Barriers to Political Participation for People with Disabilities

This panel will explore issues of political participation for people with disabilities, including: Disenfranchisement of folks with disabilities, accessibility of polling places and campaign websites, the challenges folks with disabilities face when running for office, and more. Advocates from across a wide range of expertise will come together for the discussion. Speakers include a voting-rights organizer and co-founder of the first and only non-profit that provides campaign training for people with disabilities; the founder and director of a group dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture and who is a co-partner of the #CriptheVote movement encouraging political participation of those with disabilities; and a litigator who has brought several voting rights lawsuits that seek to benefit people with disabilities, including an action challenging California and San Mateo County’s failure to provide voters with vision impairments the opportunity to equally participate in the County’s absentee voting program, which relies on inaccessible paper ballots. 

This panel will be interpreted into American Sign Language.

Moderator:
Rabia Belt, Associate Professor of Law, Stanford Law School

Panelists:

Sarah Blahovec, Disability Community Engagement Manager, Democratic National Committee
Caroline Jackson, Associate, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP
Alice Wong, Founder and Project Coordinator, Disability Visibility Project