting Accessibility for the Elderly or Handicapped Act (VAEHA) 1984 • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990 • Help America Vote Act (HAVA) 2002

  4. Does anyone know the law in Pennsylvania for people with disabilities and their right to vote?

  5. Laws • Pennsylvania-apply for absentee if permanently disabled and polling place is inaccessible. Can bring a guardian to assist you. • http://www.dvcpa.org/at_the_polls.asp • Currently, 15 states and the District of Columbia bar individuals from voting based on often arbitrary and flexible definitions of “mental incapacity” or guardianship status. In these areas, individuals under guardianship must petition a judge to let them vote • http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Elections1&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=104206

  6. CLINTON GODE • http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2012/11/08/20121108champion-disabled-proud-cast-his-vote.htmlhttp://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2012/11/08/20121108champion-disabled-proud-cast-his-vote.html

  7. Was your polling place accessible? • Physical Barriers? • Blind/Hearing Help?

  8. VOTING GAP • 11% lower than non-disabled community • Accessibility issues • 25% of voting places are accessible • Stigma • Uneducated

  9. ADVOCATING • Get rid of the stigma! • Person centered planning • Know the rights of your state • Set up a court date if needed

  10. EDUCATING • Making sure clients understand their rights • Hold sessions • Protecting clients • Harvesting ballots, especially in nursing homes • Educating on views (without bias) • ARC “We’ve got the Power” • http://www.thearc.org/page.aspx?pid=3538 • http://www.nonprofitvote.org/past-webinars.html

  11. EDUCATION • Holding group sessions • When, Where, How, Why? • Registering Clients • Marking Date • Absentee Ballot or Polling Location • Issues Important to Client • Sample Ballot • Mock Election

  12. FACILITATING • Currently, a voter with a disability faces a nearly 75 percent chance that he or she will NOT be able to use his or her assigned polling precinct to vote. • Plan ahead: Transportation or Absentee • Know what assistance is available

  13. NEW high-tech solutions • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUpHIqguUKs • Ipads in Oregon • Tablets also being tested • Online voting • Very fragile, can be hacked easily

  14. Discussion • Do you think that there should be an updated voting system? • How do you feel about the high-tech solutions for voting? • Will it make a difference? • Will it prevent “harvesting”?

  15. REsources • https://usodep.blogs.govdelivery.com/2012/11/05/to-matter-your-right-to-vote-requires-access/ • http://www.votespa.com/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1174121&mode=2 • http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/10/keeping-the-mentally-incompetent-from-voting/263748/ • http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm • http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2012/11/01/1214384 • http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/us/oregon-tries-out-voting-by-ipad-for-disabled.html?_r=0 • http://www.wsaw.com/news/headlines/Stevens-Point-Woman-Questions-Voting-Process-for-Disabled-179379771.html?ref=771 • http://www.nonprofitvote.org/voting-with-a-disability.html

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