VOTE!
Every day it seems, we hear that this year's presidential election may be the most important in our lifetimes...and it may be. As citizens, voting is both a right and responsibility to participate in the direction our nation will take. In our family, this is a very significant election year: on Wednesday, October 22nd, our 21-year-old son, Benjamin, voted for the first time during early voting in our state.
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October 22, 2008: Benjamin Snow, age 21, votes for the first time during early voting in Colorado. If you're wondering about the "provisional ballot" box in the photo, here's the scoop...Benjamin originally wanted to vote by mail, but then decided he wanted to vote in person, so his in-person ballot is "provisional" until all the ballots are counted and it's determined he did not also use the mail-in ballot. |
When we voted on Wednesday, Benjamin needed assistance in completing his ballot, so I filled in the appropriate document which made my assistance legitimate. Benjamin and I looked over the ballot together, and he told me which candidates he was voting for and which issues he was voting for or against. As I filled in the ovals with the black ink pen, I wondered how many other people with disabilities would also exercise this important right this year...
Many who are involved in the disability arena are routinely frustrated by the laws and policies (including funding) that affect people with disabilities and their families. But laws are passed because they have the support of one or more particular constituencies, and it's long been recognized that people with disabilities and their supporters are a non-existent or invisible constituency! We're not "big," we're not as well-organized as other groups, we're not vocal enough, and we don't have well-heeled, high-paid lobbyists roaming the halls of Congress!
There are, of course, a variety of disability-related organizations with a presence in Washington, DC, each pushing their agendas. And we may never be able to create a powerful, cohesive entity that speaks with one voice; like any other group, people with disabilities and their supporters are diverse and have widely-varying opinions. But our individual voices can be heard when we vote. When more people with disabilities vote and get involved in the political arena through volunteering in campaigns, sharing their testimony at hearings, and other activities, our political candidates, elected officials, and policy makers will begin to see people with disabilities as a constituency that should be listened to!
What can you do to ensure people with disabilities participate in the political process? If you're a person with a disability, are you registered to vote? Do you need assistance to vote and, if so, do you know where to find this assistance? If you're a family member, a teacher, a service provider, or have some other role, are the children or adults with disabilities in your life registered to vote? Have you helped them learn about elections and the political process? Have you informed them that their vote is important? Can you make sure they receive whatever help is needed to participate?
In addition, what can you do to help other people with disabilities vote this year? We have a wheelchair accessible van, so my husband has volunteered to transport people who use wheelchairs to the polls this year. How can you help others in your area? There are many ways to get involved, so let's do it and make a difference!
Excerpted from: Disability is Natural Free Press
Written by Kathy Snow