With Election Day, Nov.5th, coming up it’s vital we talk about voter accessibility for people with disabilities.
On August 21st, 2024 I was lucky enough to attend a Voter Accessibility Know Your Rights Workshop and Demonstration at The Lighthouse Guild.
If you aren’t familiar with them , allow me to introduce you to this amazing organization. The Lighthouse Guild was officially formed in December 2013 when Jewish Guild Healthcare and Lighthouse International combined, to become the leading not-for-profit vision and healthcare organization.
Drawing on more than 200 years of combined service, with histories dating back to 1914 and 1905, respectively, Lighthouse Guild’s experience is extensive. In short, these people know what they are doing when it comes to assisting people with disabilities. Specifically, people who are blind or have low vision can greatly benefit from their vast array of services. Not blind or low vision ? I’m certain they can lead you in the right direction for your needs.
Because of their expertise and involvement in the community , their Manhattan location was the perfect spot to host an informative voter accessibility session . Before I go any further, I want to share how the seed was planted for such a workshop.
For you see, The Lighthouse Guild is lucky enough to have a Rockstar Volunteer, Dorothy Delayo . For many years now, Dorothy has worked for free assisting people with various services at the Guild . Not only that, she’s also consistently volunteered at New York City Election Poll Sites. While she participated in helping voters , she noticed on several occasions that people with disabilities were uninformed.
To be clear, they were not uninformed about who was running but uniformed about the voter accessiblity and accommodations available. For this reason, Dorothy decided to take matters into her own hands. She let the Lighthouse Guild know about this problem . As a result , they took action.
A solution was found by contacting the NYC Board of Elections. Delightfully, they agreed to send their Accessibility Queen, Ariel Merkel to come and share her wealth of knowledge with us. As the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator , Merkel knows a thing or two about Voter Accessibility in New York City.
The information we learned at the workshop is invaluable. And we owe it all to Dorothy, the poll volunteer, for speaking up! Additionally, I have to mention that Dorothy says she’s 85 years old, but believe me when I say , she looks 65! Gotta be that service to others that’s keeping her young and active. Wouldn’t you say ? Thank You for dedication to making a difference, Dorothy Delayo. I’ll have what she’s having .
Please take some time and watch the recorded voter accessibility video below. You’ll learn everything you need to know about going to the polls , early voting and absentee ballots. You support me by subscribing to my youtube channel while you are there. Most importantly don’t forget to share the link with others . I want to set a record of the number of People with Disabilities who Voted in this Election.
Thank you for your support. Click & Subscribe Below
You can also learn more at https://www.vote.nyc/page/accessibility
Contact Lighthouse Guild here https://lighthouseguild.org/
English