Voting day is finally here. We’ve tried to look beyond the record-setting spending on ads during the campaign and shed light on how the positions of candidate’s on both the federal and state level will impact the lives of people with disabilities. But none of it matters unless each and every citizen exercises his or her constitutional right to choose who will lead the country.
“As a community, people with disabilities can be one of the most powerful voting blocks in this country. We are a community of 57 million strong,” Mark Perriello wrote on Friday for his weekly message on the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) blog. Perriello is not expecting every single individual with a disability will feel the same way about a given policy. But his words are a reminder that — regardless of which direction one’s views happen to lean — it is imperative to show the Ann Coulters of the world that the voice of people with disabilities is one that lawmakers should pay attention to when making decisions that affect the future of the United States.
The AAPD provides a voting resources page which includes a PDF version of the ADA Checklist for polling places; and here’s a link to the precinct locator for the state of Massachusetts, provided by Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Gavin. The site also includes a page outlining the state’s equal access provisions, and offers a toll-free number (800-462-VOTE) and email address (elections@sec.state.ma.us) to report and comment on the level of accommodation at polling stations.
WLS-TV Channel 7 reporter Karen Meyer interviewed representatives from both the Obama and Romney campaigns about their candidate’s position on issues facing people with disabilities. The segment, which aired during her regular Sunday Morning News slot, identified employment and health care as the top priorities for this constituency.
Both parties have shown that employment of people with disabilities is an issue that has bipartisan support, especially at the state government level. But people with disabilities will be asking themselves the same key questions as every other voter today: Is the recent improvement in employment a sign that the economy is improving under President Obama’s administration, or would the U.S. be further along if Governor Romney were at the helm? And does the GOP plan to give states more control over Medicaid spending help families of people with disabilities more than the Affordable Care Act? However you answer these questions, make sure you answer them by voting today.
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Image by kristin_a (Meringue Bake Shop).