On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and former U.S. Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden met for the first of three 2020 United States presidential debates. Many people — on the left and the right — are trying to make sense of what happened in the debate. Throughout the debate, President Trump interrupted and spoke over Biden when it was Biden's turn to respond. Thanks to its chaotic and argumentative nature, the debate was hard to follow for many viewers. For people who are hard of hearing or deaf, many struggled to understand what was even said… Read More 
ELIGIBLE VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES INCREASE BY NEARLY 20% As the November election draws near, new research finds that the number of voters with disabilities across the nation has grown exponentially and could make the difference in how races are decided. There are an estimated 38.3 million eligible voters with disabilities in the U.S., according to a report out this month from the Rutgers University Program for Disability Research. That represents an 19.8% increase since 2008 and outpaces a 12% rise in voters without disabilities during the same period… Read More
What voters with special needs should know Encourage People With Disabilities To Vote In The 2020 Election How to vote if you have a disability in Arizona for the 2020 election Voting for all - election accessibility in NC Ballot Access Still a Challenge for Some Illinoisans with Disabilities Ohio accessible voting guide: What you need to know Political campaign websites fall short in digital accessibility, audit finds Website Reports: The Democratic National Committee WAVE reports 1 accessibility errors and 5 contrast errors, Party platform PDF is untagged and inaccessible The Republican National Committee WAVE reports 28 accessibility errors and 19 contrast errors, Party platform PDF is Tagged with many accessibility issues
FEDS: R.I. BOARD OF ELECTIONS WILL MAKE NEW HQ ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES An agreement announced Monday obligates the Rhode Island Board of Elections to make the new headquarters it rented in suburban Cranston - under a no-bid lease - more accessible to the handicapped within six months. Under the agreement announced by the U.S. Atty. Aaron L. Weisman, the elections board is required to engage the services of "a registered design professional" to "create a remediation plan" for the building at 2000 Plainfield Pike within 30 days. The plan must ensure "that individuals with disabilities can readily park, enter, and exit the building."… Read More Website Reports: The Green Party WAVE reports 38 accessibility errors and 46 contrast errors, Party platform PDF is untagged and inaccessible The Constitution Party WAVE reports 16 accessibility errors and 0 contrast errors, Party platform PDF is tagged but has alt-text and other inaccessible content United States Supreme Court WAVE reports 9 accessibility errors and 44 contrast errors, Many PDF files that are tagged but with many accessibility problems, here is a sample The Reform Party WAVE reports 2 accessibility errors and 9 contrast errors, no PDF's on their web site
MAKING OUR WORKFORCE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL DURING NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH The U.S. Department of Labor has dedicated October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. For my first column this month, I wanted to revisit the sentiment my predecessor and mentor Edythe Copeland reinforced — the importance of decreasing discrimination of all kinds in the workforce. She fought for that throughout her career and, as I've mentioned before, I'm committed to continuing her legacy. Earlier this year, Edythe covered diversity, inclusion and resources for employers… Read More Website Reports: CNN WAVE reports 2 accessibility errors and 0 contrast errors, No PDF's found MSNBC WAVE reports 105 accessibility errors and 44 contrast errors, No PDF's found FOX News WAVE reports 39 accessibility errors and 1 contrast errors, No PDF's found
MILLIONS OF DISABLED VOTERS COULD BE SIDELINED IN 12 BATTLEGROUND STATES BECAUSE OF THEIR ELECTION WEBSITES, NEW REPORT SHOWS A dozen state election websites are not accessible to millions of visually impaired voters, according to a report from a nonprofit released Thursday. Election websites for 12 battleground states (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin), according to a report compiled by Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, do not follow accessibility guidelines recommended by the World-Wide Consortium, which sets standards for accessibility on the world wide web… Read More Blind Voters Are Suing North Carolina and Texas, Arguing that Mail Ballots Are Discriminatory 'A Failed System': What It's Like to Vote With a Disability During a Pandemic Voting Could Be More Difficult for People with Disabilities This Year Blind and disabled Iowans should not have to risk their lives to vote Disability rights group targets East Texas elections websites Disability Rights Iowa partners with state secretary for poll accessibility RI Board of Elections to make building accessibility changes Audit found 43 states' mail-in ballot applications are not accessible for people with disabilities Accessible absentee ballot option for voters with print disabilities to launch Friday Digital vote-by-mail applications in most states are inaccessible to people with disabilities
AN ACCESSIBLE ABSENTEE BALLOT IS CRUCIAL FOR BLIND AND DISABLED IOWA VOTERS, ADVOCATES SAY ESPECIALLY IN COVID-19 ERA Don Wirth has been legally blind for 25 years. At 70 years old, he's at higher risk for COVID-19, so instead of going to the polls and using an accessible voting machine, he voted absentee during the primaries. His wife filled out the paper ballot for him. "I have great confidence that she's going to fill it out the way I want her to," Wirth, of Ames, said. But Wirth knows not all blind or otherwise disabled people have a loved one they can trust to help cast their vote. And, he believes, no Iowan should be forced to surrender their privacy to exercise their constitutional right… Read More Commonlook providing a webinar series with the Bureau of Internet Accessibility over the next few months, link to sign up is below: https://commonlook.com/digital