Disability Inclusion: Nothing About Us Without Us
Recently the United Nations (UN) held its 12th session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); an important gathering conducted every year to unite and engage various UN entities, NGOs, and other stakeholders on the topic of disability. This is when the UN discusses any matter regarding disability and attempts to connect the greater disability discourse with implementation of the CRPD. I was lucky enough to attend the 2019 session this past week and was surprised to learn that people with disabilities face a severe disadvantage in any system of democratic governance.
The Great Disadvantage
With every passing election cycle I always commit to the same voting routine. I mark the date on my calendar, walk to the local school, check off a few boxes, and make it home knowing that my vote will count along with the votes of an estimated 60% of the eligible voting population [1]. However, this is not the case for my neighbor with a walker or the many other people around the world with physical impairments, learning disabilities, or psychological disorders. To the disabled person, voting is not a series of simple steps since a majority of polling locations are inaccessible and non-inclusive. To vote, the physically disabled must maneuver over steep ramps and reach booths that stand over them while the psychologically disabled must fight with election observers to handle their own voting ballot. Those without eyesight are unable to read ballots and persons with dyslexia have difficulty understanding the small printed letters. Voting has become inconvenient and difficult for anyone with disabilities and there are plenty of barriers to stop them from using this power. An October study conducted by the Government Accountability Office in 2016 found that almost two-thirds of the polling places in a sample pool of 137 had at least one impediment for persons with disabilities [2]. This impediment could be a speed bump in a parking lot or a crack preventing wheelchair motion, but no matter the form it takes, it still serves the purpose of potentially turning away physically disabled voters. Additional barriers include ballot formats that could be unreadable for persons with learning disabilities or a lack of polling assistance for people with psychological disabilities. All of which are symptoms of a voting system acting against the very nature of democracy by not including accommodations for persons with disabilities.
Persons with Disabilities are our Community
Without the secure right to vote, the disabled community is left out of the political process and unable to advocate for itself. The power of the vote is what holds democratic governments accountable for any contemporary community or organization. Often deprived of this power, the disabled individual is essentially given two options: stay silent or rely on an organization. All of which severely limits the power a disabled individual has to make changes in their own local community. It forces them to wait for greater societal change when their own issues could be improved with an ordinance or a petition. A terrible choice any disabled individual should not have to make considering the actual size and relevance of the disabled community. The European Disability Forum alone defends the interests of over 80 million Europeans with disabilities [3]. 80 million European citizens that would have had no other significant method of representation in traditional politics without the help of this organization. The United States has a similar issue in which more than 35 million Americans with disabilities are eligible to vote, but are often made to rely upon a greater organization for representation. A fact that hurts American democracy since people with disabilities account for one-sixth of the total electorate [4]. In Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world the disabled community makes up a large portion of the electorate yet is continuously left behind in elections. This means that candidates and politicians are chosen to represent the issues of this community without any input from actual people with disabilities. An issue that allows for the disabled community to be ignored by government and for disability solutions to never be implemented in a practical sense.
Voting is a Right Not a Privilege
Since its adoption on December 13, 2006, the CRPD has increased recognition of the rights of people with disabilities and viewed them as individuals with rights that can make decisions for themselves [5]. This international treaty upheld that persons with all types of disabilities must be allowed to enjoy all human rights while establishing the framework needed for potential inclusion of the disabled into society. Nevertheless, voting has all too often remained a pipe dream for those with disabilities despite the promises made by the CRPD and later disability rights documentation. The disabled were promised polling locations that would accommodate their needs and allow them to participate in democratic governance. Yet, polling locations today continue to be a basic barrier between disabled citizens and their own politicians. This remains an issue in the disabled community, because voting is treated like a privilege instead of a right. Many governments do not ask or insist that citizens vote. Governments instead ask if a citizen is eligible to vote and place conditions on voting procedure. This attitude toward voting is especially difficult for people with disabilities that must live with the stigma of being seen as less capable. For people with disabilities the right to vote is an uphill battle between acquiring accessible locations and convincing the government that they deserve to vote.
Solutions for a Better Democracy
Despite all these facts and the sheer diversity within the disabled community there are many easy ways to make polling places more accessible and inclusive. As found by PEW TRUSTS [6]:
- Increased polling station surveillance
- Frequent disability law enforcement and check ups
- Vote-by-mail and automatic voter registration
- Tablet-based voting systems
- Choice between paper ballot or machine
- Training poll workers on national disability requirements
- And redesigning paper ballots
These methods can raise disabled voter turnout and ensure that polling locations are readily accessible in every election cycle. Moreover, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems suggests including targeted questions on ballots, voting tool kits, and the recruitment of observers with disabilities in poll areas to avoid possible abuse of disabled persons when they are voting. With so many solutions to create an accessible and inclusive polling environment, it is vital to advocate for implementation of the CRPD. Voting is a human right guaranteed to the disabled community and it must be secured for the sake of the community’s future. Disabilities organizations must also continue to work with government and civil society to push for further implementation of CRPD framework that would assist in securing the civil rights of disabled persons. More information on the CRPD can be found in this link: https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html. To continue the conversation on voter inclusion and accessibility, follow @IFESDisability on Twitter or check out their https://www.ifes.org/.
References:
- FairVote.org. “Voter Turnout.” FairVote. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.fairvote.org/voter_turnout#voter_turnout_101.
- VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES Observations on Polling Place Accessibility and Related Federal Guidance. Report. United States Government Accountability Office.
- “Go to Home.” European Disability Forum | NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US. June 07, 2019. Accessed June 17, 2019. http://www.edf-feph.org/.
- Annual Report.Report no. 18. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Accessed June 16, 2019. https://www.eac.gov/assets/1/6/AnnualReport18_AccessibilitySection.pdf.
- “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Enable.” United Nations. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html.
- “How Voters With Disabilities Are Blocked From the Ballot Box.” The Pew Charitable Trusts. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/02/01/how-voters-with-disabilities-are-blocked-from-the-ballot-box.
Bibliography
Annual Report.Report no. 18. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Accessed June 16, 2019. https://www.eac.gov/assets/1/6/AnnualReport18_AccessibilitySection.pdf.
“Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Enable.” United Nations. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html.
FairVote.org. “Voter Turnout.” FairVote. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.fairvote.org/voter_turnout#voter_turnout_101.
“Go to Home.” European Disability Forum | NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US. June 07, 2019. Accessed June 17, 2019. http://www.edf-feph.org/.
“How Voters With Disabilities Are Blocked From the Ballot Box.” The Pew Charitable Trusts. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/02/01/how-voters-with-disabilities-are-blocked-from-the-ballot-box.
Office, U.S. Government Accountability. “Voters with Disabilities: Observations on Polling Place Accessibility and Related Federal Guidance [Reissued on December 4, 2017].” U.S. Government Accountability Office (U.S. GAO). December 04, 2017. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-4.
“Resources for Voters with Disabilities.” U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.eac.gov/voters/resources-for-voters-with-disabilities/.
“Subscribe to Receive the Latest E-news from IFES, including Election FAQs and Special Announcements!” International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.ifes.org/.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.ada.gov/ada_voting/ada_voting_ta.htm.
